Building with Claude

Features overview

Explore Claude's advanced features and capabilities.

Claude's API surface is organized into five areas:

Model capabilities: Control how Claude reasons and formats responses.
Tools: Let Claude take actions on the web or in your environment.
Tool infrastructure: Handles discovery and orchestration at scale.
Context management: Keeps long-running sessions efficient.
Files and assets: Manage the documents and data you provide to Claude.

If you're new, start with model capabilities and tools. Return to the other sections when you're ready to optimize cost, latency, or scale.

Feature availability

Features on the Claude Platform are assigned one of the following availability classifications per platform (shown in the Availability column of each table below). Not all features pass through every stage. A feature may enter at any classification and may skip stages.

Classification	Description
Beta^*	Preview features used for gathering feedback and iterating on a less mature use case. Availability may be limited, including through sign-up requirements or waitlists, and may not be publicly announced. Features may change significantly or be discontinued based on feedback. Not guaranteed for ongoing production use. Breaking changes are possible with notice, and some platform-specific limitations may apply. Beta features have a beta header.
Generally available (GA)	Feature is stable, fully supported, and recommended for production use. Should not have a beta header or other indicator that the feature is in a preview state. Covered by standard API versioning guarantees.
Deprecated	Feature is still functional but no longer recommended. A migration path and removal timeline are provided.
Retired	Feature is no longer available.

^* May carry a qualifier indicating narrower availability or added constraints (for example, "beta: research preview"). See the feature's page for details.

Model capabilities

Ways to steer Claude and Claude's direct outputs, including response format, reasoning depth, and input modalities.

You can discover which capabilities a model supports programmatically. The Models API returns max_input_tokens, max_tokens, and a capabilities object for every available model.

Feature	Description	Zero Data Retention (ZDR)	Availability
Context windows	Up to 1M tokens for processing large documents, extensive codebases, and long conversations.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Adaptive thinking	Let Claude dynamically decide when and how much to think. The recommended thinking mode for Opus 4.6. Use the effort parameter to control thinking depth.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (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 cost 50% less than standard API calls.	Not ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA)
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.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Data residency	Control where model inference runs using geographic controls. Specify `"global"` or `"us"` routing per request via the `inference_geo` parameter.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA)
Effort	Control how many tokens Claude uses when responding with the effort parameter, trading off between response thoroughness and token efficiency. Supported on Opus 4.6 and Opus 4.5.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Extended thinking	Enhanced reasoning capabilities for complex tasks, providing transparency into Claude's step-by-step thought process before delivering its final answer.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
PDF support	Process and analyze text and visual content from PDF documents.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
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.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Structured outputs	Guarantee schema conformance with two approaches: JSON outputs for structured data responses, and strict tool use for validated tool inputs.	ZDR eligible (qualified)*	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)

Tools

Built-in tools that Claude invokes via tool_use. Server-side tools are run by the platform; client-side tools are implemented and executed by you.

Server-side tools

Feature	Description	ZDR	Availability
Advisor tool	Pair a faster executor model with a higher-intelligence advisor model that provides strategic guidance mid-generation for long-horizon agentic workloads.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (Beta)
Code execution	Run code in a sandboxed environment for advanced data analysis, calculations, and file processing. Free when used with web search or web fetch.	Not ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Web fetch	Retrieve full content from specified web pages and PDF documents for in-depth analysis.	ZDR eligible*	Claude API (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Web search	Augment Claude's comprehensive knowledge with current, real-world data from across the web.	ZDR eligible*	Claude API (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)

Client-side tools

Feature	Description	ZDR	Availability
Bash	Execute bash commands and scripts to interact with the system shell and perform command-line operations.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Computer use	Control computer interfaces by taking screenshots and issuing mouse and keyboard commands.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (Beta) Amazon Bedrock (Beta) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (Beta) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Memory	Enable Claude to store and retrieve information across conversations. Build knowledge bases over time, maintain project context, and learn from past interactions.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Text editor	Create and edit text files with a built-in text editor interface for file manipulation tasks.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)

Tool infrastructure

Infrastructure that supports discovering, orchestrating, and scaling tool use.

