claude-code-minify

中文 | English

A lightweight SDK extracted from Claude Code CLI (v2.1.88). Stripped of terminal UI, CLI framework, daemon, WebSocket bridging, IDE integration and all non-essential modules — keeping only the core AI coding assistant capabilities: multi-turn conversation, tool use, streaming, skills, and memory.

Documentation

| Document | Description | |----------|-------------| | Full Usage Guide (Chinese) | Complete API reference, configuration, examples, FAQ, and comparison with the original Claude Code | | Comparison & Use Cases | Detailed comparison table between Claude Code CLI and claude-code-minify | | Core API Reference | ClaudeSDK, Session, streaming, custom tools, skills, memory | | Built-in Tools | file_read, file_write, file_edit, bash, grep, glob, todo_write, ask_user | | Provider Guide | OpenAI, Anthropic, and custom providers | | Type Reference | Full TypeScript type definitions | | Build & Publish | Build commands, npm publishing, dual-format output |

Features

• Dual LLM Provider — OpenAI Chat Completions (compatible with DeepSeek, Ollama, vLLM, LM Studio) and Anthropic Messages API
• 8 Core Tools — File read/write/edit, shell execution, content search, file search, etc.
• Skills System — 6 built-in skills + custom skill extensions
• CLAUDE.md — Auto-loads project-level instructions (also supports GEMINI.md, AGENTS.md, .cursorrules)
• Memory System — Persistent user preferences and project context
• Streaming — Full SSE streaming event support via AsyncGenerator
• Minimal Dependencies — Only 4 runtime dependencies (down from 305 in the original)
• Dual Format — ESM (import) + CommonJS (require) with full TypeScript declarations

Comparison with Claude Code CLI

| Dimension | Claude Code CLI | claude-code-minify | |-----------|----------------|-------------------| | Form factor | Interactive terminal CLI | Programmable Node.js SDK | | Source files | ~1,970 | ~25 | | Runtime deps | 305 npm packages | 4 npm packages | | Install size | ~200+ MB | ~2 MB | | LLM providers | Anthropic only | Anthropic + OpenAI (all compatible APIs) | | File tools | 8 built-in | Same 8 built-in | | Agentic loop | Built-in | Same logic | | Terminal UI | Full (Ink + React) | None (host app controls display) | | IDE integration | VS Code / JetBrains | Not included | | MCP servers | Supported | Not included | | Plugins | Marketplace | Custom tools via API | | License | Requires Claude subscription | Use your own API key |

See the full comparison table for 25+ dimensions.

Use Cases

| When to use claude-code-minify | When to use Claude Code CLI | |-------------------------------|---------------------------| | CI/CD automation | Daily interactive coding | | Code review bots | IDE integration | | Batch refactoring scripts | MCP server support | | Custom AI agents | Plugin ecosystem | | Multi-provider support (OpenAI, DeepSeek, Ollama) | Out-of-the-box experience | | Embedding AI coding in your own product | Team collaboration features |

See detailed use cases.

Install

npm install claude-code-minify

Requirements: Node.js >= 18, ripgrep (brew install ripgrep).

Quick Start

import { ClaudeSDK } from 'claude-code-minify'

const sdk = new ClaudeSDK({
  provider: 'openai',
  baseURL: 'http://localhost:11434/v1',  // Ollama
  apiKey: 'ollama',
  model: 'qwen3:30b',
  workingDir: '/tmp/my-project',
})

const result = await sdk.chat('Create an Express REST API project with user CRUD')
console.log(result.text)
console.log('Files created:', result.filesWritten)

Streaming

for await (const event of sdk.chatStream('Add JWT auth middleware')) {
  switch (event.type) {
    case 'text':
      process.stdout.write(event.content)
      break
    case 'tool_start':
      console.log(`\n[Tool] ${event.name}`)
      break
    case 'complete':
      console.log('\n=== Done ===')
      console.log('Usage:', event.result.usage)
      console.log('Files:', event.result.filesWritten)
      break
  }
}

Multi-turn Session

const session = sdk.createSession()

await session.chat('Create project structure and package.json')
await session.chat('Add Express routes and controllers')
await session.chat('Write test cases')

session.reset()  // Clear context

Configuration

interface ClaudeSDKConfig {
  provider: 'openai' | 'anthropic'  // Required
  apiKey: string                     // Required
  model: string                      // Required
  workingDir: string                 // Required
  baseURL?: string                   // For compatible APIs
  maxTokens?: number                 // Default: 4096
  maxToolRounds?: number             // Default: 50
  autoLoadClaudeMD?: boolean         // Default: true
  instructions?: string              // Extra system instructions
  skillsDir?: string                 // Custom skills directory
}

Connecting Different LLM Services

// OpenAI
{ provider: 'openai', apiKey: 'sk-xxx', model: 'gpt-4o', workingDir: '.' }

