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jester
jester

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Claude Code Mastery Part 1: Getting Started

tags: [ai, productivity, devtools, tutorial]

spent a year using claude code every day

here's what i learned

most developers are still manually tracing through codebases while others are already shipping features 10x faster

the gap is real and it's widening

claude code isn't just autocomplete. it reads your entire codebase, executes multi-step tasks, handles git workflows, and actually understands context

but here's the thing. llms will happily barrel forward without guardrails

the developers who succeed treat it like a very capable but very eager junior dev

What makes it work

  • git commits as save points (always have a way back)
  • plan mode before building (shift+tab twice)
  • break big tasks into issues
  • tests first (keeps claude honest)
  • linters catch creative choices
  • claude.md file with your preferences

wrote a 10-part mastery series covering everything from setup to production workflows

Read the full guide

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