Best Practices Advanced

The ultimate reference for Claude Code power users. Top 30 tips, golden rules, daily and weekly checklists, expert-level techniques, and a comprehensive FAQ covering every common question.

The Golden Rules

1. Always commit before big changes

   Create a checkpoint commit before asking Claude to make large modifications. You can always revert.

2. Be specific, not vague

   Reference file paths, function names, and line numbers. Specific prompts produce specific results.

3. Review every change

   Use git diff to inspect what Claude modified. Trust but verify.

4. Maintain your CLAUDE.md

   A well-maintained CLAUDE.md is the highest-ROI investment in your Claude Code workflow.

5. Use the right model for the task

   Sonnet for routine work (80% of tasks), Opus for complex reasoning (20%).

Top 30 Power Tips

Daily Workflow Checklist

• Start with a fresh Claude Code session for the day's first task
• Check git status before starting — clean working tree
• Reference CLAUDE.md if you've made project changes
• Use /compact after every major task completion
• Commit working changes before moving to the next task
• Check /cost at end of day to track spending

Weekly Optimization Checklist

• Review and update CLAUDE.md with any new patterns or conventions
• Check for Claude Code updates: npm update -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
• Review weekly cost trends on the Anthropic dashboard
• Share effective prompts with the team
• Update custom slash commands if workflows have changed

Do's and Don'ts

Expert-Level Techniques

Sub-Agents

Use Claude Code to spawn sub-agents for parallel independent tasks:

> I need to implement 3 independent features: user avatars, email notifications,
> and API rate limiting. Use sub-agents to work on all three simultaneously.
> Each should work in a separate git worktree to avoid conflicts.

Hooks

Set up Claude Code hooks to automate pre/post actions:

{
  "hooks": {
    "preCommit": "npm run lint && npm test",
    "postEdit": "npx tsc --noEmit"
  }
}

Worktrees for Isolation

# Create isolated worktrees for parallel Claude agents
$ git worktree add ../feature-a feature/avatars
$ git worktree add ../feature-b feature/notifications

# Run Claude in each worktree independently
# Terminal 1:
$ cd ../feature-a && claude -p "Implement user avatars"
# Terminal 2:
$ cd ../feature-b && claude -p "Implement email notifications"

# Merge back when both are done
$ cd ../main-project
$ git merge feature/avatars
$ git merge feature/notifications

FAQ

Community Resources

• Official Documentation: docs.anthropic.com/claude-code
• GitHub: github.com/anthropics/claude-code
• Discord: Join the Anthropic community for tips and support
• Release Notes: Check npm or GitHub for the latest Claude Code updates