Build With Claude Overview
Explore Claude's advanced features and capabilities.
Core capabilities
These features enhance Claude's fundamental abilities for processing, analyzing, and generating content across various formats and use cases.
| Feature | Description | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 1M token context window | An extended context window that allows you to process much larger documents, maintain longer conversations, and work with more extensive codebases. | API (Beta) Bedrock (Beta) Vertex AI (Beta) Azure AI (Beta) |
| Agent Skills | Extend Claude's capabilities with Skills. Use pre-built Skills (PowerPoint, Excel, Word, PDF) or create custom Skills with instructions and scripts. Skills use progressive disclosure to efficiently manage context. | API (Beta) Azure AI (Beta) |
| Batch processing | Process large volumes of requests asynchronously for cost savings. Send batches with a large number of queries per batch. Batch API calls costs 50% less than standard API calls. | API Bedrock Vertex AI |
| Citations | Ground Claude's responses in source documents. With Citations, Claude can provide detailed references to the exact sentences and passages it uses to generate responses, leading to more verifiable, trustworthy outputs. | API Bedrock Vertex AI Azure AI |
| Context editing | Automatically manage conversation context with configurable strategies. Supports clearing tool results when approaching token limits and managing thinking blocks in extended thinking conversations. | API (Beta) Bedrock (Beta) Vertex AI (Beta) Azure AI (Beta) |
| Extended thinking | Enhanced reasoning capabilities for complex tasks, providing transparency into Claude's step-by-step thought process before delivering its final answer. | API Bedrock Vertex AI Azure AI |
| Files API | Upload and manage files to use with Claude without re-uploading content with each request. Supports PDFs, images, and text files. | API (Beta) Azure AI (Beta) |
| PDF support | Process and analyze text and visual content from PDF documents. | API Bedrock Vertex AI Azure AI |
| Prompt caching (5m) | Provide Claude with more background knowledge and example outputs to reduce costs and latency. | API Bedrock Vertex AI Azure AI |
| Prompt caching (1hr) | Extended 1-hour cache duration for less frequently accessed but important context, complementing the standard 5-minute cache. | API Azure AI |
| Search results | Enable natural citations for RAG applications by providing search results with proper source attribution. Achieve web search-quality citations for custom knowledge bases and tools. | API Vertex AI Azure AI |
| Structured outputs | Guarantee schema conformance with two approaches: JSON outputs for structured data responses, and strict tool use for validated tool inputs. Available on Sonnet 4.5 and Opus 4.1. | API (Beta) Azure AI (Beta) |
| Token counting | Token counting enables you to determine the number of tokens in a message before sending it to Claude, helping you make informed decisions about your prompts and usage. | API Bedrock Vertex AI Azure AI |
| Tool use | Enable Claude to interact with external tools and APIs to perform a wider variety of tasks. For a list of supported tools, see the Tools table. | API Bedrock Vertex AI Azure AI |
Tools
These features enable Claude to interact with external systems, execute code, and perform automated tasks through various tool interfaces.
| Feature | Description | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Bash | Execute bash commands and scripts to interact with the system shell and perform command-line operations. | API Bedrock Vertex AI Azure AI |
| Code execution | Run Python code in a sandboxed environment for advanced data analysis. | API (Beta) Azure AI (Beta) |
| Computer use | Control computer interfaces by taking screenshots and issuing mouse and keyboard commands. | API (Beta) Bedrock (Beta) Vertex AI (Beta) Azure AI (Beta) |
| Fine-grained tool streaming | Stream tool use parameters without buffering/JSON validation, reducing latency for receiving large parameters. | API Bedrock Vertex AI Azure AI |
| MCP connector | Connect to remote MCP servers directly from the Messages API without a separate MCP client. | API (Beta) Azure AI (Beta) |
| Memory | Enable Claude to store and retrieve information across conversations. Build knowledge bases over time, maintain project context, and learn from past interactions. | API (Beta) Bedrock (Beta) Vertex AI (Beta) Azure AI (Beta) |
| Text editor | Create and edit text files with a built-in text editor interface for file manipulation tasks. | API Bedrock Vertex AI Azure AI |
| Web fetch | Retrieve full content from specified web pages and PDF documents for in-depth analysis. | API (Beta) Azure AI (Beta) |
| Web search | Augment Claude's comprehensive knowledge with current, real-world data from across the web. | API Vertex AI Azure AI |
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