Image & File Input

Claude Code can take files and images as input — attach a path with @, paste a screenshot, or let the agent Read files itself — feeding non-prompt context to a multimodal model.

Why it matters

A lot of debugging context isn’t text you can type: a failing-UI screenshot, an error dialog, an architecture diagram, a design mock to implement. Image input lets the agent see what you see; file attachment pins exact context up front instead of hoping its Grep finds the right file. This turns “here’s a picture of the bug” into an actionable session.

How it works

• @ path completion in the REPL attaches a file as context: explain @src/db/pool.go. It tab-completes paths and inserts the reference inline.
• Images (PNG/JPG/etc.) can be pasted directly into the prompt (Ctrl+V; macOS Terminal often needs Cmd+V), dragged onto the window, or referenced by @path/to/shot.png. The model reads them visually — UI, diagrams, stack-trace screenshots.
• Agent-initiated reads: you often don’t attach anything — a prompt like “why does checkout fail?” lets Claude use its Read tool (built-in-tools-read-edit-bash-etc) to open files it finds via Grep/Glob.
• --file file_id:path downloads a remote file resource at startup; stdin piping (piping-input-output) feeds file contents in headless runs.

Method	Best for	Mode
@path	pinning a known file	interactive
paste / drag image	screenshots, diagrams	interactive
Read tool (auto)	letting the agent find files	both
stdin pipe	file contents in scripts	headless

Example

> here's the broken layout  [paste screenshot of misaligned navbar]
  the CSS is in @web/styles/nav.css — make it match the mock
  …Claude reads the image + the file, proposes a flex fix, you approve…

The screenshot supplies the visual bug; @web/styles/nav.css pins the exact file so no Grep guesswork is needed.

Pitfalls

• Terminal paste quirks. Not every terminal forwards image paste; if it fails, drag the file or use @path to a saved screenshot instead.
• Huge files via @. Attaching a giant file dumps it all into context — point at the relevant file, or let the agent Read selectively.
• Ignored-but-attached. @-ing a path under .claudeignore can still surprise you; ignore rules shape auto-discovery, not explicit attachments.
• Low-res screenshots. Tiny or compressed images make text/UI unreadable to the model — capture at legible resolution.

See also

• interactive-mode
• piping-input-output
• claudeignore-file-scoping