Claude Code Guide

Purpose

To provide a comprehensive reference for configuring and using Claude Code (the agentic coding tool) to its full potential. This skill synthesizes best practices, configuration templates, and advanced usage patterns.

Configuration (`CLAUDE.md`)

When starting a new project, create a CLAUDE.md file in the root directory to guide the agent.

Template (General)

# Project Guidelines

## Commands

- Run app: `npm run dev`
- Test: `npm test`
- Build: `npm run build`

## Code Style

- Use TypeScript for all new code.
- Functional components with Hooks for React.
- Tailwind CSS for styling.
- Early returns for error handling.

## Workflow

- Read `README.md` first to understand project context.
- Before editing, read the file content.
- After editing, run tests to verify.

Advanced Features

Thinking Keywords

Use these keywords in your prompts to trigger deeper reasoning from the agent:

• "Think step-by-step"
• "Analyze the root cause"
• "Plan before executing"
• "Verify your assumptions"

Debugging

If the agent is stuck or behaving unexpectedly:

1. Clear Context: Start a new session or ask the agent to "forget previous instructions" if confused.
2. Explicit Instructions: Be extremely specific about paths, filenames, and desired outcomes.
3. Logs: Ask the agent to "check the logs" or "run the command with verbose output".

Best Practices

1. Small Contexts: Don't dump the entire codebase into the context. Use grep or find to locate relevant files first.
2. Iterative Development: Ask for small changes, verify, then proceed.
3. Feedback Loop: If the agent makes a mistake, correct it immediately and ask it to "add a lesson" to its memory (if supported) or CLAUDE.md.

Reference

Based on Claude Code Guide by zebbern.