Skip to main content

Why Use a Skill?

Skills are the recommended way to give Claude Code access to Paragon commands. Unlike adding to CLAUDE.md, skills are:
  • On-demand - Only loaded when you invoke /paragon
  • Context-efficient - Doesn’t consume tokens until needed
  • Organized - Keeps your CLAUDE.md clean for project-specific info

Quick Setup

Option 1: Let Claude Create It

Run Claude Code in your project and paste this prompt:
Create a skill file at .claude/skills/paragon.md with the Paragon CLI reference.
Include all commands: paragon run, paragon context, paragon submit, paragon branch,
and stack navigation (sync, next, prev, top, bottom). Include flags and examples.
Claude will create the skill file automatically.

Option 2: Manual Setup

  1. Create the directory: mkdir -p .claude/skills
  2. Create .claude/skills/paragon.md
  3. Copy the CLI reference below into the file

Usage

Once the skill is created, type /paragon in Claude Code to load the Paragon CLI reference into context. Claude will then know how to use all Paragon commands.

CLI Reference

Copy the content below into .claude/skills/paragon.md
.claude/skills/paragon.md
# Paragon CLI Commands

> Use Paragon CLI for enhanced code analysis, reviews, and git workflows.

## Quick Start

paragon run -q "Review this code for security issues"    # Analyze code with a prompt
git diff | paragon run -q "Review these changes"         # Pipe code for analysis

## Code Analysis Commands

### paragon run

Run a prompt in non-interactive mode. Accepts input via arguments or stdin.

paragon run "Explain the authentication flow in this codebase"
paragon run -q "Find potential bugs in the error handling"           # Quiet mode (hide spinner)
paragon run --feature "Add input validation to the API endpoints"    # Feature implementation mode
paragon run --json "List all security issues"                        # JSON output for structured parsing
cat src/auth.go | paragon run "Explain this code"                    # Pipe stdin
git diff HEAD~3 | paragon run -q "Review these changes"
paragon run -m paragon-max "Complex architectural analysis"          # Select model

Flags:
  -q, --quiet     Hide spinner/progress output
  --feature       Use feature implementation mode (vs code review)
  --json          Output structured JSON findings
  --concise       Results-only, no reasoning
  -m, --model     Model selection (paragon-max, paragon-high, paragon-fast)

### paragon context

Specialized context-aware queries using semantic search and AI analysis.

paragon context issue "Database updates not persisting"      # Diagnose and find root causes
paragon context search "authentication logic"                # Semantic code search
paragon context knowledge "How does the caching layer work?" # Query project architecture

## Git Workflow Commands

### paragon submit

Push branch and create/update GitHub PR with AI-generated description.

paragon submit --ai                               # AI-generated title and description
paragon submit --title "Add user authentication"  # With custom title
paragon submit --draft --ai                       # As draft PR

### paragon branch create

Create a new stacked branch with optional AI naming.

paragon branch create --ai         # AI-generated branch name based on changes
paragon branch create feature/auth # Explicit name

### Stack Navigation

paragon stack      # Show branch stack tree
paragon sync       # Rebase current branch on parent
paragon next       # Move to child branch
paragon prev       # Move to parent branch
paragon top        # Jump to top of stack
paragon bottom     # Jump to bottom of stack

## Global Flags

Available on all commands:
  -q, --quiet    Hide spinners and progress output
  -y, --yolo     Auto-approve all permission requests (dangerous)
  -d, --debug    Enable debug logging
  -c, --cwd      Set working directory

## Integration Examples

git diff main | paragon run -q "Review for bugs and security issues"     # Code Review on Diff
gh pr diff 123 | paragon run -q --json "Comprehensive code review"       # Automated PR Review
paragon context issue "Tests failing after recent merge"                 # Find Root Cause
git diff --staged | paragon run -q "Check for issues before commit"      # Pre-commit Analysis
cat src/complex-algorithm.go | paragon run "Explain this step by step"   # Explain Complex Code

## Tips

1. Use -q flag for cleaner output in scripts
2. Pipe code via stdin for targeted analysis
3. Use --json when parsing results programmatically
4. Use context issue for debugging problems
5. Use context search to find code patterns

Why Skills Over CLAUDE.md?

CLAUDE.mdSkills
Always loaded into contextLoaded on-demand with /paragon
Uses tokens on every messageOnly uses tokens when invoked
Best for essential project infoBest for reference documentation
Can get clutteredOrganized by topic
Keep your CLAUDE.md focused on project-specific context (architecture, conventions, important files). Use skills for tool references like Paragon that you only need occasionally.