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Claude Code

Claude Code is an agentic coding tool that lives in your terminal, understands your codebase, and helps you code faster.

Claude Code: Deep Coding at Terminal Velocity \ Anthropic

GitHub - luongnv89/claude-howto: A visual, example-driven guide to Claude Code — from basic concepts to advanced agents, with copy-paste templates that bring immediate value. · GitHub ⭐ 37k

Quick Start​

# Installation
brew install --cask claude-code

# Start
claude
claude --login
claude --think

# Print Mode (one-off task)
claude -p "query"

# Help
claude --help
claude update

Core Features​

  1. CLAUDE.md: Project memory file with custom rules and conventions (run /init)
  2. Permissions: Control which tools Claude can use
  3. Plan Mode: Review plans before code changes
  4. Checkpoints: Automatic snapshots to revert if needed
  5. Skills: Reusable instruction files Claude follows automatically
  6. Hooks: Custom shell scripts on lifecycle events
  7. MCP: Connect to external tools (databases, third-party services)
  8. Plugins: Third-party integrations with skills, MCPs, and hooks
  9. Context: Manage context window with /context
  10. Slash Commands: Shortcuts for common tasks
  11. Compaction: Compress long conversations to save tokens
  12. Subagents: Spawn parallel agents for complex tasks
  13. Claude Managed Agents

Popular Skills & Frameworks​

Superpowers​

Structured dev workflow framework with TDD, debugging, planning, and code review skills.

/plugin install superpowers@claude-plugins-official

Key skills:

  • test-driven-development - RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle
  • systematic-debugging - 4-phase root cause process
  • brainstorming - Socratic design refinement
  • writing-plans - Detailed implementation plans
  • verification-before-completion - Ensure fixes work

GitHub - obra/superpowers ⭐ 229k

Superpowers 6 — Massively Parallel Procrastination

GSD (Get Shit Done)​

Meta-prompting and spec-driven development system for autonomous work.

GSD 2.0​

TypeScript application that controls agent sessions (not just prompts).

npm install -g gsd-pi@latest

# From project directory
/gsd migrate
/gsd auto        # Autonomous mode
/gsd next        # Step mode

GitHub - gsd-build/gsd-2 ⭐ 7.7k

GSD 1.0​

Original command-based system.

npx get-shit-done-cc@latest
npm uninstall -g get-shit-done-cc

claude --dangerously-skip-permissions
/gsd-autonomous
/gsd-plan-phase 1
/gsd-execute-phase 1

GitHub - gsd-build/get-shit-done ⭐ 64k

Comparison​

Alternative Agent Harnesses​

OpenClaw​

Open-source AI assistant harness compatible with multiple LLMs.

npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
openclaw dashboard
openclaw gateway run

GitHub - openclaw/openclaw ⭐ 379k

Hermes​

Alternative agent harness from Nous Research.

curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash
hermes              # Start chatting
hermes model        # Choose LLM
hermes gateway      # Start messaging gateway

Running:

Links:

Comparison: OpenClaw vs Hermes​

Notable Skills & Plugins​

Official & Curated​

  • ​Superpowers: A structured dev workflow that forces Claude to brainstorm, plan, and test before writing any code. Useful when you want rigor over speed.
  • ​InsForge: Semantic backend layer that exposes auth, database, storage, and functions through one agent-friendly API. Think of it as a unified backend for agents.
  • ​Bright Data Skills: Teaches Claude to orchestrate 60+ MCP tools for web scraping and structured data extraction. Handles the messy parts of live web access.
  • ​Context7: MCP server that feeds live, version-specific library docs directly into Claude's context. No more hallucinated APIs from outdated training data.
  • ​Claude-Mem: Persistent memory plugin that auto-captures sessions and reinjects relevant context into future ones. Solves the "Claude forgot everything" problem between sessions.
  • ​Everything Claude Code: Curated skills and rules collection with smart token-saving compaction at logical breakpoints. A good starting point if you're building your own .claude/ setup.
  • ​Planning with Files: Persistent markdown files for planning, progress tracking, and knowledge storage across sessions. Simple approach, surprisingly effective for multi-session projects.
  • ​Sentry Security Review: Security review skill built on 15 years of real Sentry patches and Django ORM pitfalls. Catches the kind of bugs that only show up in production.
  • ​Frontend Design: Official Anthropic skill for distinctive, non-generic UI output with bold design choices. Ships with Claude Code and pushes past the default "looks like every other AI-generated UI" problem.
  • ​Web Quality Skills: Lighthouse and Core Web Vitals optimization for performance, accessibility, and SEO. Bakes web quality checks directly into the agent loop.
  • ​n8n-MCP: MCP server with docs and schemas for all 1,396 n8n automation nodes. If you're building automations with n8n, this gives Claude full visibility into the node catalog.
  • ​Claude-Reflect: Captures your repeated corrections and turns them into reusable commands with human review. The agent learns your preferences over time instead of making the same mistakes.
  • ​cc-DevOps Skills: Generator and validator loops for Terraform, Kubernetes, Docker, and CI/CD configs. Generates infra code, then validates it before you apply.
  • ​Agent Sandbox: Isolated E2B cloud sandboxes for building, hosting, and testing apps without touching local files. Good for when you want the agent to experiment freely without risk.
  • ​Agile Workflow: Full agile delivery pipeline with multi-model parallel review via Codex and Gemini agents. Brings structured software delivery practices into the agent workflow.
  • ​Claude Code Plugins+: Plugin directory with a CLI package manager for searching and installing niche skills. Think npm but for Claude Code skills.
  • Context Engineering Kit ⭐ 1.1k - Quality-focused skills

