Short answer: an output style is added to Claude Code's system prompt and changes how it talks to you, not what it can do. Pick a built-in one such as Explanatory or Learning with outputStyle in your settings, or write your own Markdown file in ~/.claude/output-styles/.
An output style changes the voice and shape of Claude Code's replies. It is added to the system prompt, so it applies to every answer in the session. It does not change what Claude knows or what it can do, only how it talks to you.
Which output styles are built in?
| Style | What you get |
|---|---|
| Default | Plain answers, for getting work done |
| Proactive | Suggests the next step as well |
| Explanatory | Says why it did what it did |
| Learning | Leaves small parts for you to write |
Pick one with /config, under Output style, or set it in your settings:
{ "outputStyle": "Explanatory" }Explanatory is a good choice in a codebase you are still learning. Learning works well for practising a language: Claude does the scaffolding and hands you the interesting parts.
How do you write your own?
A custom style is a Markdown file in an output-styles folder:
| Folder | Who gets it |
|---|---|
~/.claude/output-styles/ | You, in every project |
.claude/output-styles/ | Everyone in the repository, once committed |
---
name: Terse
description: Short answers, code first, no recap
keep-coding-instructions: true
---
Answer in as few words as the question allows.
Put code before explanation. Do not summarise what you just did.
If something is risky, say so in one line at the top.The name is what appears in the /config picker. The body is written as instructions to Claude about how to reply. Kept short, it costs almost nothing.
What does keep-coding-instructions do?
Claude Code's system prompt includes its software engineering instructions: how to read code, run tests, make edits. keep-coding-instructions: true keeps those and adds your style on top.
- On when you are still coding and only want a different voice
- Off when Claude is doing something else entirely, such as writing documentation or answering support questions, and the coding guidance would get in the way
Output style or CLAUDE.md?
They do different jobs:
- CLAUDE.md says what Claude should know about this project: commands, conventions, where things live. See What to put in CLAUDE.md
- An output style says how Claude should talk, whatever the project
If you find yourself writing "always answer briefly" in every project's CLAUDE.md, that line belongs in an output style in your home folder instead.
What makes a style work?
The body is an instruction Claude reads before every reply, so the same rules apply as for any prompt:
- Say what to do, not only what to avoid. "Put code before explanation" is easier to follow than "do not ramble".
- Describe the shape of an answer. If you want a one-line verdict first and details after, say exactly that.
- Keep it short. A style of five lines is followed more reliably than one of fifty, and it is sent with every request.
- Try it on three real requests. A quick question, a bug fix and a longer task. A style that only suits one of them will annoy you in the other two.
What does a style for non-coding work look like?
When Claude is writing rather than coding, turn the coding instructions off and say who the reader is:
---
name: Docs writer
description: Writes user documentation in plain English
keep-coding-instructions: false
---
Write for someone using the product for the first time.
Start each answer with the task the reader wants to do, then the steps, numbered.
Use the product's own button and menu names in bold. No jargon without a one-line explanation.The same session can then switch back to Default when you return to the code, and nothing in the project's files changes.
Where can you check this?
Can you make one in the browser?
Config Studio for Claude Code has an Output styles editor with each field explained, and writes the file into the right folder. Pair it with the Settings surface to set outputStyle so it is on by default.
