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SuperClaude Flags User Guide 🏁

🤖 Most Flags Activate Automatically - Don't Stress About It!

The honest truth: You don't need to memorize these flags. SuperClaude usually tries to add helpful ones based on what you're doing!

Here's what actually happens:

You type /analyze auth.js
SuperClaude detects it's security-related code
Usually adds --persona-security, --focus security, --validate
You often get expert security analysis without managing any flags

When might you manually use flags?

You want to override what SuperClaude picked (rare)
You're curious about specific aspects (--focus performance)
You want to experiment with different approaches

Bottom line: Just use basic commands and let the auto-activation work. These flags are here when you want them, not because you need them. 🎯

🚀 Just Try These (No Flag Knowledge Required)

# These work great with zero flag knowledge:
/sc:analyze src/                    # Auto-picks the right analysis flags
/sc:build                          # Auto-optimizes based on your project  
/sc:improve messy-code.js          # Auto-activates quality and safety flags
/sc:troubleshoot "weird error"     # Auto-activates debugging and analysis flags

See? No flags needed. Everything below is for when you get curious about what's happening behind the scenes.

A practical guide to SuperClaude's flag system. Flags are like command-line options that change how SuperClaude behaves - think of them as superpowers for your commands.

What Are Flags? 🤔

Flags are modifiers that change how SuperClaude processes your requests. They come after commands and start with --.

Basic syntax (but you usually don't need to know this):

/sc:command --flag-name
/sc:command --flag-name value  
/sc:analyze src/ --focus security --depth deep

How flags actually work in practice:

Auto-activation - SuperClaude adds them based on context (this is the main way! 🎯)
Manual override - You can add them explicitly if you want different behavior

Why flags exist (mostly automatic benefits):

Get better, more focused results
Auto-enable the right thinking depth
Connect to special capabilities when useful
Optimize for speed or detail based on your task
Direct attention to what you're actually working on

The key point: SuperClaude handles flag selection intelligently so you don't have to think about it! 🧠

Flag Categories 📂

Planning & Analysis Flags 🧠

These control how deeply SuperClaude thinks about your request.

`--plan`

What it does: Shows execution plan before doing anything
When to use: When you want to see what SuperClaude will do first
Example: /build --plan - See build steps before running

`--think`

What it does: Multi-file analysis (~4K tokens)
When to use: Complex problems involving several files
Auto-activates: Import chains >5 files, cross-module calls >10 references
Example: /analyze complex-system/ --think

`--think-hard`

What it does: Deep architectural analysis (~10K tokens)
When to use: System-wide problems, architectural decisions
Auto-activates: System refactoring, bottlenecks >3 modules
Example: /improve legacy-system/ --think-hard

`--ultrathink`

What it does: Maximum depth analysis (~32K tokens)
When to use: Critical system redesign, complex debugging
Auto-activates: Legacy modernization, critical vulnerabilities
Example: /troubleshoot "entire auth system broken" --ultrathink

💡 Tip: Start with --think, only go deeper if needed. More thinking = slower but more thorough.

Efficiency & Control Flags ⚡

Control output style, safety, and performance.

`--uc` / `--ultracompressed`

What it does: 60-80% token reduction using symbols
When to use: Large operations, when context is getting full
Auto-activates: Context usage >75%, large-scale operations
Example: /analyze huge-codebase/ --uc

`--safe-mode`

What it does: Maximum validation, conservative execution
When to use: Production environments, risky operations
Auto-activates: Resource usage >85%, production environment
Example: /improve production-code/ --safe-mode

`--validate`

What it does: Pre-operation validation and risk assessment
When to use: Want to check before making changes
Auto-activates: Risk score >0.7
Example: /cleanup legacy/ --validate

`--verbose`

What it does: Maximum detail and explanation
When to use: Learning, debugging, need full context
Example: /build --verbose - See every build step

`--answer-only`

What it does: Direct response without task creation
When to use: Quick questions, don't want workflow automation
Example: /explain React hooks --answer-only

💡 Tip: --uc is great for big operations. --safe-mode for anything important. --verbose when you're learning.

