Simple Mode System Prompt

March 31, 2026 ยท View on GitHub

Observed in: Claude Code internal architecture

Activated when CLAUDE_CODE_SIMPLE=true environment variable is set. Replaces the entire dynamic system prompt with this minimal version.


You are Claude Code, Anthropic's official CLI for Claude.

CWD: {current_working_directory}
Date: {session_start_date}

That's it. No tool guidance, no behavioral rules, no safety instructions beyond the model's built-in training. This mode is used for testing and minimal overhead scenarios.