This page covers practical workflows for everyday development: exploring unfamiliar code, debugging, refactoring, writing tests, creating PRs, and managing sessions. Each section includes example prompts you can adapt to your own projects. For higher-level patterns and tips, see Best practices.
Understand new codebases
Get a quick codebase overview
Suppose you’ve just joined a new project and need to understand its structure quickly.
Navigate to the project root directory
Ask for a high-level overview
> give me an overview of this codebase
Dive deeper into specific components
> explain the main architecture patterns used here
> what are the key data models?
> how is authentication handled?
Tips:
- Start with broad questions, then narrow down to specific areas
- Ask about coding conventions and patterns used in the project
- Request a glossary of project-specific terms
Find relevant code
Suppose you need to locate code related to a specific feature or functionality.
Ask Claude to find relevant files
> find the files that handle user authentication
Get context on how components interact
> how do these authentication files work together?
Understand the execution flow
> trace the login process from front-end to database
Tips:
- Be specific about what you’re looking for
- Use domain language from the project
- Install a code intelligence plugin for your language to give Claude precise “go to definition” and “find references” navigation
Fix bugs efficiently
Suppose you’ve encountered an error message and need to find and fix its source.
Share the error with Claude
> I'm seeing an error when I run npm test
Ask for fix recommendations
> suggest a few ways to fix the @ts-ignore in user.ts
Apply the fix
> update user.ts to add the null check you suggested
Tips:
- Tell Claude the command to reproduce the issue and get a stack trace
- Mention any steps to reproduce the error
- Let Claude know if the error is intermittent or consistent
Refactor code
Suppose you need to update old code to use modern patterns and practices.
Identify legacy code for refactoring
> find deprecated API usage in our codebase
Get refactoring recommendations
> suggest how to refactor utils.js to use modern JavaScript features
Apply the changes safely
> refactor utils.js to use ES2024 features while maintaining the same behavior
Verify the refactoring
> run tests for the refactored code
Tips:
- Ask Claude to explain the benefits of the modern approach
- Request that changes maintain backward compatibility when needed
- Do refactoring in small, testable increments
Use specialized subagents
Suppose you want to use specialized AI subagents to handle specific tasks more effectively.
View available subagents
This shows all available subagents and lets you create new ones. Use subagents automatically
Claude Code automatically delegates appropriate tasks to specialized subagents:> review my recent code changes for security issues
> run all tests and fix any failures
Explicitly request specific subagents
> use the code-reviewer subagent to check the auth module
> have the debugger subagent investigate why users can't log in
Create custom subagents for your workflow
Then select “Create New subagent” and follow the prompts to define:
- A unique identifier that describes the subagent’s purpose (for example,
code-reviewer, api-designer).
- When Claude should use this agent
- Which tools it can access
- A system prompt describing the agent’s role and behavior
Tips:
- Create project-specific subagents in
.claude/agents/ for team sharing
- Use descriptive
description fields to enable automatic delegation
- Limit tool access to what each subagent actually needs
- Check the subagents documentation for detailed examples
Use Plan Mode for safe code analysis
Plan Mode instructs Claude to create a plan by analyzing the codebase with read-only operations, perfect for exploring codebases, planning complex changes, or reviewing code safely. In Plan Mode, Claude uses AskUserQuestion to gather requirements and clarify your goals before proposing a plan.
When to use Plan Mode
- Multi-step implementation: When your feature requires making edits to many files
- Code exploration: When you want to research the codebase thoroughly before changing anything
- Interactive development: When you want to iterate on the direction with Claude
How to use Plan Mode
Turn on Plan Mode during a session
You can switch into Plan Mode during a session using Shift+Tab to cycle through permission modes.
If you are in Normal Mode, Shift+Tab first switches into Auto-Accept Mode, indicated by ⏵⏵ accept edits on at the bottom of the terminal. A subsequent Shift+Tab will switch into Plan Mode, indicated by ⏸ plan mode on. When an agent team is active, the cycle also includes Delegate Mode.
