Common workflows

Learn about common workflows with Qwen Code.

Each task in this document includes clear instructions, example commands, and best practices to help you get the most from Qwen Code.

Understand new codebases

Get a quick codebase overview

Suppose you’ve just joined a new project and need to understand its structure quickly.

1. Navigate to the project root directory


cd /path/to/project

2. Start Qwen Code


qwen

3. Ask for a high-level overview


give me an overview of this codebase

4. Dive deeper into specific components


explain the main architecture patterns used here


what are the key data models?


how is authentication handled?

Tip

Start with broad questions, then narrow down to specific areas
Ask about coding conventions and patterns used in the project
Request a glossary of project-specific terms

Find relevant code

Suppose you need to locate code related to a specific feature or functionality.

1. Ask Qwen Code to find relevant files


find the files that handle user authentication

2. Get context on how components interact


how do these authentication files work together?

3. Understand the execution flow


trace the login process from front-end to database

Tip

Be specific about what you’re looking for
Use domain language from the project

Fix bugs efficiently

Suppose you’ve encountered an error message and need to find and fix its source.

1. Share the error with Qwen Code


I'm seeing an error when I run npm test

2. Ask for fix recommendations


suggest a few ways to fix the @ts-ignore in user.ts

3. Apply the fix


update user.tsto add the null check you suggested

Tip

Tell Qwen Code the command to reproduce the issue and get a stack trace
Mention any steps to reproduce the error
Let Qwen Code know if the error is intermittent or consistent

Refactor code

Suppose you need to update old code to use modern patterns and practices.

1. Identify legacy code for refactoring


find deprecated API usage in our codebase

2. Get refactoring recommendations


suggest how to refactor utils.js to use modern JavaScript features

3. Apply the changes safely


refactor utils.js to use ES 2024 features while maintaining the same behavior

4. Verify the refactoring


run tests for the refactored code

Tip

Ask Qwen Code to explain the benefits of the modern approach
Request that changes maintain backward compatibility when needed
Do refactoring in small, testable increments

Use specialized subagents

Suppose you want to use specialized AI subagents to handle specific tasks more effectively.

1. View available subagents


/agents

This shows all available subagents and lets you create new ones.

2. Use subagents automatically

Qwen Code automatically delegates appropriate tasks to specialized subagents:


review my recent code changes for security issues


run all tests and fix any failures

3. Explicitly request specific subagents


use the code-reviewer subagent to check the auth module


have the debugger subagent investigate why users can't log in

4. Create custom subagents for your workflow


/agents

Then select “create” and follow the prompts to define:

A unique identifier that describes the subagent’s purpose (for example, code-reviewer, api-designer).
When Qwen Code should use this agent
Which tools it can access
A system prompt describing the agent’s role and behavior

Tip

Create project-specific subagents in .qwen/agents/ for team sharing
Use descriptive description fields to enable automatic delegation
Limit tool access to what each subagent actually needs
Know more about Sub Agents
Know more about Approval Mode

Work with tests

Suppose you need to add tests for uncovered code.

1. Identify untested code


find functions in NotificationsService.swift that are not covered by tests

2. Generate test scaffolding


add tests for the notification service

3. Add meaningful test cases


add test cases for edge conditions in the notification service

4. Run and verify tests


run the new tests and fix any failures

Qwen Code can generate tests that follow your project’s existing patterns and conventions. When asking for tests, be specific about what behavior you want to verify. Qwen Code examines your existing test files to match the style, frameworks, and assertion patterns already in use.

For comprehensive coverage, ask Qwen Code to identify edge cases you might have missed. Qwen Code can analyze your code paths and suggest tests for error conditions, boundary values, and unexpected inputs that are easy to overlook.

Create pull requests

Suppose you need to create a well-documented pull request for your changes.

1. Summarize your changes


summarize the changes I've made to the authentication module

2. Generate a pull request with Qwen Code


create a pr

3. Review and refine


enhance the PR description with more context about the security improvements

4. Add testing details


add information about how these changes were tested

Tip

Ask Qwen Code directly to make a PR for you
Review Qwen Code’s generated PR before submitting
Ask Qwen Code to highlight potential risks or considerations

Handle documentation

Suppose you need to add or update documentation for your code.

1. Identify undocumented code


find functions without proper JSDoc comments in the auth module

2. Generate documentation


add JSDoc comments to the undocumented functions in auth.js

3. Review and enhance


improve the generated documentation with more context and examples

4. Verify documentation


check if the documentation follows our project standards

Tip

Specify the documentation style you want (JSDoc, docstrings, etc.)
Ask for examples in the documentation
Request documentation for public APIs, interfaces, and complex logic

Reference files and directories

Use @ to quickly include files or directories without waiting for Qwen Code to read them.

1. Reference a single file


Explain the logic in @src/utils/auth.js

This includes the full content of the file in the conversation.

2. Reference a directory


What's the structure of @src/components?

This provides a directory listing with file information.

3. Reference MCP resources


Show me the data from @github: repos/owner/repo/issues

This fetches data from connected MCP servers using the format @server: resource. See MCP for details.

Tip

File paths can be relative or absolute
@ file references add QWEN.md in the file’s directory and parent directories to context
Directory references show file listings, not contents
You can reference multiple files in a single message (for example, “@file 1.js and @file 2.js”)

Resume previous conversations

Suppose you’ve been working on a task with Qwen Code and need to continue where you left off in a later session.

Qwen Code provides two options for resuming previous conversations:

--continue to automatically continue the most recent conversation
--resume to display a conversation picker

1. Continue the most recent conversation


qwen --continue

This immediately resumes your most recent conversation without any prompts.

