/claude-code-guide

name: Claude Code Guide
description: Master guide for using Claude Code effectively. Includes configuration templates, prompting strategies "Thinking" keywords, debugging techniques, and best practices for interacting with the agent.

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](https://github.com/zebbern/claude-code-guide).