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:

Clear Context

Start a new session or ask the agent to "forget previous instructions" if confused.

Explicit Instructions

Be extremely specific about paths, filenames, and desired outcomes.

Logs

Ask the agent to "check the logs" or "run the command with verbose output".

Best Practices

Small Contexts

Don't dump the entire codebase into the context. Use

grep

or

find

to locate relevant files first.

Iterative Development

Ask for small changes, verify, then proceed.

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 .