Claude Code Best Practices: Mastering Agentic Coding Workflows

Want to code at the speed of thought? Anthropic’s new command‑line tool, Claude Code, lets you summon a large‑language‑model sidekick that edits files, runs tests, and even opens pull requests—right from your terminal. But raw power requires discipline. Below is a field guide to make Claude Code feel less like a curious intern and more like a senior engineer who never sleeps.

Why Agentic Coding Is Different

Traditional autocomplete tools finish the line you are typing; agentic coding tools reason about the entire task. Claude Code can map an issue, break it into subtasks, research unfamiliar APIs, implement a solution, and verify it—all in one chat. That reach is liberating, but it also means context windows, token budgets, and permission prompts matter. Treat the model like a collaborator: give it documentation, define boundaries, and ask it to think before it writes.

Optimize Your Environment with CLAUDE.md

The single highest‑leverage habit is maintaining project‑level CLAUDE.md files. Anything you would explain to a new teammate—common bash aliases, code style, test commands—belongs here. Claude automatically ingests the file at session start, saving tokens and mistakes. Keep the file concise, iterate on phrasing ("IMPORTANT:" really does matter), and commit updates so the whole team benefits. For monorepos, nest additional CLAUDE.md files in sub‑packages for hyper‑local guidance.

Give Claude More Tools

The model inherits your shell, so every script you rely on can become part of its arsenal. Document custom CLI utilities in CLAUDE.md, install GitHub’s gh client, or expose rich APIs through MCP servers. For repetitive tasks, store prompt templates as slash commands in .claude/commands. Soon you’ll launch /project:fix-github-issue 1234 the way you once typed git push.

Proven Workflows That Compound

Explore → Plan → Code → Commit. Ask Claude to read files without writing, then force a planning step using the keyword "think hard". Once the plan looks solid, let the model implement and open a PR.

Test‑Driven Development. Have Claude write failing tests first, commit them, then iterate until the suite passes. The feedback loop is blazing fast when the agent runs tests autonomously.

Visual Iteration. Pair Claude with a screenshot tool or Puppeteer; paste mocks, and let it refine UI code until pixels line up.

You can even spin up multiple checkouts and run several Claude instances in parallel—one refactors logging while another migrates CSS—all gated by git worktrees.

Keep It Safe & Snappy

Use the permission system as guard rails, but drop into "safe YOLO" mode inside disposable containers for lint‑fix sprints. Clear context with /clear between tasks, maintain checklists for epic migrations, and remember that a quick interrupt (Esc) rescues wandering agents before they touch prod.

Master these habits and agentic coding stops feeling experimental—it becomes your unfair advantage.

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Sources

• Anthropic: Claude Code Best Practices