Feature	Description	ZDR	Availability
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.	Not ZDR eligible	Claude API (Beta) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Fine-grained tool streaming	Stream tool use parameters without buffering/JSON validation, reducing latency for receiving large parameters.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
MCP connector	Connect to remote MCP servers directly from the Messages API without a separate MCP client.	Not ZDR eligible	Claude API (Beta) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Programmatic tool calling	Enable Claude to call your tools programmatically from within code execution containers, reducing latency and token consumption for multi-tool workflows.	Not ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Tool search	Scale to thousands of tools by dynamically discovering and loading tools on-demand using regex-based search, optimizing context usage and improving tool selection accuracy.	ZDR eligible (qualified)*	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)

Context management

Infrastructure for controlling and optimizing Claude's context window.

Feature	Description	ZDR	Availability
Compaction	Server-side context summarization for long-running conversations. When context approaches the window limit, the API automatically summarizes earlier parts of the conversation. Supported on Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.6.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (Beta) Amazon Bedrock (Beta) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (Beta) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
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.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (Beta) Amazon Bedrock (Beta) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (Beta) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Automatic prompt caching	Simplify prompt caching to a single API parameter. The system automatically caches the last cacheable block in your request, moving the cache point forward as conversations grow.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Prompt caching (5m)	Provide Claude with more background knowledge and example outputs to reduce costs and latency.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Prompt caching (1hr)	Extended 1-hour cache duration for less frequently accessed but important context, complementing the standard 5-minute cache.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (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.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)

Files and assets

Manage files and assets for use with Claude.

Feature	Description	ZDR	Availability
Files API	Upload and manage files to use with Claude without re-uploading content with each request. Supports PDFs, images, and text files.	Not ZDR eligible	Claude API (Beta) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)

* Structured outputs: Your prompts and Claude's outputs are not stored. Only JSON schemas are cached, for up to 24 hours since last use. Tool search: Only tool catalog data (names, descriptions, argument metadata) is stored server-side; custom client-side implementations are fully ZDR-eligible. Web search and web fetch: ZDR-eligible except when dynamic filtering is enabled. See ZDR details.

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Building with Claude

Features overview

Explore Claude's advanced features and capabilities.

Claude's API surface is organized into five areas:

Model capabilities: Control how Claude reasons and formats responses.
Tools: Let Claude take actions on the web or in your environment.
Tool infrastructure: Handles discovery and orchestration at scale.
Context management: Keeps long-running sessions efficient.
Files and assets: Manage the documents and data you provide to Claude.

If you're new, start with model capabilities and tools. Return to the other sections when you're ready to optimize cost, latency, or scale.

Feature availability

Classification	Description
Beta^*	Preview features used for gathering feedback and iterating on a less mature use case. Availability may be limited, including through sign-up requirements or waitlists, and may not be publicly announced. Features may change significantly or be discontinued based on feedback. Not guaranteed for ongoing production use. Breaking changes are possible with notice, and some platform-specific limitations may apply. Beta features have a beta header.
Generally available (GA)	Feature is stable, fully supported, and recommended for production use. Should not have a beta header or other indicator that the feature is in a preview state. Covered by standard API versioning guarantees.
Deprecated	Feature is still functional but no longer recommended. A migration path and removal timeline are provided.
Retired	Feature is no longer available.

^* May carry a qualifier indicating narrower availability or added constraints (for example, "beta: research preview"). See the feature's page for details.

Model capabilities

Ways to steer Claude and Claude's direct outputs, including response format, reasoning depth, and input modalities.

You can discover which capabilities a model supports programmatically. The Models API returns max_input_tokens, max_tokens, and a capabilities object for every available model.

