A practical, no-fluff guide to getting the most out of Claude Code. Covers project setup, context management, skills, memory systems, planning, git workflows, and performance tuning.
| Guide | What You'll Learn |
|---|---|
| Getting Started | Installation, first session, core commands |
| CLAUDE.md Mastery | Treat CLAUDE.md as an orchestration layer, not onboarding docs |
| Context Management | The 80/20 rule, /compact, task chunking, context recovery |
| Skills and Slash Commands | On-demand knowledge loading, writing your first skill |
| Memory Systems | Auto memory, session memory, and how they stack |
| Planning Modes | Read-only analysis before committing to code changes |
| Git Integration and Worktrees | Commits, branches, PRs, and parallel worktree sessions |
| Performance and Cost | Model switching, token tracking, cost-saving patterns |
- Developers picking up Claude Code for the first time
- Teams standardizing their Claude Code workflow
- Anyone tired of re-explaining context to the AI every session
# Install Claude Code (requires Claude Pro subscription or higher)
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
# Start a session in your project
cd your-project
claude
# Check your current context usage
/context
# Enter planning mode before a big change
# Press Shift+Tab twiceCLAUDE.md is your control file. It defines how Claude behaves: routing logic, delegation patterns, quality standards. Project specifics belong in skills, not here.
Context is finite. The 200K token window fills faster than you think. Monitor it, chunk your work, and compact between tasks.
Skills beat repetition. Any instruction you paste into more than one session should become a skill. They load on demand and keep your context lean.
Memory stacks in layers. CLAUDE.md (your rules) + auto memory (Claude's notes) + session memory (conversation continuity). All three work together.
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| Repo | Description |
|---|---|
| Claude Code Best Practices | Battle-tested tips distilled into actionable checklists |
| Claude Hooks Cookbook | Recipes for automating Claude Code with lifecycle hooks |
| AI Agent Patterns | Design patterns for multi-agent orchestration |
| SaaS Starter Playbook | From idea to live SaaS product, step by step |
See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
Check out resources.md for a curated list of tools, extensions, and references.
MIT