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Damien Gallagher
Damien Gallagher

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The Ultimate Claude Code Tips Collection (Advent of Claude 2025)

#claudecode #ai #productivity #devtools

The Ultimate Claude Code Tips Collection (Advent of Claude 2025)

Full Credit: This article is a summary of Ado's fantastic "Advent of Claude" series, where he shared daily Claude Code tips throughout December 2025. Ado is a Developer Relations professional at Anthropic. All tips originate from his Twitter/X posts - I'm simply organizing them into a single reference guide.

Throughout December 2025, Ado (@adocomplete) posted daily Claude Code tips in his "Advent of Claude" series. This article consolidates all 31 tips into a comprehensive reference guide.

Day 1: The ! Prefix - Instant Bash Execution

View original tweet

Don't waste tokens asking Claude to run commands. The ! prefix executes bash instantly and injects output into context.

# Instead of: "Can you run git status?"
# Just type:
!git status

# Or check test results directly:
!npm test

# View logs:
!tail -50 app.log
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Why it matters: No model processing, no delay, no wasted tokens. The output goes straight into context.

Day 2: Double Esc - Rewind

View original tweet

Made a mess? Press Esc twice to jump back to a checkpoint.

Esc Esc
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You can rewind:

  • Just the conversation
  • Just the code
  • Or both

Try experimental approaches freely. Escape hatch always available.

Day 3: Extended Thinking (API)

View original tweet

For API usage, enable thinking to see Claude's reasoning process.

const response = await client.messages.create({
  model: "claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
  max_tokens: 8000,
  thinking: {
    type: "enabled",
    budget_tokens: 5000
  },
  messages: [{ role: "user", content: "..." }]
});
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Claude shows step-by-step reasoning in thinking blocks before responding.

Day 4: Continue & Resume Sessions

View original tweet

Never lose your work when the terminal closes.

# Pick up your last conversation instantly
claude --continue

# Choose from past sessions with a picker
claude --resume
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Context preserved. Conversation intact. Keep going.

Day 5: The # Prefix - Save to Memory

View original tweet

Start your message with # to save information to Claude's memory permanently.

# Always use pnpm instead of npm in this project
# The API endpoint is https://api.example.com/v2
# Run tests with: pytest -v --cov
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Claude will ask where to save it (project CLAUDE.md, user settings, etc.). Memory updated. Keep coding.

Day 6: /vim - Vim Mode

View original tweet

Enable vim-style editing for faster prompt composition.

/vim
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Enables:

  • h j k l - Navigate
  • ciw - Change inner word
  • dd - Delete line
  • w b - Word navigation
  • yy p - Yank and paste

Stop reaching for the mouse.

Day 7: Headless Mode with -p

View original tweet

Run Claude Code in scripts, CI/CD pipelines, or automation workflows.

# Direct prompt execution
claude -p "Fix the lint errors"

# Pipe input for context
git diff | claude -p "Explain these changes"

# Use in CI/CD
cat error.log | claude -p "Diagnose this error and suggest fixes"
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Day 8: /context - Visualize Token Usage

View original tweet

See exactly what's consuming your context window.

/context
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Displays breakdown of:

  • System prompt size
  • MCP server overhead
  • Memory files loaded
  • Conversation history
  • Available space remaining

Pro tip: MCP tools can consume 8-30% of context just by being available. Remove unused ones.

Day 9: The & Prefix - Send to Cloud

View original tweet

Prefix prompts with & to offload tasks to Claude Code on the Web.

# Send a task to run in the cloud
& Refactor the authentication module

# Later, pull it back locally
claude --teleport session_abc123
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Work continues locally while Claude works remotely. Best of both worlds.

Day 10: /stats - Usage Analytics

View original tweet

View your Claude Code usage statistics.

/stats
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Displays an activity graph of your usage. "Orange is the new green."

Day 11: Named Sessions

View original tweet

Give your sessions meaningful names for easy retrieval.