Feature	Description	Zero Data Retention (ZDR)	Availability
Context windows	Up to 1M tokens for processing large documents, extensive codebases, and long conversations.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Adaptive thinking	Let Claude dynamically decide when and how much to think. The recommended thinking mode for Opus 4.6. Use the effort parameter to control thinking depth.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (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 cost 50% less than standard API calls.	Not ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA)
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.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Data residency	Control where model inference runs using geographic controls. Specify `"global"` or `"us"` routing per request via the `inference_geo` parameter.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA)
Effort	Control how many tokens Claude uses when responding with the effort parameter, trading off between response thoroughness and token efficiency. Supported on Opus 4.6 and Opus 4.5.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Extended thinking	Enhanced reasoning capabilities for complex tasks, providing transparency into Claude's step-by-step thought process before delivering its final answer.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
PDF support	Process and analyze text and visual content from PDF documents.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
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.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Structured outputs	Guarantee schema conformance with two approaches: JSON outputs for structured data responses, and strict tool use for validated tool inputs.	ZDR eligible (qualified)*	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)

Tools

Built-in tools that Claude invokes via tool_use. Server-side tools are run by the platform; client-side tools are implemented and executed by you.

Server-side tools

Feature	Description	ZDR	Availability
Advisor tool	Pair a faster executor model with a higher-intelligence advisor model that provides strategic guidance mid-generation for long-horizon agentic workloads.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (Beta)
Code execution	Run code in a sandboxed environment for advanced data analysis, calculations, and file processing. Free when used with web search or web fetch.	Not ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Web fetch	Retrieve full content from specified web pages and PDF documents for in-depth analysis.	ZDR eligible*	Claude API (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Web search	Augment Claude's comprehensive knowledge with current, real-world data from across the web.	ZDR eligible*	Claude API (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)

Client-side tools

Feature	Description	ZDR	Availability
Bash	Execute bash commands and scripts to interact with the system shell and perform command-line operations.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Computer use	Control computer interfaces by taking screenshots and issuing mouse and keyboard commands.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (Beta) Amazon Bedrock (Beta) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (Beta) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Memory	Enable Claude to store and retrieve information across conversations. Build knowledge bases over time, maintain project context, and learn from past interactions.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Text editor	Create and edit text files with a built-in text editor interface for file manipulation tasks.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)

Tool infrastructure

Infrastructure that supports discovering, orchestrating, and scaling tool use.

Feature	Description	ZDR	Availability
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.	Not ZDR eligible	Claude API (Beta) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Fine-grained tool streaming	Stream tool use parameters without buffering/JSON validation, reducing latency for receiving large parameters.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
MCP connector	Connect to remote MCP servers directly from the Messages API without a separate MCP client.	Not ZDR eligible	Claude API (Beta) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Programmatic tool calling	Enable Claude to call your tools programmatically from within code execution containers, reducing latency and token consumption for multi-tool workflows.	Not ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Tool search	Scale to thousands of tools by dynamically discovering and loading tools on-demand using regex-based search, optimizing context usage and improving tool selection accuracy.	ZDR eligible (qualified)*	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)

Context management

Infrastructure for controlling and optimizing Claude's context window.

Feature	Description	ZDR	Availability
Compaction	Server-side context summarization for long-running conversations. When context approaches the window limit, the API automatically summarizes earlier parts of the conversation. Supported on Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.6.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (Beta) Amazon Bedrock (Beta) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (Beta) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
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.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (Beta) Amazon Bedrock (Beta) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (Beta) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Automatic prompt caching	Simplify prompt caching to a single API parameter. The system automatically caches the last cacheable block in your request, moving the cache point forward as conversations grow.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Prompt caching (5m)	Provide Claude with more background knowledge and example outputs to reduce costs and latency.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)
Prompt caching (1hr)	Extended 1-hour cache duration for less frequently accessed but important context, complementing the standard 5-minute cache.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (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.	ZDR eligible	Claude API (GA) Amazon Bedrock (GA) Google Cloud's Vertex AI (GA) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)

Files and assets

Manage files and assets for use with Claude.

Feature	Description	ZDR	Availability
Files API	Upload and manage files to use with Claude without re-uploading content with each request. Supports PDFs, images, and text files.	Not ZDR eligible	Claude API (Beta) Microsoft Foundry (Beta)

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