2. Continue in non-interactive mode


qwen --continue --p "Continue with my task"

Use --print with --continue to resume the most recent conversation in non-interactive mode, perfect for scripts or automation.

3. Show conversation picker


qwen --resume

This displays an interactive conversation selector with a clean list view showing:

Session summary (or initial prompt)
Metadata: time elapsed, message count, and git branch

Use arrow keys to navigate and press Enter to select a conversation. Press Esc to exit.

Tip

Conversation history is stored locally on your machine
Use --continue for quick access to your most recent conversation
Use --resume when you need to select a specific past conversation
When resuming, you’ll see the entire conversation history before continuing
The resumed conversation starts with the same model and configuration as the original

How it works:

Conversation Storage: All conversations are automatically saved locally with their full message history
Message Deserialization: When resuming, the entire message history is restored to maintain context
Tool State: Tool usage and results from the previous conversation are preserved
Context Restoration: The conversation resumes with all previous context intact

Examples:


# Continue most recent conversation
qwen --continue
 
# Continue most recent conversation with a specific prompt
qwen --continue --p "Show me our progress"
 
# Show conversation picker
qwen --resume
 
# Continue most recent conversation in non-interactive mode
qwen --continue --p "Run the tests again"

Run parallel Qwen Code sessions with Git worktrees

Suppose you need to work on multiple tasks simultaneously with complete code isolation between Qwen Code instances.

1. Understand Git worktrees

Git worktrees allow you to check out multiple branches from the same repository into separate directories. Each worktree has its own working directory with isolated files, while sharing the same Git history. Learn more in the official Git worktree documentation .

2. Create a new worktree


# Create a new worktree with a new branch
git worktree add ../project-feature-a -b feature-a
 
# Or create a worktree with an existing branch
git worktree add ../project-bugfix bugfix-123

This creates a new directory with a separate working copy of your repository.

3. Run Qwen Code in each worktree


# Navigate to your worktree
cd ../project-feature-a
 
# Run Qwen Code in this isolated environment
qwen

4. Run Qwen Code in another worktree


cd ../project-bugfix
qwen

5. Manage your worktrees


# List all worktrees
git worktree list
 
# Remove a worktree when done
git worktree remove ../project-feature-a

Tip

Each worktree has its own independent file state, making it perfect for parallel Qwen Code sessions
Changes made in one worktree won’t affect others, preventing Qwen Code instances from interfering with each other
All worktrees share the same Git history and remote connections
For long-running tasks, you can have Qwen Code working in one worktree while you continue development in another
Use descriptive directory names to easily identify which task each worktree is for
Remember to initialize your development environment in each new worktree according to your project’s setup. Depending on your stack, this might include:
- JavaScript projects: Running dependency installation (npm install, yarn)
- Python projects: Setting up virtual environments or installing with package managers
- Other languages: Following your project’s standard setup process

Use Qwen Code as a unix-style utility

Add Qwen Code to your verification process

Suppose you want to use Qwen Code as a linter or code reviewer.

Add Qwen Code to your build script:


// package.json
{
    ...
    "scripts": {
        ...
        "lint:Qwen Code": "qwen -p 'you are a linter. please look at the changes vs. main and report any issues related to typos. report the filename and line number on one line, and a description of the issue on the second line. do not return any other text.'"
    }
}

Tip

Use Qwen Code for automated code review in your CI/CD pipeline
Customize the prompt to check for specific issues relevant to your project
Consider creating multiple scripts for different types of verification

Pipe in, pipe out

Suppose you want to pipe data into Qwen Code, and get back data in a structured format.

Pipe data through Qwen Code:


cat build-error.txt | qwen -p 'concisely explain the root cause of this build error' > output.txt

Tip

Use pipes to integrate Qwen-Code into existing shell scripts
Combine with other Unix tools for powerful workflows
Consider using —output-format for structured output

Control output format

Suppose you need Qwen Code’s output in a specific format, especially when integrating Qwen Code into scripts or other tools.

1. Use text format (default)


cat data.txt | qwen -p 'summarize this data' --output-format text > summary.txt

This outputs just Qwen Code’s plain text response (default behavior).

2. Use JSON format


cat code.py | qwen -p 'analyze this code for bugs' --output-format json > analysis.json

This outputs a JSON array of messages with metadata including cost and duration.

3. Use streaming JSON format


cat log.txt | qwen -p 'parse this log file for errors' --output-format stream-json

This outputs a series of JSON objects in real-time as Qwen Code processes the request. Each message is a valid JSON object, but the entire output is not valid JSON if concatenated.

Tip

Use --output-format text for simple integrations where you just need Qwen Code’s response
Use --output-format json when you need the full conversation log
Use --output-format stream-json for real-time output of each conversation turn

Ask Qwen Code about its capabilities

Qwen Code has built-in access to its documentation and can answer questions about its own features and limitations.

Example questions


can Qwen Code create pull requests?


how does Qwen Code handle permissions?


what slash commands are available?


how do I use MCP with Qwen Code?


how do I configure Qwen Code for Amazon Bedrock?


what are the limitations of Qwen Code?

Note

Qwen Code provides documentation-based answers to these questions. For executable examples and hands-on demonstrations, refer to the specific workflow sections above.

Tip

Qwen Code always has access to the latest Qwen Code documentation, regardless of the version you’re using
Ask specific questions to get detailed answers
Qwen Code can explain complex features like MCP integration, enterprise configurations, and advanced workflows