The composer
The composer is the message box at the foot of every tab, with the bar of choices and counts under it and the status line under that. This chapter covers sending a message and stopping Claude, the bar, the / and @ lists, attachments and large pastes, what Claudette keeps of what you type, quick suffixes, choosing the model and effort, prompt suggestions and check-ins on long turns.
Claudette herself stands on the box’s top edge. She has her own chapter.
In this chapter
- Sending and stoppingThe message box at the foot of a tab is where you talk to Claude.
- The composer barThe bar under the message box holds your choices on its left and the counts for the tab on its right, with Send last.
- Slash commands and mentionsType / or @ in the message box and a list opens above it: / for Claude Code's commands, @ for files, folders and other sessions.
- Attachments and large pastesYou can give Claude images and files by dropping them on the message box, pasting them or picking them with the paper clip.
- Earlier prompts, drafts and the stashBring back earlier prompts, keep an unsent message when you quit, and put a message aside for later.
- Quick suffixesSaved snippets of instructions you add to a message in a click, such as asking Claude to ask questions first.
- Model, effort and output styleTwo buttons on the left of the composer bar show which model the tab uses and how hard it thinks.
- Prompt suggestionsAfter Claude replies, Claude Code can guess what you'll send next.
- Check-ins on long turnsIf a turn runs for a long time, Claudette can ask Claude how it's going, so a tab doesn't sit stuck and burn usage without anyone noticing.