Start a new session in Plan Mode
To start a new session in Plan Mode, use the --permission-mode plan flag:
claude --permission-mode plan
-p (that is, in “headless mode”):
claude --permission-mode plan -p "Analyze the authentication system and suggest improvements"
Example: Planning a complex refactor
claude --permission-mode plan
> I need to refactor our authentication system to use OAuth2. Create a detailed migration plan.
> What about backward compatibility?
> How should we handle database migration?
Press Ctrl+G to open the plan in your default text editor, where you can edit it directly before Claude proceeds.
// .claude/settings.json
{
"permissions": {
"defaultMode": "plan"
}
}
Work with tests
Suppose you need to add tests for uncovered code.
Identify untested code
> find functions in NotificationsService.swift that are not covered by tests
Generate test scaffolding
> add tests for the notification service
Add meaningful test cases
> add test cases for edge conditions in the notification service
Run and verify tests
> run the new tests and fix any failures
Create pull requests
You can create pull requests by asking Claude directly (“create a pr for my changes”) or by using the /commit-push-pr skill, which commits, pushes, and opens a PR in one step.
If you have a Slack MCP server configured and specify channels in your CLAUDE.md (for example, “post PR URLs to #team-prs”), the skill automatically posts the PR URL to those channels.
For more control over the process, guide Claude through it step-by-step or create your own skill:
Summarize your changes
> summarize the changes I've made to the authentication module
Review and refine
> enhance the PR description with more context about the security improvements
gh pr create, the session is automatically linked to that PR. You can resume it later with claude --from-pr <number>.
Review Claude’s generated PR before submitting and ask Claude to highlight potential risks or considerations.
Handle documentation
Suppose you need to add or update documentation for your code.
Identify undocumented code
> find functions without proper JSDoc comments in the auth module
Generate documentation
> add JSDoc comments to the undocumented functions in auth.js
Review and enhance
> improve the generated documentation with more context and examples
Verify documentation
> check if the documentation follows our project standards
Tips:
- Specify the documentation style you want (JSDoc, docstrings, etc.)
- Ask for examples in the documentation
- Request documentation for public APIs, interfaces, and complex logic
Work with images
Suppose you need to work with images in your codebase, and you want Claude’s help analyzing image content.
Add an image to the conversation
You can use any of these methods:
- Drag and drop an image into the Claude Code window
- Copy an image and paste it into the CLI with ctrl+v (Do not use cmd+v)
- Provide an image path to Claude. E.g., “Analyze this image: /path/to/your/image.png”
Ask Claude to analyze the image
> What does this image show?
> Describe the UI elements in this screenshot
> Are there any problematic elements in this diagram?
Use images for context
> Here's a screenshot of the error. What's causing it?
> This is our current database schema. How should we modify it for the new feature?
Get code suggestions from visual content
> Generate CSS to match this design mockup
> What HTML structure would recreate this component?
Tips:
- Use images when text descriptions would be unclear or cumbersome
- Include screenshots of errors, UI designs, or diagrams for better context
- You can work with multiple images in a conversation
- Image analysis works with diagrams, screenshots, mockups, and more
- When Claude references images (for example,
[Image #1]), Cmd+Click (Mac) or Ctrl+Click (Windows/Linux) the link to open the image in your default viewer
Reference files and directories
Use @ to quickly include files or directories without waiting for Claude to read them.
Reference a single file
> Explain the logic in @src/utils/auth.js
Reference a directory
> What's the structure of @src/components?
Reference MCP resources
> Show me the data from @github:repos/owner/repo/issues
Tips:
- File paths can be relative or absolute
- @ file references add
CLAUDE.md in the file’s directory and parent directories to context
- Directory references show file listings, not contents
- You can reference multiple files in a single message (for example, “@file1.js and @file2.js”)
Use extended thinking (thinking mode)
Extended thinking is enabled by default, giving Claude space to reason through complex problems step-by-step before responding. This reasoning is visible in verbose mode, which you can toggle on with Ctrl+O.
