Claude Code Advanced Features and Agentic Workflows
Claude Code operates as an agentic assistant that directly interacts with your local system, executing code and managing files rather than just generating text. For large changes, users recommend having it write a detailed plan first. You specify the files to touch, the order of operations, and what to avoid, then execute one step at a time with a commit per step. Customization comes from CLAUDE.md files for project context, hooks to block dangerous commands or auto-format, and MCP servers to integrate tools like GitHub or Playwright.
Claude Code Best Practices for Context and Workflows
Treat Claude as a capable but context-limited junior developer by managing its context carefully and planning tasks before implementation. Keep your CLAUDE.md files short, ideally under 200 lines, focusing only on tech stacks, conventions, and domain rules Claude cannot infer on its own. Use MEMORY.md files and the /compact command to retain knowledge across sessions and compress context when responses degrade. Always use plan mode for complex tasks, break work into small incremental steps, and let Claude fix its own bugs to improve its understanding of your codebase. Use subagents to keep the main context window clean, and route mechanical tasks to cheaper models to save tokens.