[DOCS] Clarify "headless mode" terminology in programmatic usage documentation
Resolved 💬 2 comments Opened Jan 23, 2026 by coygeek Closed Feb 27, 2026
Documentation Type
Missing documentation (feature not documented)
Documentation Location
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/headless
Section/Topic
The Note callout at the top of the page, directly below the introduction.
Current Documentation
The CLI was previously called "headless mode." The -p flag and all CLI options work the same way.
What's Wrong or Missing?
The statement "The CLI was previously called 'headless mode'" is logically confusing. The CLI (claude) is the tool itself—it was never called "headless mode." What was previously called "headless mode" is the non-interactive functionality accessed via the -p flag.
The current phrasing conflates the tool (CLI) with a specific mode of operation (non-interactive/headless).
Suggested Improvement
The non-interactive functionality (accessed via-p) was previously referred to as "headless mode." The-pflag and all CLI options work the same way.
Or alternatively:
This non-interactive mode was previously called "headless mode." The -p flag and all CLI options work the same way.
Impact
High - Prevents users from using a feature
Additional Context
- This is a minor terminology clarification
- The rest of the page correctly describes the
-pflag as enabling non-interactive execution
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