Performance & Efficiency​

  • Caveman ⭐ 73k - Cuts 65% of tokens by talking like caveman

    claude plugin marketplace add JuliusBrussee/caveman
    claude plugin install caveman@caveman

  • RTK ⭐ 63k - CLI proxy reducing token consumption 60-90%

    brew install rtk
    rtk init -g  # Install for Claude Code
    rtk gain --all  # Show savings stats
    • rtk — Make your AI coding agent smarter | CLI proxy
    • Four strategies applied per command type:
      1. Smart Filtering - Removes noise (comments, whitespace, boilerplate)
      2. Grouping - Aggregates similar items (files by directory, errors by type)
      3. Truncation - Keeps relevant context, cuts redundancy
      4. Deduplication - Collapses repeated log lines with counts

  • Ponytail ⭐ 15k - Makes your AI agent think like the laziest senior dev in the room. The best code is the code you never wrote.

  • Prompt Master ⭐ 9.4k - A Claude skill that writes the accurate prompts for any AI tool. Zero tokens or credits wasted. Full context and memory retention

Frontend & Testing​

Domain-Specific​

Research & Analysis​

DeepResearch Agent​

Marketplaces​

Others / Agents / Skills​

Advanced Features​

LSP (Language Server Protocol)​

Problem: By default, Claude uses grep/glob (text search). Code has structure, not just text.

Solution: Enable LSP for IDE-level code intelligence.

## Code Intelligence

Prefer LSP over Grep/Glob/Read for code navigation:
- `goToDefinition` / `goToImplementation` - Jump to source
- `findReferences` - See all usages
- `workspaceSymbol` - Find where something is defined
- `documentSymbol` - List all symbols in file
- `hover` - Type info without reading file
- `incomingCalls` / `outgoingCalls` - Call hierarchy

Use Grep/Glob only for text searches (comments, strings, config).

The 2-Minute Claude Code Upgrade: LSP

Output Styles​

/config output-style proactive     # Execute immediately, fewer prompts
/config output-style explanatory   # Educational insights between tasks
/config output-style learning      # Asks you to implement TODO markers

Output Styles - Docs

Scheduled Tasks​

/loop 5m check if deployment finished
/loop check CI status and address review comments

Remind at specific time:

remind me at 3pm to push release branch

Scheduled Tasks - Docs

Monitoring Tools​

ClaudeBar - macOS menu bar usage monitor

brew install --cask claudebar

GitHub - tddworks/ClaudeBar ⭐ 1.2k

Claude Monitor - Real-time predictions and warnings

uv tool install claude-monitor
claude-monitor  # or cmonitor, ccmonitor

GitHub - Claude-Code-Usage-Monitor ⭐ 8.2k

Claude Code Viewer - Web-based project manager

npm install -g @kimuson/claude-code-viewer
claude-code-viewer --port 3400

GitHub - claude-code-viewer ⭐ 1.2k

Conversations: ~/.claude/projects/

Best Practices​

Using Claude Code Effectively​

From Stop babysitting your agents:

Autonomous Verification Circuits

  • Automate backend debugging (API hits, DB checks, logs, tests)
  • Self-healing loops: catch errors, fix bugs, iterate before PR
  • Self-improving assets: update shared skill.md on blockers

Parallelization

  • Use /rename to categorize threads
  • Combine Tmux + Git worktrees + claude agents
  • Claude Code Desktop GUI for unified management

Background Loops

  • Delegate non-coding tasks (docs, ticket triage, CI)
  • /loop 10m for auto-checking work
  • Persistent circuits via cron/GitHub Actions

From How we Claude Code:

Model-Driven Requirements

  • Interactive interviewing vs massive specs upfront
  • Let Claude critique architecture to find roadblocks

HTML Specs & Token Efficiency

  • Structured HTML layouts > unstructured Markdown
  • Visual diagrams + schemas = maximum context

Agent-Native Verification

  • Multi-surface checks: terminal, dashboard, CLI
  • Auto-upload validation videos to S3 in PR description

Andrej Karpathy's Four Principles​

GitHub - andrej-karpathy-skills ⭐ 176k

  1. Think before coding - Don't assume
  2. Simplicity First - Minimum code that solves problem
  3. Surgical Changes - Touch only what you must
  4. Goal-driven Execution - Define success, loop until verified

Working signs:

  • Fewer unnecessary diffs
  • Simple code first time
  • Clarifying questions before implementation
  • Clean, minimal PRs

Avoiding Agent Confabulation​

From Arguing With Agents:

Problem: RLHF trains models to read between the lines. Long CLAUDE.md interpreted as "urgency" rather than literal instructions.

Solution:

  • Don't ask agents to explain deviations (triggers confabulation)
  • Rewrite "don't do X" as "always do Y"
  • Use structural enforcement (hooks, linters) over conversational rules

The Unreasonable Effectiveness of HTML​

From Using Claude Code: HTML:

  • Dense, structured HTML specs > long Markdown
  • Upfront token cost pays off by preventing iteration loops
  • Include visual diagrams, schemas, flowcharts

Integrations​

Google Vertex AI​

Claude Code on Vertex AI

Limitations:

  • ❌ WebSearch - Blocked by VPC Service Controls
  • ✅ WebFetch - Works for specific URLs
  • ❌ claude remote-control - Only with claude login

tmux & iTerm2​

Thirty lines to make Claude Code native in tmux

Local LLMs​

Learning Resources​

Development Tools​

Codebase & Source​

Additional Links & Resources​