MCP Server Flags 🔧

Enable specialized capabilities through MCP servers.

`--c7` / `--context7`

What it does: Enables Context7 for official library documentation
When to use: Working with frameworks, need official docs
Auto-activates: External library imports, framework questions
Example: /build react-app/ --c7 - Get React best practices

`--seq` / `--sequential`

What it does: Enables Sequential for complex multi-step analysis
When to use: Complex debugging, system design
Auto-activates: Complex debugging, --think flags
Example: /troubleshoot "auth flow broken" --seq

`--magic`

What it does: Enables Magic for UI component generation
When to use: Creating UI components, design systems
Auto-activates: UI component requests, frontend persona
Example: /build dashboard --magic - Get modern UI components

`--play` / `--playwright`

What it does: Enables Playwright for browser automation and testing
When to use: E2E testing, performance monitoring
Auto-activates: Test workflows, QA persona
Example: /test e2e --play

`--all-mcp`

What it does: Enables all MCP servers simultaneously
When to use: Complex multi-domain problems
Auto-activates: Problem complexity >0.8, multi-domain indicators
Example: /analyze entire-app/ --all-mcp

`--no-mcp`

What it does: Disables all MCP servers, native tools only
When to use: Faster execution, don't need specialized features
Example: /analyze simple-script.js --no-mcp

💡 Tip: MCP servers add capabilities but use more tokens. --c7 for docs, --seq for thinking, --magic for UI.

Advanced Orchestration Flags 🎭

For complex operations and workflows.

`--delegate [files|folders|auto]`

What it does: Enables sub-agent delegation for parallel processing
When to use: Large codebases, complex analysis
Auto-activates: >7 directories or >50 files
Options:

files - Delegate individual file analysis
folders - Delegate directory-level analysis
auto - Smart delegation strategy

Example: /analyze monorepo/ --delegate auto

`--wave-mode [auto|force|off]`

What it does: Multi-stage execution with compound intelligence
When to use: Complex improvements, systematic analysis
Auto-activates: Complexity >0.8 AND files >20 AND operation types >2
Example: /improve legacy-system/ --wave-mode force

`--loop`

What it does: Iterative improvement mode
When to use: Quality improvement, refinement operations
Auto-activates: Polish, refine, enhance keywords
Example: /improve messy-code.js --loop

`--concurrency [n]`

What it does: Control max concurrent sub-agents (1-15)
When to use: Controlling resource usage
Example: /analyze --delegate auto --concurrency 3

💡 Tip: These are powerful but complex. Start with --delegate auto for big projects, --loop for improvements.

Focus & Scope Flags 🎯

Direct SuperClaude's attention to specific areas.

`--scope [level]`

Options: file, module, project, system
What it does: Sets analysis scope
Example: /analyze --scope module auth/

`--focus [domain]`

Options: performance, security, quality, architecture, accessibility, testing
What it does: Focuses analysis on specific domain
Example: /analyze --focus security --scope project

Persona Flags

Available personas: architect, frontend, backend, analyzer, security, mentor, refactorer, performance, qa, devops, scribe
What they do: Activates specialist behavior patterns
Example: /analyze --persona-security - Security-focused analysis

💡 Tip: --focus is great for targeted analysis. Personas auto-activate but manual control helps.

