Pipe
The “|” sign in the terminal: it takes what one command wrote and passes it on to another command, like a pipe between them.
How it appears in the course
The | symbol is called a pipe. It takes the result of one command and “pours” it into the next.
pipelines (chains of automatic steps, one after another).
Line 2: cat build.log reads a log file (build.log, where the program noted its errors). The | sign (called a “pipe”) sends that text straight to Claude. Then Claude tells you why building the program failed.
Where you learn it
In module 01 · How to talk to Claude, in the Claude Code for Beginners course.
Related terms
Learn Claude Code from zero, in plain English
12 modules with 1–2 minute lessons, which you can also do on your phone. The first two modules are free.