# Name your current session
/rename api-migration

# Resume by name later
/resume api-migration
# Or from command line:
claude --resume api-migration
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Your branches have names. Your sessions should too.

Day 12: Ultrathink - Control Thinking Depth

View original tweet

Control how hard Claude thinks with magic words anywhere in your prompt.

Keyword Thinking Tokens
"think" 4,000
"think hard" 10,000
"ultrathink" 31,999 
ultrathink - Review this architecture and identify potential scaling issues
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More thinking = more thorough analysis for complex problems.

Day 13: Ctrl+S - Prompt Stashing

View original tweet

Like git stash, but for your prompts.

Ctrl+S  → Saves your current draft
         → Send something else
         → Draft auto-restores
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No more copying to a scratchpad. No more losing your train of thought.

Day 14: /statusline - Custom Status Bar

View original tweet

Customize the status bar below the input.

/statusline
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Configure via settings to display:

  • Git branch and status
  • Current model
  • Token count
  • Custom metrics (weather, Bitcoin price, anything)

Day 15: YOLO Mode

View original tweet

Tired of Claude asking permission for everything?

claude --dangerously-skip-permissions
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Auto-approves all actions. Use with caution. Great for trusted, repetitive workflows.

Day 16: Hooks - Lifecycle Events

View original tweet

Configure shell commands that run at specific lifecycle events.

/hooks
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Or configure in .claude/settings.json:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": ["./scripts/check-secrets.sh"],
    "PostToolUse": ["./scripts/format-code.sh"],
    "UserPromptSubmit": ["./scripts/validate-prompt.sh"]
  }
}
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Use cases:

  • Block dangerous commands (rm -rf)
  • Auto-format after edits
  • Filter sensitive data from prompts
  • Send notifications

Day 17: @ Mentions - Context on Demand

View original tweet

The @ symbol is your fastest path to adding context.

# Add files to context
@src/api/auth.ts
@package.json

# List directory contents
@src/components/

# Manage MCP servers
@mcp-server enable
@my-subagent invoke
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Add one or many files instantly. List directories. Enable/disable MCP servers and subagents.

Day 18: Prompt Suggestions - Predictive Follow-ups

View original tweet

Claude can predict what you'll ask next.

Finish a task → see a grayed-out follow-up suggestion appear

Tab   → Accept and edit the suggestion
Enter → Accept and run immediately
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Tab used to autocomplete your code. Now it autocompletes your workflow.

Day 19: /chrome - Browser Integration

View original tweet

Let Claude interact directly with your browser.

/chrome
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Claude can now:

  • Navigate to URLs
  • Click buttons and links
  • Read console errors
  • Inspect the DOM
  • Fill forms
  • Take screenshots

"Fix the bug and verify it works" becomes one prompt.

Day 20: Agent Skills

View original tweet

Skills are folders of instructions, scripts, and resources that teach Claude specialized tasks.

.claude/skills/
├── api-design/
│   ├── SKILL.md
│   └── templates/
├── testing/
│   ├── SKILL.md
│   └── examples/
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Packaged once. Usable everywhere. Agent skills are now an open standard.

Best practices:

  • Keep SKILL.md under 500 lines
  • Include concrete examples
  • Use progressive disclosure
  • Test across models

Day 21: Plugins

View original tweet

Install complete setups with a single command.

/plugin install my-setup
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Plugins bundle:

  • Commands
  • Agents
  • Skills
  • Hooks
  • MCP configurations

Discover new workflows via the marketplace.

Day 22: Ctrl+R - Reverse Search

View original tweet

Search through your prompt history.

Ctrl+R  → Start search
Ctrl+R  → Cycle through matches
Enter   → Run the prompt
Tab     → Edit first
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Don't retype. Recall.

Day 23: /init - Auto-Generate Documentation

View original tweet

Claude reads your codebase and writes its own onboarding docs.

/init
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Generates a CLAUDE.md file containing:

  • Build commands
  • Test instructions
  • Key directories
  • Project conventions
  • Common workflows

Everybody needs onboarding docs. With /init, Claude writes its own.