Common Flag Patterns 🔄

Quick Analysis

/sc:analyze src/ --focus quality          # Quick quality check
/sc:analyze --uc --focus security         # Fast security scan

Deep Investigation

/sc:troubleshoot "bug" --think --seq      # Systematic debugging
/sc:analyze --think-hard --focus architecture  # Architectural analysis

Large Project Work

/sc:analyze monorepo/ --delegate auto --uc     # Efficient large analysis
/sc:improve legacy/ --wave-mode auto --safe-mode  # Safe systematic improvement

Learning & Documentation

/sc:explain React hooks --c7 --verbose    # Detailed explanation with docs
/sc:document api/ --persona-scribe        # Professional documentation

Performance-Focused

/sc:analyze --focus performance --play     # Performance analysis with testing
/sc:build --uc --no-mcp                   # Fast build without extra features

Security-Focused

/sc:analyze --focus security --think --validate  # Thorough security analysis
/sc:scan --persona-security --safe-mode         # Conservative security scan

Practical Examples 💡

Before/After: Basic Analysis

Before (basic):

/sc:analyze auth.js
# → Simple file analysis

After (with flags):

/sc:analyze auth.js --focus security --think --c7
# → Security-focused analysis with deep thinking and official docs
# → Much more thorough, finds security patterns, checks against best practices

Before/After: Large Project

Before (slow):

/sc:analyze huge-monorepo/
# → Tries to analyze everything at once, may timeout or use too many tokens

After (efficient):

/sc:analyze huge-monorepo/ --delegate auto --uc --focus architecture
# → Delegates work to sub-agents, compresses output, focuses on architecture
# → Faster, more focused, better results

Before/After: Improvement Work

Before (risky):

/sc:improve legacy-system/
# → May make too many changes, could break things

After (safe):

/sc:improve legacy-system/ --safe-mode --loop --validate --preview
# → Safe changes only, iterative approach, validates first, shows preview
# → Much safer, progressive improvement

Auto-Activation Examples 🤖

SuperClaude usually adds flags based on context. Here's when it tries:

Complexity-Based

/sc:analyze huge-codebase/
# Auto-adds: --delegate auto --uc
# Why: >50 files detected, context management needed

/sc:troubleshoot "complex system issue"  
# Auto-adds: --think --seq
# Why: Multi-component problem detected

Domain-Based

/sc:build react-app/
# Auto-adds: --c7 --persona-frontend
# Why: Frontend framework detected

/sc:analyze --focus security
# Auto-adds: --persona-security --validate
# Why: Security focus triggers security specialist

Performance-Based

# When context usage >75%
/sc:analyze large-project/
# Auto-adds: --uc
# Why: Token optimization needed

# When risk score >0.7
/sc:improve production-code/
# Auto-adds: --safe-mode --validate
# Why: High-risk operation detected

Advanced Usage 🚀

Complex Flag Combinations

Comprehensive Code Review:

/sc:review codebase/ --persona-qa --think-hard --focus quality --validate --c7
# → QA specialist + deep thinking + quality focus + validation + docs

Legacy System Modernization:

/sc:improve legacy/ --wave-mode force --persona-architect --safe-mode --loop --c7
# → Wave orchestration + architect perspective + safety + iteration + docs

Security Audit:

/sc:scan --persona-security --ultrathink --focus security --validate --seq
# → Security specialist + maximum thinking + security focus + validation + systematic analysis

Performance Optimization

For Speed:

/sc:analyze --no-mcp --uc --scope file
# → Disable extra features, compress output, limit scope

For Thoroughness:

/sc:analyze --all-mcp --think-hard --delegate auto
# → All capabilities, deep thinking, parallel processing

Custom Workflows

Bug Investigation Workflow:

/sc:troubleshoot "specific error" --seq --think --validate
/sc:analyze affected-files/ --focus quality --persona-analyzer  
/sc:test --play --coverage

Feature Development Workflow:

/sc:design new-feature --persona-architect --c7
/sc:build --magic --persona-frontend --validate
/sc:test --play --coverage
/sc:document --persona-scribe --c7

Quick Reference 📋

Most Useful Flags

Flag	Purpose	When to Use
`--think`	Deeper analysis	Complex problems
`--uc`	Compress output	Large operations
`--safe-mode`	Conservative execution	Important code
`--c7`	Official docs	Framework work
`--seq`	Systematic analysis	Debugging
`--focus security`	Security focus	Security concerns
`--delegate auto`	Parallel processing	Large codebases
`--validate`	Check before action	Risky operations

