Claude Code moves from interactive assistant to active team member when you wire it into your automation infrastructure. This module covers CI/CD integration, scheduled tasks, the GitHub Actions integration, and patterns for building reliable multi-step workflows.
CI/CD Integration with Programmatic Runs
The claude -p flag is the foundation of CI/CD integration. It runs Claude non-interactively, sends a prompt, and returns the result to stdout. Combine it with --output-format json for structured parsing, --permission-mode bypassPermissions for fully automated runs (no approval prompts), and --max-turns to cap execution time.
A common pattern is running Claude as part of a PR review process. Configure it as a GitHub Actions step:
- name: Claude Code Review
run: |
DIFF=$(git diff origin/main...HEAD)
REVIEW=$(echo "$DIFF" | claude -p "Review these changes. Output JSON with fields: summary, critical_issues, suggestions" \
--output-format json \
--permission-mode bypassPermissions)
echo "$REVIEW" | jq '.critical_issues[]' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARYThe --from-pr flag bootstraps a session from an existing pull request. It fetches the diff, description, and review comments so Claude can jump straight into fixing or extending PR feedback. As of v2.1.119, --from-pr accepts URLs from GitHub, GitHub Enterprise, GitLab merge requests, and Bitbucket pull requests:
claude --from-pr https://github.com/org/repo/pull/123
claude --from-pr https://gitlab.com/org/repo/-/merge_requests/456
claude --from-pr https://bitbucket.org/org/repo/pull-requests/789For disposable automation, Claude can generate tests for new code, update documentation when APIs change, run linters and auto-fix issues, or check for security vulnerabilities. Use --no-session-persistence to avoid saving a session, and consider --bare when you want the cleanest scripted output.
Use prUrlTemplate (new in v2.1.119) to point the footer PR badge at a custom code-review URL instead of the default github.com link — useful for enterprise deployments with internal GitHub instances or custom review tooling:
{
"prUrlTemplate": "https://review.example.internal/pr/{number}"
}The /install-github-app command sets up the official GitHub integration, which allows Claude to respond to @claude mentions in PR comments and issues.
Mobile Push Notifications
When Remote Control is active, Claude can send push notifications to your phone. Claude decides when to push — typically when a long-running task finishes or when it needs a decision to continue. You can also request one in your prompt: notify me when the tests finish. Setup requires the Claude mobile app (iOS or Android), signed in with the same account, and Push when Claude decides enabled in /config. Beyond the on/off toggle, there is no per-event configuration. Requires Claude Code v2.1.110+.
For autonomous PR monitoring, /autofix-pr spawns a Claude Code on the web session that watches your current branch’s PR. When CI fails or a reviewer leaves a comment, Claude investigates and pushes a fix. Pass a prompt to narrow scope: /autofix-pr only fix lint and type errors. It requires the Claude GitHub App installed on the repository, access to Claude Code on the web, and is not available to organizations with Zero Data Retention enabled.
/ultrareview (new in v2.1.86, highlighted in v2.1.112) runs a comprehensive cloud-based code review using parallel multi-agent analysis and critique. It requires Claude.ai account authentication — if signed in with an API key only, run /login first. It runs on Claude Code on the web infrastructure. Invoke with no arguments to review your current branch, or /ultrareview <PR#> to fetch and review a specific GitHub PR. Pro/Max get 3 free one-time runs (a one-time allotment per account, do not refresh), then each review costs roughly $5–$20 as extra usage. Team/Enterprise have no free runs and are billed as extra usage. Extra usage must be enabled on the account — if disabled, Claude Code blocks the launch and links to billing settings. Use /tasks to track running and completed reviews, open detail views, or stop an in-progress review (stopping archives the cloud session; partial findings are not returned). Check the official docs to confirm /ultrareview availability on your platform. Dynamic workflows are available on all paid plans on Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud Vertex AI, and Microsoft Foundry (Claude Code v2.1.154+).
/ultrareview # review current branch
/ultrareview 456 # review GitHub PR #456Scheduled Tasks, Routines, and Background Automation
Claude Code supports multiple scheduling layers. /loop creates session-scoped recurring checks while Claude Code is running. Routines are cloud-backed scheduled tasks that persist independently of your local terminal — each run clones your repo fresh, executes autonomously, and can push branches or open PRs.
# Check build status every 5 minutes (session-scoped)
/loop 5m check if the build succeeded and summarize any failures
# Create a cloud routine from the CLI
/schedule "run a full security audit at 2am"
/schedule daily PR review at 9amRoutines
A routine is a saved Claude Code configuration — a prompt, one or more repositories, and a set of connectors — packaged once and run automatically on Anthropic-managed infrastructure. Create and manage them from the web at claude.ai/code/routines, from the Desktop app, or via /schedule in the CLI. Use /schedule list to view all routines, /schedule update to modify one, and /schedule run to trigger one immediately.