Day 24: /export - Conversation to Markdown

View original tweet

Dump your entire conversation for documentation.

/export
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Exports to markdown:

  • Every prompt you sent
  • Every response received
  • Every tool call made

Useful for documentation, training, or proving you did try that already.

Day 25: Subagents

View original tweet

Delegate tasks to parallel subagents.

Each subagent gets:

  • Its own 200k context window
  • Independent execution
  • Results merged back to main conversation

Perfect for:

  • Parallel code exploration
  • Concurrent review operations
  • Multi-file analysis

Day 26: Custom Commands

View original tweet

Save prompts as reusable slash commands.

Create markdown files that become commands:

<!-- .claude/commands/review.md -->
---
description: Review code for best practices
arguments:
  - name: file
    description: File to review
---

Review {{file}} for:
1. Security vulnerabilities
2. Performance issues
3. Code style
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Then use:

/review src/api/auth.ts
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Day 27: /sandbox - Controlled Freedom

View original tweet

Tired of approving every single action?

"Can I run npm install?" [Allow]
"Can I run npm test?" [Allow]
"Can I cat this file?" [Allow]
×100
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Instead:

/sandbox
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Define boundaries once. Claude works freely inside them.

YOLO speed. Actual security.

Day 28: /usage - Check Your Limits

View original tweet

Monitor your usage to avoid hitting limits unexpectedly.

/usage
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Shows current usage against your plan limits.

Day 29: Plan Mode - Think First, Execute Later

View original tweet

Clear the fog of war first.

Shift+Tab twice → Plan mode
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In Plan mode, Claude can:

  • Read files
  • Search code
  • Analyze patterns
  • Explore your codebase

But it won't edit anything.

Think twice. Execute once.

Seriously though, I default to plan mode 90% of the time. — Ado

Day 30: LSP - Language Server Protocol

Watch the demo video

Claude Code now integrates with Language Server Protocol for smarter code intelligence.

LSP provides:

  • Instant diagnostics - See errors and warnings as they happen
  • Navigation - Go to definition, find references, and more

Claude doesn't just read your code—it understands it like your IDE does.

Day 31: Claude Agent SDK - Build Your Own

View original tweet

I saved the best for last.

The same agent loop, tools, and context management that power Claude Code is available as an SDK.

# Build agents that work like Claude Code
# in as little as 10 lines of code
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Build agents that work like Claude Code in as little as 10 lines of code.

This is just the beginning.

Quick Reference Table

Day Feature Command/Shortcut
1 Instant Bash !command
2 Rewind Esc Esc
3 Extended Thinking API config
4 Resume Session --continue / --resume
5 Save to Memory #message
6 Vim Mode /vim
7 Headless Mode -p "prompt"
8 Context View /context
9 Cloud Offload &prompt / --teleport
10 Usage Stats /stats
11 Named Sessions /rename / /resume
12 Deep Thinking ultrathink
13 Stash Prompt Ctrl+S
14 Status Bar /statusline
15 Skip Permissions --dangerously-skip-permissions
16 Lifecycle Hooks /hooks
17 Add Context @file / @dir/
18 Prompt Suggestions Tab / Enter
19 Browser Control /chrome
20 Agent Skills .claude/skills/
21 Plugins /plugin install
22 History Search Ctrl+R
23 Auto Docs /init
24 Export Chat /export
25 Parallel Agents Subagents
26 Custom Commands .claude/commands/
27 Sandbox Mode /sandbox
28 Check Limits /usage
29 Plan Mode Shift+Tab twice
30 LSP Integration Language Server Protocol
31 Agent SDK SDK

Conclusion

Massive thanks to Ado for creating and sharing the Advent of Claude series. These tips have leveled up how developers use Claude Code.

For the latest tips and updates, follow Ado on X: @adocomplete

This article is a community summary of Ado's original Advent of Claude series. All credit for these tips goes to Ado and the Claude Code team at Anthropic.

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