Flag Combinations That Work Well

# Safe improvement
--safe-mode --validate --preview

# Deep analysis  
--think --seq --c7

# Large project
--delegate auto --uc --focus

# Learning
--verbose --c7 --persona-mentor

# Security work
--persona-security --focus security --validate

# Performance work
--persona-performance --focus performance --play

Auto-Activation Triggers

--think: Complex imports, cross-module calls
--uc: Context >75%, large operations
--safe-mode: Resource usage >85%, production
--delegate: >7 directories or >50 files
--c7: Framework imports, documentation requests
--seq: Debugging keywords, --think flags
Personas: Domain-specific keywords and patterns

Troubleshooting Flag Issues 🚨

Common Problems

"Flags don't seem to work"

Check spelling (common typos: --ultracompresed, --persona-fronted)
Some flags need values: --scope project, --focus security
Flag conflicts: --no-mcp overrides --c7, --seq, etc.

"Operation too slow"

Try --uc for compression
Use --no-mcp to disable extra features
Limit scope: --scope file instead of --scope project

"Too much output"

Add --uc for compression
Remove --verbose if present
Use --answer-only for simple questions

"Not thorough enough"

Add --think or --think-hard
Enable relevant MCP servers: --seq, --c7
Use appropriate persona: --persona-analyzer

"Changes too risky"

Always use --safe-mode for important code
Add --validate to check first
Use --preview to see changes before applying

Flag Conflicts

These override others:

--no-mcp overrides all MCP flags (--c7, --seq, etc.)
--safe-mode overrides optimization flags
Last persona flag wins: --persona-frontend --persona-backend → backend

Precedence order:

Safety flags (--safe-mode) beat optimization
Explicit flags beat auto-activation
Thinking depth: --ultrathink > --think-hard > --think
Scope: system > project > module > file

Tips for Effective Flag Usage 💡

Starting Out (The Honest Truth)

Just ignore flags at first - Auto-activation handles most cases pretty well
Watch what gets auto-activated - You'll learn by seeing what SuperClaude picks
Use --help when curious - Many commands show what flags are available
Trust the automation - SuperClaude usually picks reasonable defaults

Getting Advanced (If You Want To)

Experiment with overrides - Try --persona-security on non-security code for different perspectives
Learn the useful combos - --safe-mode --validate for important stuff
Understand the performance trade-offs - Fast (--uc --no-mcp) vs thorough (--think-hard --all-mcp)
Use flags for learning - --verbose when you want to understand what's happening

Performance Tips (For Power Users)

For speed: --uc --no-mcp --scope file
For thoroughness: --think-hard --all-mcp --delegate auto
For safety: --safe-mode --validate --preview
For learning: --verbose --c7 --persona-mentor

Final Notes 📝

The real truth about flags 💯:

Auto-activation usually works pretty well compared to manual flag selection
You can ignore most of this guide and just use basic commands
Flags are here when you want them - not because you need them
Learning happens naturally through use, not through studying guides 😊

Don't feel overwhelmed 🧘‍♂️:

SuperClaude tries to work well without flag knowledge
The detailed info above is for curiosity, not necessity
Auto-activation keeps getting smarter based on usage patterns
You're not missing out by not memorizing flags

When you actually need flags:

Overriding auto-activation (rare)
Experimenting with different approaches (fun)
Optimizing for specific performance needs (advanced)
Learning about what happened (educational)

Start simple, stay simple 🎯:

Use basic commands: /analyze, /build, /improve
Let auto-activation handle the complexity
Add manual flags only when you want to experiment
Trust that SuperClaude knows what it's doing

Remember: Behind all this apparent complexity, SuperClaude is actually simple to use. Just start typing commands! 🚀

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