Paste Screenshots into Claude Code in iTerm2
If you use iTerm2, pasting images into Claude Code follows standard macOS conventions — Cmd+V works exactly as expected. The only trick is making sure your screenshot goes to the clipboard rather than to a file on disk.
The default Mac screenshot shortcut saves a file. Add Ctrl to send it to the clipboard instead:
# Standard Mac screenshot shortcuts:
Cmd+Shift+4 # drag to select region — saves to desktop as a file
Ctrl+Shift+Cmd+4 # drag to select region — copies to CLIPBOARD, no file saved
Then paste into Claude Code inside iTerm2 with the normal paste shortcut:
Cmd+V # paste image from clipboard — works as expected in iTerm2
Claude Code sees the image directly in the conversation. Paste screenshots of broken UIs, error dialogs, failing test output, design mockups, or anything visual you want Claude to reason about without needing to describe it in words.
You can also copy images from Slack, a browser, or Preview — Cmd+C from the source, switch to your iTerm2 terminal, then Cmd+V.
If pasting appears to do nothing, open Preview → File → New from Clipboard to confirm the image is actually on your clipboard rather than saved as a file.
Note: If you use Ghostty, the paste shortcut is Ctrl+V, not Cmd+V — Ghostty uses Linux terminal conventions. Every other major terminal (iTerm2, Warp, Kitty) follows the standard macOS Cmd+V behaviour.
Ctrl+Shift+Cmd+4 to capture, Cmd+V to paste — two keystrokes from visual bug to diagnosis in iTerm2.
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When typing feels slow — describing a complex bug, explaining architecture, or thinking through a problem out loud — press Option+V to switch to voice input. Speak naturally and Claude Code transcribes your words into a prompt, so you can describe what you need at the speed of thought.
When Claude is heading down the wrong path — editing the wrong file, writing code you don't want, or giving a long explanation you don't need — press Escape to stop it immediately. You keep everything it did up to that point and can redirect with a new prompt.
Closed a session and realized you weren't done? Pass --continue (or -c) when launching Claude Code to pick up exactly where you left off — same context, same files, same conversation history — without re-explaining what you were working on.