# Run a Claude Code review in CI with one claude -p line

> Source: <https://dev.to/vildandenai/run-a-claude-code-review-in-ci-with-one-claude-p-line-1i8c>
> Published: 2026-11-05 01:11:40+00:00

Most people only use Claude Code interactively. But the same CLI has a headless mode: `claude -p "<prompt>"` runs one prompt, prints the answer, and exits. That makes it a normal script step you can drop into CI or a git hook.

```
git diff origin/main...HEAD | claude -p "Review this diff. List real bugs only. If there are none, print exactly: LGTM" --output-format text
```

Piped stdin becomes context, `-p` runs non-interactively, and the output is plain text you can grep.

``` bash
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail
out=$(git diff origin/main...HEAD | claude -p \
  "Review this diff for bugs, missing error handling and leaked secrets. If nothing is wrong, reply with exactly LGTM." \
  --allowedTools "Read,Grep" --max-turns 3)
echo "$out"
[[ "$out" == "LGTM" ]] || exit 1
```

`--allowedTools "Read,Grep"` keeps the CI run read-only: it can look at files but not edit or run shell commands.`--max-turns 3` caps how long it can wander.`--output-format json` and parse `.result` with `jq`.

```
- name: Claude review
  env:
    ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
  run: |
    npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
    ./scripts/claude-review.sh
```

Keep the key in repository secrets, never in the script.

`CLAUDE.md` and `.claude/settings.json` still load in headless mode, so your house rules apply in CI too.`continue-on-error: true`) for a week before you let it fail builds.
I keep copy-ready Claude Code configs (CLAUDE.md templates, slash commands, hooks, permission rules) in **Vildanden Agent Config**. There's a free sample: [https://justly-mia-429.rehost.page/](https://justly-mia-429.rehost.page/)