Claude Code has become the go-to AI coding assistant for developers who want to ship faster — and when compared against Codex CLI, it consistently wins on developer experience. But most users barely scratch the surface of what it can do. After spending hundreds of hours with Claude Code and researching tips from top power users, I've compiled the 15 most impactful secrets that separate beginners from experts.

Whether you're new to Claude Code or looking to level up your workflow, these tips will help you code faster, manage context better, and unlock features most people don't know exist.

Prompting Secrets

1. Use "Think First" Prompting

The most counterintuitive tip that keeps appearing across expert resources: slow down before Claude writes code. Instead of asking Claude to just write code, prompt it to think first:

"Think deeply before responding. Evaluate multiple approaches and their tradeoffs. Then implement the best solution."

This simple change dramatically reduces errors and produces more thoughtful solutions. Claude is incredibly powerful leverage—but leverage amplifies whatever you feed it. Vague prompts produce vague code.

2. Be Specific About Your Stack

Compare these two prompts:

Bad: "Build me an auth system"

Good: "Build email/password authentication using the existing User model, store sessions in Redis with 24-hour expiry, and add middleware that protects routes under /api/protected."

The second prompt eliminates ambiguity. Less wiggle room means better output. Always include your tech stack, constraints, and expected behavior.

3. The Self-Verification Pattern

After Claude generates code, don't just accept it. Ask it to review its own work:

"Review this code and suggest improvements. What edge cases are we missing? How would you improve this?"

This creates a feedback loop where Claude catches its own mistakes. Power users do this after every first draft.

Context Management Tricks

4. Clear Context Aggressively

Here's something most people don't realize: context quality degrades at 20-40% capacity, not at 100%. If Claude starts giving poor output, the context window was already degraded before it filled up.

Use /clear often. Every time you start something new, clear the chat. You don't need old history eating your tokens. Running /compact helps summarize, but a fresh start is often better.

5. Scope Conversations to Single Tasks

Don't use the same conversation to build your auth system AND refactor your database layer. The contexts bleed together and confuse Claude.

Rule: One feature or task per conversation. When you're done, clear and start fresh for the next task.

6. Use External Memory Files

For complex, multi-session projects, have Claude write plans and progress to actual files:

"Write a detailed implementation plan to SCRATCHPAD.md. Include progress notes and next steps."

These files persist across sessions. When you return tomorrow, Claude can read the file and pick up exactly where you left off. Your CLAUDE.md still provides the foundation.

File Handling Power Moves

7. The Shift+Drag Trick

Dragging files into Claude Code normally opens them in a new tab. But if you hold Shift while dragging, Claude properly references them in the conversation context. This took many power users weeks to discover.

8. Create a FOR[YourName].md Teacher File

Add this to your CLAUDE.md to turn Claude into a teacher:

"For every project, write a detailed FOR[YourName].md file that explains the whole project in plain language. Include the technical architecture, how parts connect, technologies used, bugs we fixed, lessons learned, and best practices. Make it engaging—not boring documentation."

Every project becomes a learning opportunity. Claude doesn't just write code—it explains what it did and why, making you a better developer over time.

9. Keep CLAUDE.md Short and Why-Focused

Claude can reliably follow around 150-200 instructions. The system prompt already uses about 50 of those. Every instruction in CLAUDE.md competes for attention.

Bad: "Use TypeScript strict mode"

Good: "Use TypeScript strict mode because we've had production bugs from implicit any types"

The "why" gives Claude context for judgment calls you didn't anticipate. Press # while working and Claude will suggest additions automatically.

Terminal & Debugging Shortcuts

10. Instant Shell with "!" Prefix

Don't waste tokens asking Claude to run commands. Just prefix with ! and run directly:

! pytest -q
! git status  
! npm run build

This executes immediately without using model tokens. It's faster and cheaper.

11. Use Escape, Not Ctrl+C

When you need to stop Claude mid-task, press Escape. Using Ctrl+C will exit the entire session. This catches everyone at first.

Bonus: Press Escape twice to see a list of all previous messages you can jump back to.

12. The Dangerously-Skip-Permissions Flag

Claude Code asks permission for everything by default. You type a prompt, go check Slack, come back five minutes later, and it's just sitting there asking "Can I edit this file?"

Run Claude with:

claude --dangerously-skip-permissions

This is like Cursor's old "yolo mode." Could a rogue agent theoretically run something destructive? Theoretically. Have power users seen it happen? Never. Use your judgment, but most find it worth the time saved.

Hidden Features Most Users Miss

13. Plan Mode for Architecture

Hit Shift+Tab twice to enter Plan Mode. This forces Claude to think through architecture before implementation—no file editing, just planning.

Use Plan Mode when:

Starting a new feature or project
Facing a complex refactor
Making high-risk changes
Collaborating on multi-stage workflows

The difference in output quality is dramatic when you separate planning from execution.

14. Subagents for Isolated Tasks

This concept scales further with Claude Code agent teams, where multiple agents coordinate on complex projects.

Some tasks shouldn't pollute your main conversation. Use subagents to fork tasks into completely isolated contexts:

--- name: test_refactor
Run all tests and fix any failures without touching the main logic.
---

The subagent runs independently, and your main conversation stays clean. This is especially useful for parallel workstreams or exploratory tasks you might abandon.

15. Create Reusable Skills

If you have a specific way you like reports formatted, tests structured, or code reviewed—save it as a Skill. Skills are reusable workflows Claude can execute on demand.

Example skill in your CLAUDE.md:

### Skill: Code Review
When asked to review code:
1. Check for security vulnerabilities first
2. Look for performance issues
3. Verify error handling
4. Suggest naming improvements
5. Output in a structured format with severity levels

Once defined, just ask Claude to "run the code review skill" and it follows your exact process every time.

Bonus: The Economics Make Sense

Understanding what you're paying matters. Check our complete Claude API pricing guide for a full cost breakdown.

Why does Claude Code work so well? Anthropic makes both the model and the tool. They know everything about how Claude is trained and can optimize the coding experience end-to-end.

It's like buying direct from the manufacturer instead of through a reseller. The $20/month Pro plan or $100/month Max plan gives you access to Opus and Sonnet with no middleman markup.

Start Using These Today

You don't need to implement all 15 tips at once. Start with these three highest-impact changes:

Add "think first" to your prompts - Immediate quality improvement
Use /clear after each task - Keep context fresh
Master the ! prefix - Save tokens on every shell command

The gap between beginner and power user isn't intelligence—it's workflow. These tips will have you coding circles around developers who refuse to adapt.

Building with AI tools like Claude Code? Serenities AI lets you connect your existing Claude subscription and use it across our app builder, automation workflows, and database—all for one low price. No API costs, no token tracking, just build.

Claude Code Tips and Tricks: 15 Power User Secrets (2026)