// DeepSeek
{ provider: 'openai', baseURL: 'https://api.deepseek.com/v1', apiKey: 'sk-xxx', model: 'deepseek-chat', workingDir: '.' }

// Ollama (local)
{ provider: 'openai', baseURL: 'http://localhost:11434/v1', apiKey: 'ollama', model: 'qwen3:30b', workingDir: '.' }

// vLLM / LM Studio
{ provider: 'openai', baseURL: 'http://localhost:8000/v1', apiKey: 'not-needed', model: 'your-model', workingDir: '.' }

// Anthropic Claude
{ provider: 'anthropic', apiKey: 'sk-ant-xxx', model: 'claude-sonnet-4-6', workingDir: '.' }

Core Features

CLAUDE.md Project Instructions

Auto-loaded from (later entries override earlier):

~/.claude/CLAUDE.md              # Global
<workingDir>/CLAUDE.md           # Project root
<workingDir>/.claude/CLAUDE.md   # Hidden directory
<workingDir>/.claude/rules/*.md  # Rules (alphabetical)

Also supports GEMINI.md, AGENTS.md, .cursorrules.

Skills

6 built-in skills: brainstorming, frontend-design, debugging, tdd, simplify, verify.

await sdk.invokeSkill('frontend-design', 'Create a login page with React + Tailwind')
const skills = await sdk.getSkills()

Memory System

import { MemoryManager } from 'claude-code-minify'

const memory = new MemoryManager('./project')
await memory.save('user', 'style', 'Prefer TypeScript strict mode')
await memory.save('project', 'stack', 'Express + Prisma + React')

Custom Tools

import { z } from 'zod'

sdk.registerTool({
  name: 'database_query',
  description: 'Execute SQL queries',
  schema: z.object({
    sql: z.string().describe('SQL query (SELECT only)'),
  }),
  execute: async (params, ctx) => {
    const rows = await db.query(params.sql)
    return { output: JSON.stringify(rows, null, 2) }
  },
})

Built-in Tools

| Tool | Purpose | Key Params | |------|---------|------------| | file_read | Read file content | file_path, offset, limit | | file_write | Create/overwrite file | file_path, content | | file_edit | Find & replace text | file_path, old_string, new_string, replace_all | | bash | Execute shell command | command, timeout | | grep | Search file content (ripgrep) | pattern, path, glob, output_mode | | glob | Search file names | pattern, path | | todo_write | Task list management | todos | | ask_user | Ask user a question | question |

API Reference

ClaudeSDK

| Method | Returns | |--------|---------| | chat(prompt) | Promise<EngineResult> | | chatStream(prompt) | AsyncGenerator<EngineEvent> | | createSession() | Session | | loadClaudeMD() | Promise<string> | | setInstructions(text) | void | | registerTool(tool) | void | | invokeSkill(name, args?) | Promise<EngineResult> | | getSkills() | Promise<Skill[]> |

Session

| Method | Description | |--------|-------------| | chat(prompt) | Chat with context persistence | | chatStream(prompt) | Streaming chat | | reset() | Clear conversation history |

EngineResult

{
  text: string              // Final AI response
  toolCalls: ToolCallRecord[]  // All tool invocations
  filesWritten: string[]    // Files created/modified
  usage: { inputTokens: number; outputTokens: number }
}

EngineEvent

| Type | Data | Description | |------|------|-------------| | text | content: string | Text chunk | | tool_start | name, params | Tool execution started | | tool_end | name, result | Tool execution completed | | error | error: Error | Error occurred | | complete | result: EngineResult | Conversation complete |

Project Structure

claude-code-minify/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts              # SDK entry point
│   ├── core/
│   │   ├── types.ts          # Type definitions
│   │   ├── engine.ts         # Conversation loop engine
│   │   ├── context.ts        # Context window management
│   │   ├── system-prompt.ts  # System prompt builder
│   │   └── message.ts        # Message utilities
│   ├── providers/
│   │   ├── base.ts           # Provider interface
│   │   ├── openai.ts         # OpenAI adapter
│   │   └── anthropic.ts      # Anthropic adapter
│   ├── tools/                # 8 core tools
│   ├── skills/               # Skills system
│   ├── config/               # CLAUDE.md loader
│   └── memory/               # Memory system
├── docs/
│   └── README.zh-CN.md       # Full Chinese documentation
├── tests/
├── package.json              # 4 runtime deps
├── tsconfig.json
└── tsup.config.ts            # Dual-format build

Build

npm run build    # Build ESM + CJS + types
npm run test     # Run tests
npm run dev      # Development mode

Module Format

| Format | Entry | Types | |--------|-------|-------| | ESM | dist/index.js | dist/index.d.ts | | CommonJS | dist/index.cjs | dist/index.d.cts |

Requirements

• Node.js >= 18
• ripgrep (brew install ripgrep on macOS)

License

SEE LICENSE IN README.md