Additionally, Opus 4.6 introduces adaptive reasoning: instead of a fixed thinking token budget, the model dynamically allocates thinking based on your effort level setting. Extended thinking and adaptive reasoning work together to give you control over how deeply Claude reasons before responding.
Extended thinking is particularly valuable for complex architectural decisions, challenging bugs, multi-step implementation planning, and evaluating tradeoffs between different approaches.
Phrases like “think”, “think hard”, “ultrathink”, and “think more” are interpreted as regular prompt instructions and don’t allocate thinking tokens.
| Scope | How to configure | Details |
|---|
| Effort level | Adjust in /model or set CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL | Control thinking depth for Opus 4.6: low, medium, high (default). See Adjust effort level |
| Toggle shortcut | Press Option+T (macOS) or Alt+T (Windows/Linux) | Toggle thinking on/off for the current session (all models). May require terminal configuration to enable Option key shortcuts |
| Global default | Use /config to toggle thinking mode | Sets your default across all projects (all models).
Saved as alwaysThinkingEnabled in ~/.claude/settings.json |
| Limit token budget | Set MAX_THINKING_TOKENS environment variable | Limit the thinking budget to a specific number of tokens (ignored on Opus 4.6 unless set to 0). Example: export MAX_THINKING_TOKENS=10000 |
Ctrl+O to toggle verbose mode and see the internal reasoning displayed as gray italic text.
How extended thinking works
Extended thinking controls how much internal reasoning Claude performs before responding. More thinking provides more space to explore solutions, analyze edge cases, and self-correct mistakes.
With Opus 4.6, thinking uses adaptive reasoning: the model dynamically allocates thinking tokens based on the effort level you select (low, medium, high). This is the recommended way to tune the tradeoff between speed and reasoning depth.
With other models, thinking uses a fixed budget of up to 31,999 tokens from your output budget. You can limit this with the MAX_THINKING_TOKENS environment variable, or disable thinking entirely via /config or the Option+T/Alt+T toggle.
MAX_THINKING_TOKENS is ignored when using Opus 4.6, since adaptive reasoning controls thinking depth instead. The one exception: setting MAX_THINKING_TOKENS=0 still disables thinking entirely on any model.
You’re charged for all thinking tokens used, even though Claude 4 models show summarized thinking
Resume previous conversations
When starting Claude Code, you can resume a previous session:
claude --continue continues the most recent conversation in the current directoryclaude --resume opens a conversation picker or resumes by nameclaude --from-pr 123 resumes sessions linked to a specific pull request
From inside an active session, use /resume to switch to a different conversation.
Sessions are stored per project directory. The /resume picker shows sessions from the same git repository, including worktrees.
Name your sessions
Give sessions descriptive names to find them later. This is a best practice when working on multiple tasks or features.
Name the current session
Use /rename during a session to give it a memorable name:You can also rename any session from the picker: run /resume, navigate to a session, and press R. Resume by name later
From the command line:claude --resume auth-refactor
Use the session picker
The /resume command (or claude --resume without arguments) opens an interactive session picker with these features:
Keyboard shortcuts in the picker:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|
↑ / ↓ | Navigate between sessions |
→ / ← | Expand or collapse grouped sessions |
Enter | Select and resume the highlighted session |
P | Preview the session content |
R | Rename the highlighted session |
/ | Search to filter sessions |
A | Toggle between current directory and all projects |
B | Filter to sessions from your current git branch |
Esc | Exit the picker or search mode |
- Session name or initial prompt
- Time elapsed since last activity
- Message count
- Git branch (if applicable)
Forked sessions (created with /rewind or --fork-session) are grouped together under their root session, making it easier to find related conversations.
