Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Start with planning mode, not implementation
• Write specific prompts with clear goals
• Request multiple solutions upfront
• Start simple, then add complexity
• Guide Claude when it goes off track
• Make frequent, focused commits
• Let Claude handle your Git workflow
• Design focused, reusable slash commands
• Curate your CLAUDE.md ruthlessly

Introduction

Claude Code has rapidly gained popularity as Anthropic’s official CLI tool for AI-powered development, promising to revolutionize how developers write, debug, and maintain code. Yet the community remains divided between enthusiastic advocates and frustrated skeptics.

Some developers achieve remarkable productivity gains:

“Claude Code changed my life. I’ve been using Claude Code extensively since its release, and despite not being a coding expert, the results have been incredible.”

Source: r/ClaudeAI

Others report it outperforms competing tools:

“I love Claude Code and I’m pretty sure I’m going to upgrade to max soon. It really does work well. Definitely better than agent mode in Cursor and Copilot.”

Source: r/ChatGPTCoding

Meanwhile, skeptics question the control and reliability:

“Claude Code is a black box that is uncontrollable most of the time. Even if you try to guide it, its often easily distracted.”

Source: r/ClaudeAI

Many developers encounter instruction following issues:

“Claude Code doesn’t seem as amazing as everyone is saying. Claude Code consistently ignores content in prompts, and erratically codes away in complete disregard of the specific instructions.”

Source: r/ClaudeAI

These mixed experiences point to a simple truth: Claude Code won’t automatically solve your problems. It’s like any powerful tool – amazing results when you know what you’re doing, frustrating mess when you don’t.

I’ve learned these techniques through trial and error so you don’t have to. They’re what separate developers who love Claude Code from those who can’t make it work.

Start with planning mode, not implementation

I learned this the hard way: asking Claude to code without planning is like building without blueprints. You end up with a structure that works but needs major renovations later.

Start with planning mode instead. Claude designs better solutions when it creates the blueprint first, and you can spot architectural flaws before construction begins.

Write specific prompts with clear goals

I see this mistake constantly: developers send vague requests then wonder why Claude delivers something completely different.

❌ Build a model to identify churning customers

Claude can’t read your mind. Give it context, explain what you’re trying to achieve, and share your project goals. I’ve found that being specific about your end goal dramatically improves Claude’s solutions.

✅ I have customer transaction data and need to identify churning customers. My goal is to build a simple model that my team can use to prioritize retention efforts.

Request multiple solutions upfront

I used to make this mistake: ask for one solution, get something mediocre, then either accept it or waste time iterating. Neither option felt great.

❌ "Help me improve my model accuracy"

Now I always ask for several approaches. Claude shows you different ways to solve the problem, and you pick the one that fits best. Much more efficient.

✅ "Give me 3 approaches to improve my model accuracy"
→ Option 1: Feature engineering with polynomial features
→ Option 2: Ensemble methods (Random Forest + [XGBoost](https://github.com/dmlc/xgboost))
→ Option 3: Hyperparameter tuning with cross-validation

Start simple, then add complexity

Claude defaults to enterprise-level solutions even for simple problems. It’s like asking for a basic calculator and getting a full accounting system – technically impressive but not what you need.

❌ "Build a dashboard for my data" → Claude creates a full-stack application with authentication, database, and real-time updates

Start simple instead. Ask Claude to break your project into phases where each phase works and can be tested. Phase 1 should be easy to implement but provide immediate value. Each phase builds naturally to the next. This way, you build exactly what’s relevant to you.

✅ "Phase 1: Static plots in [Jupyter](https://jupyter.org/). Phase 2: Interactive plots. Phase 3: Simple web dashboard."

Guide Claude when it goes off track

Don’t assume good planning means you can step away. Claude will still misinterpret things sometimes, so keep an eye on what it’s actually doing.

When Claude goes down the wrong path – like examining irrelevant files – guide it back on track. Think of these course corrections as training opportunities to make your future instructions clearer.

Make frequent, focused commits

Don’t commit Claude’s work in huge batches without review. I learned this lesson when Claude introduced subtle bugs that took hours to track down later.

Commit regularly with clear messages so you can see exactly what changed. Always review the diff before committing – treat Claude’s code like any other developer’s work that needs scrutiny.

If you’re new to Git or want to improve your version control practices, our comprehensive Git guide for data scientists covers essential workflows and best practices.

Let Claude handle your Git workflow

Don’t manually run git commands when Claude can handle your entire workflow. I used to generate code with Claude, then manually handle all the version control myself.

❌ Switch to terminal → git add . → git commit -m "fix" → git push → Back to Claude

Let Claude manage your Git workflow instead. Use natural language to commit, create branches, push changes, and even create pull requests. It’s seamless and much faster.

✅ "Commit these model improvements with a clear message and create a pull request"

Design focused, reusable slash commands

Slash commands are custom Claude Code commands for repeated tasks (docs). I treat them like functions in my code – if they try to do too many things, they become messy and hard to reuse.

❌ /deploy → "Run tests, format code, build docs, update version, create release, deploy"

Keep each command focused on one task. This makes them readable, reusable across projects, and easy to combine when you need complex workflows.

✅ /test, /format, /build-docs, /bump-version, /create-release → Compose workflows

Curate your CLAUDE.md ruthlessly

CLAUDE.md files contain project-specific instructions that guide Claude Code’s behavior (docs). Don’t let yours become a junk drawer of random instructions. I used to add every tip I found online, creating a confusing mess that made Claude less effective.

Curate ruthlessly. Keep only what you actually use, eliminate duplicates, and write clear instructions for your specific needs. Simple beats fancy every time.