[DOCS] README does not clarify that source code is not included in this repository
## Problem
The README (and the repository in general) does not mention anywhere that this repository does not contain the source code of Claude Code.
A developer visiting https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code would reasonably expect to find the CLI source code here, but the repository only contains:
- Installation instructions
- Documentation links
- Plugins
- Bug reporting / privacy info
There is no note clarifying that Claude Code is closed source and that the CLI binary is distributed separately.
This has been raised before in #19073 (closed as "not planned") and is related to #22002. Neither addresses the simple documentation gap of clarifying this
directly in the README.
## Suggested fix
Add a note near the top of the README, for example:
> Note: This repository does not contain the source code of Claude Code. The CLI is proprietary and distributed as a pre-built binary. This repository
is used for issue tracking, changelogs, plugins, and documentation.
## Impact
This causes confusion for developers who want to:
- Contribute to the project
- Understand how the tool works internally
- Audit the code for security purposes
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Issue text drafted by Claude Code (claude-sonnet-4-6) based on an idea by the repository user.
This issue has 4 comments on GitHub. Read the full discussion on GitHub ↗