// 31 tips tagged "prompting"
Before asking Claude to scaffold a new feature, point it at your existing code first — it will match your naming, structure, error handling, and test patterns exactly rather than defaulting to framework boilerplate.
Replace Claude Code's entire default system prompt with your own custom instructions, turning it into a specialised tool for reviews, audits, or migrations.
Let Claude read your entire codebase and generate a comprehensive onboarding guide that actually reflects the current state of the project.
Give Claude a clear product brief and let it scaffold a working full-stack MVP — backend, frontend, and dev tooling — in a single session.
Give Claude the full picture upfront before it writes any code, so it builds the right thing the first time with fewer correction rounds.
Use --effort to set reasoning depth per session, from quick low-effort tasks to maximum reasoning on complex problems.
Reserve Claude Code's max effort level for architectural and complex decisions where deeper reasoning pays off, and stick to default for everyday tasks to keep token usage in check.
Complex prompts are unreadable as escaped single-liners. Use shell HEREDOCs to write clean, structured prompts directly in your scripts.
Long multi-step prompts with lots of context are harder to type than to speak — your brain can narrate relationships and constraints faster than your fingers can type them.
Once you've settled an architectural debate with Claude, write the decision into CLAUDE.md — or it will suggest the same alternatives again next session.
Claude Code's full codebase context makes it a powerful writing partner for strategy docs, product specs, and meeting notes -- the plans it produces reference your actual technical constraints, not generic boilerplate.
Show Claude Code a Figma export, a hand-drawn wireframe, or a screenshot of a reference design and ask it to build the component — no describing layouts in words required.