Claude Code Setup 101

A collection of best practices and tips for getting the most out of Claude Code. • Create a CLAUDE.md file in each project directory you use - these provide useful structure for the LLM and context or instructions that load automatically when Claude works in that folder (It can be useful for creating guides on how to make certain features or make changes) • Install the Claude Code extension in VS Code for seamless integration to an IDE • Regarding plans - Pro is perfect for vibe coders and casual use, the Max Plan ($100) is best for heavy coding and professional work, the $200 Max Plan feels like no limit (useful if you do a lot of sessions or parallelization with large context) • /help - Get help when you're stuck with what commands you can use • Be really specific - Using clear, detailed requests gets way better results than the vague ones (this also applies to queued messages) • Use Esc key to stop Claude Code, using Cntrl+C just stops it all together • For pasting in images use Ctrl+V on Mac (not Cmd+V!) • Use @ to tag files you want as context or reference • /clear - Use this to clear conversations to save your token usage and prevent context rot, don't carry all of the discussion context unless really needed, just clear the chat when your task is finished • Shift+Enter - Add new lines without sending your message accidentally (set it up with / and enable the shift + enter to allow new lines (doesn't work by default) • # - Use pound to make quick memories that can be reused (it's the fastest way to save context) • /status - Check the service status before doing important work sessions to detect if servers are overloaded, can get annoying • Never use /compact - It actually uses more tokens than /clear because it uses an LLM call to review and summarize your conversation to then carry as context into a new one, use # for memories if needed • Queue messages - you can type and send multiple messages while Claude Code is working to have it continue or incorporate those items, but be very specific on which file or feature it is for before sending to remain precise and prevent mistakes • Set up hooks - You could configure them early to automatically catch Prettier and linter errors before testing builds Have fun.