Each routine can have multiple triggers combined:
- Scheduled — recurring cadence (hourly, daily, weekdays, weekly) or a one-off run at a specific time. One-off runs don’t count against the daily routine cap. Custom cron expressions are available via
/schedule update(minimum interval: 1 hour). - API — a per-routine HTTP endpoint. POST with a bearer token to trigger a run, optionally passing context in a
textfield. Wire it into alerting systems, deploy pipelines, or internal tools. - GitHub — reacts to repository events like pull requests or releases. Filters let you narrow by author, title, labels, base/head branch, draft status, and more. Requires the Claude GitHub App installed on the repository.
Routines run as full Claude Code cloud sessions with no permission prompts. They can use your connected MCP connectors (included by default — remove any that aren’t needed) and are scoped by the repositories you select, the cloud environment’s network access, and the connectors you include. By default, Claude can only push to claude/-prefixed branches; enable Allow unrestricted branch pushes per repository if needed.
Routines are available on Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans. Team and Enterprise admins can disable routines via the Routines toggle at claude.ai/admin-settings/claude-code. API and GitHub triggers are configured from the web UI only; /schedule in the CLI creates scheduled routines.
Background Automation
Background subagents with background: true in their frontmatter run without blocking the main conversation. This enables workflows where you kick off a long analysis, continue other work, and get notified when it completes. If you need automation around follow-up work, use the officially documented task and team hook events in their intended contexts: TaskCompleted for task state changes and TeammateIdle for agent teams teammates about to go idle.
{
"hooks": {
"TaskCompleted": [
{
"hooks": [
{
"type": "command",
"command": "curl -X POST $SLACK_WEBHOOK -d '{\"text\": \"Task completed: $TASK_NAME\"}'"
}
]
}
]
}
}For long-running research that spans multiple sessions, resumable agents and regular memory workflows are the safer mental model: let the agent write findings into memory or project docs, then resume the agent or session later when needed.
Dynamic Workflows
Beyond single-session patterns, Claude Code supports dynamic workflows — a research-preview feature introduced in v2.1.154 that lets you orchestrate dozens to hundreds of subagents from a JavaScript script Claude writes. Unlike /loop or /batch, which run within a single conversation, a workflow moves the plan into a script: the script holds the loop, the branching, and the intermediate results, so Claude’s context keeps only the final answer.
To run a workflow, include the word ultracode anywhere in your prompt (the trigger keyword was renamed from workflow to ultracode in v2.1.160; asking for one in your own words still works), or turn on /effort ultracode to let Claude plan one for every substantial task. Claude writes an orchestration script tailored to your goal, then a runtime executes it in the background while your session stays responsive. Dynamic workflows fit codebase-wide audits, large migrations, cross-checked research, and any task that needs more agents than one conversation can coordinate.
The bundled /deep-research <question> workflow automates multi-source research: it fans out web searches across several angles, fetches and cross-checks the sources it finds, votes on each claim, and returns a cited report with claims that didn’t survive cross-checking filtered out. It requires the WebSearch tool to be available:
/deep-research What changed in the Node.js permission model between v20 and v22?Run /workflows to list running and completed workflows and open a progress view that shows each phase’s agent count, token total, and elapsed time. When a run does what you wanted, select it in the /workflows view and press s to save its script as a command — it then runs as /<name> in future sessions, alongside the bundled workflows. Reuse pays off for recurring work like a weekly code audit or a release checklist.
For maximum reasoning depth, /effort ultracode combines xhigh effort with automatic workflow orchestration — Claude decides when a task warrants a workflow and coordinates the agents without being asked. It lasts for the current session; drop back with /effort high for routine work.
Dynamic workflows require Claude Code v2.1.154+ and are available on all paid plans (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise). On Pro, turn them on from the Dynamic workflows row in /config. To disable them, toggle Dynamic workflows off in /config, set "disableWorkflows": true in settings, or set CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_WORKFLOWS=1.
Multi-Step Workflow Patterns
The most reliable workflows combine skills, hooks, and subagents into a pipeline where each step has clear inputs, outputs, and error handling.
The “develop and verify” pattern pairs a Stop prompt hook that checks completion criteria against an implementation skill. When Claude stops, the hook evaluates whether all requirements were met. If not, it tells Claude what’s missing and Claude continues:
{
"hooks": {
"Stop": [
{
"hooks": [
{
"type": "prompt",
"prompt": "Check: 1) Were all files in the spec modified? 2) Do tests pass? 3) Is the implementation complete per the requirements? If anything is incomplete, explain what remains.",
"timeout": 30
}
]
}
]
}
}The “parallel review” pattern uses Agent Teams (experimental, disabled by default — requires CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS=1) to have multiple specialists review simultaneously. One agent checks security, another checks performance, another checks test coverage. The team lead synthesizes their findings into a single report. Agent Teams have known limitations around session resumption, task coordination, and shutdown behavior.
For tasks that modify many files across a codebase, /batch <instruction> plans the work, splits it across background agents in isolated git worktrees, and is designed for large-scale refactors or repetitive changes. Depending on the workflow, it can also run verification steps and help open PRs for the results.
Git worktrees (isolation: worktree on subagents) are also useful for experimental work. The agent makes changes in an isolated branch, returns the worktree path when done, and you review or discard without affecting your working tree.