Tips:
- Name sessions early: Use
/rename when starting work on a distinct task—it’s much easier to find “payment-integration” than “explain this function” later
- Use
--continue for quick access to your most recent conversation in the current directory
- Use
--resume session-name when you know which session you need
- Use
--resume (without a name) when you need to browse and select
- For scripts, use
claude --continue --print "prompt" to resume in non-interactive mode
- Press
P in the picker to preview a session before resuming it
- The resumed conversation starts with the same model and configuration as the original
How it works:
- Conversation Storage: All conversations are automatically saved locally with their full message history
- Message Deserialization: When resuming, the entire message history is restored to maintain context
- Tool State: Tool usage and results from the previous conversation are preserved
- Context Restoration: The conversation resumes with all previous context intact
Run parallel Claude Code sessions with Git worktrees
Suppose you need to work on multiple tasks simultaneously with complete code isolation between Claude Code instances.
Understand Git worktrees
Git worktrees allow you to check out multiple branches from the same
repository into separate directories. Each worktree has its own working
directory with isolated files, while sharing the same Git history. Learn
more in the official Git worktree
documentation. Create a new worktree
# Create a new worktree with a new branch
git worktree add ../project-feature-a -b feature-a
# Or create a worktree with an existing branch
git worktree add ../project-bugfix bugfix-123
Run Claude Code in each worktree
# Navigate to your worktree
cd ../project-feature-a
# Run Claude Code in this isolated environment
claude
Run Claude in another worktree
cd ../project-bugfix
claude
Manage your worktrees
# List all worktrees
git worktree list
# Remove a worktree when done
git worktree remove ../project-feature-a
Tips:
- Each worktree has its own independent file state, making it perfect for parallel Claude Code sessions
- Changes made in one worktree won’t affect others, preventing Claude instances from interfering with each other
- All worktrees share the same Git history and remote connections
- For long-running tasks, you can have Claude working in one worktree while you continue development in another
- Use descriptive directory names to easily identify which task each worktree is for
- Remember to initialize your development environment in each new worktree according to your project’s setup. Depending on your stack, this might include:
- JavaScript projects: Running dependency installation (
npm install, yarn)
- Python projects: Setting up virtual environments or installing with package managers
- Other languages: Following your project’s standard setup process
Use Claude as a unix-style utility
Add Claude to your verification process
Suppose you want to use Claude Code as a linter or code reviewer.
Add Claude to your build script:
// package.json
{
...
"scripts": {
...
"lint:claude": "claude -p 'you are a linter. please look at the changes vs. main and report any issues related to typos. report the filename and line number on one line, and a description of the issue on the second line. do not return any other text.'"
}
}
Tips:
- Use Claude for automated code review in your CI/CD pipeline
- Customize the prompt to check for specific issues relevant to your project
- Consider creating multiple scripts for different types of verification
Pipe in, pipe out
Suppose you want to pipe data into Claude, and get back data in a structured format.
Pipe data through Claude:
cat build-error.txt | claude -p 'concisely explain the root cause of this build error' > output.txt
Tips:
- Use pipes to integrate Claude into existing shell scripts
- Combine with other Unix tools for powerful workflows
- Consider using —output-format for structured output
Use text format (default)
cat data.txt | claude -p 'summarize this data' --output-format text > summary.txt
Use JSON format
cat code.py | claude -p 'analyze this code for bugs' --output-format json > analysis.json
Use streaming JSON format
cat log.txt | claude -p 'parse this log file for errors' --output-format stream-json
Tips:
- Use
--output-format text for simple integrations where you just need Claude’s response
- Use
--output-format json when you need the full conversation log
- Use
--output-format stream-json for real-time output of each conversation turn
Ask Claude about its capabilities
Claude has built-in access to its documentation and can answer questions about its own features and limitations.
Example questions
> can Claude Code create pull requests?
> how does Claude Code handle permissions?
> what skills are available?
> how do I use MCP with Claude Code?
> how do I configure Claude Code for Amazon Bedrock?
> what are the limitations of Claude Code?
Claude provides documentation-based answers to these questions. For executable examples and hands-on demonstrations, refer to the specific workflow sections above.
Tips:
- Claude always has access to the latest Claude Code documentation, regardless of the version you’re using
- Ask specific questions to get detailed answers
- Claude can explain complex features like MCP integration, enterprise configurations, and advanced workflows
Next steps
