Practical advice for Claude power users — Claude Code, Cowork, prompting hacks, hidden Anthropic resources, and more.
🧠 General Claude Tips
50. CLAUDE.MD Files
Create a markdown file in your project root with project rules, preferences, and context. Claude reads this automatically every session. Most users don't know this exists.
49. Settings → Privacy → Export Data
A simple, quick way to export your Claude data/projects/chats into other LLMs. Great for switching between ChatGPT and Claude.
48. Settings → Connectors
This is how you prompt your favorite apps. Google Calendar & Notion connectors are game-changers for daily workflows.
47. Project Memory
Inside Claude projects, you'll find a "memory" tab. Here you can edit/revise exactly what you want Claude to remember.
46. Expert UI Design
When you see a UI design you like, take a screenshot and prompt Claude to create a Skill that will replicate the exact design schemes.
45. Avoid Claude Rambling
In any chat, click "+" → "Style" and set Claude to "Concise."
44. Haiku 4.5
Claude's latest and fastest model — the best Claude model for daily tasks, especially great in the Chrome extension for quick replies.
43. Claude Chrome Extension
Most people don't know this exists. An easy way to have Claude live in your sidebar and take control of your browser for tasks.
42. PDF Creation
Opus/Sonnet are hands-down the best and most consistent LLMs for PDF generation — great for project context files, converting images/text to PDF, and more.
41. Claude App
Download the Claude Mac app. It adds Claude to your top menu bar for instant access at any time — and gives you access to Cowork if you're on a Pro or higher plan.
💻 Claude Code
40. Plan Mode
Shift + Tab to enter Plan mode. This is the mode you want for planning projects before writing a single line of code.
39. /doctor Command
/doctor diagnoses environment issues, missing dependencies, and configuration problems. Run this first when things break.
38. Claude Code Best Practices Guide
Anthropic's official guide: claude-code-best-practices
37. Learn / Commands
Highly recommended — slash commands are underused. Reference repo: wshobson/commands
36. Solve Step by Step
Claude is good at long tasks, but not perfect. Go step-by-step for every build.
35. Rules File
Create a .md file with "rules" you want your coding partner to follow every session.
34. /compact Command
Learn to run /compact manually to keep your context clean without burning tokens.
33. MCP Connections
Learn the ins and outs of MCP. If Claude can't do something natively, an MCP connection almost certainly can help.
32. Claude Skills
One of the most underrated features. Skills marketplace with 60,000+ options: skillsmp.com
31. Claude Code for Everyone
A course that teaches you Claude Code in Claude Code: ccforeveryone.com
🪄 Prompting Hacks
30. The Best Prompt Format
Claude responds very well to this structure:
[Role] + [Task] + [Context] + [Constraints] + [Question]
29. Notion Prompt Library
Set up a "Prompt Library" database in Notion via the connector. Store your most-used prompts and connect them to other LLMs too.
28. Extended Thinking
Enable Extended Thinking for all advanced workflows and complex tasks.
27. "Think First" Pattern
Add this to all your project instructions: "Think deeply about all requests before responding."
26. Role Assignment
Basic, but it works every time. "You are a [insert role]."
25. Anthropic Prompt Library
Official prompts that just work: Prompt Library
24. Prompting Best Practices for Claude 4
Anthropic's official guide to prompting the latest Claude models: Claude 4 Best Practices
23. JSON / XML / Markdown
All great formats for structured, effective prompting.
22. Interactive Prompt Maker
A public Claude artifact that helps you optimise your prompts: Try it here
21. The Hard Stop
An easy way to manage your Claude usage limits. Tell Claude: "Hard stop when ___."
🖥️ Claude Cowork
20. Desktop Cleanse
Use Claude Cowork to do a deep clean of your entire desktop — with full folder access, it can reorganize everything systematically.
19. Batch Rename
Rename files with consistent patterns like YYYY-MM-DD formatting across entire folders in seconds.
18. Plan First, Execute Second
Cowork burns through credits. Use standard chat with Sonnet to plan, then switch to Cowork to execute.
17. Isolate Access with Folders
Create a dedicated "Cowork" folder and grant Claude access only to that directory — not your entire Documents folder.
16. Clean Up Safely
If using Cowork to delete files, always end your prompt with: "Confirm with me before deleting."
15. Claude in Chrome
Enable this to let Claude handle browser-based work via Claude Desktop.
14. Multiple Parallel Threads
Cowork can run multiple tasks simultaneously — start a research project, a document formatting job, and a data analysis task all in parallel.
13. Always Back Up First
Claude Cowork can take destructive actions. Always back up critical data before running the agent.
12. Teach Skills by Recording
Cowork can learn through demonstration. Record your browser to teach Claude custom workflows.
11. Cowork Safety Guide
Read this before using Cowork seriously: Using Cowork Safely
✅ Best Practices & Final Tips
10. Follow Boris' (Claude Code Creator) Setup
Boris Cherny, the creator of Claude Code, has shared his personal Claude setup. Worth studying.
9. CLAUDE.MD Guide
An excellent guide on how to craft effective CLAUDE.MD files: humanlayer.dev
8. Claude Subreddits
Stay current with the community: r/Claude · r/ClaudeCode · r/Anthropic
7. Use Google AI Studio for Prototyping
Claude burns tokens fast while coding. If you're in prototype mode, use Google AI Studio first — switch to Claude once most of the code is written.
6. Clear Context After 3+ Failures
If Claude is confused after 3+ failed attempts, clear context and re-explain. Otherwise, you're just burning tokens.
5. Session Logs / Claude Journal
Keep a "Claude Journal" — review past sessions to see what prompts worked. This is how you improve over time.
4. Ralph Plugin
A tool that enables running Claude in an autonomous loop — great for long-running tasks.
3. Get on a Paid Plan
If there's one AI tool worth paying for right now, it's Claude. Get on a paid plan while pricing is still reasonable.
2. Voice → ChatGPT → Claude
Voice prompt through ChatGPT, then export the transcript to Claude. This method is exponentially better than shallow text prompting and avoids wasting tokens on vague inputs.
1. Model Stacking
Claude works best when stacked with other models. Use Grok to scrape X, then import to Claude. Use AI Studio to prototype, then refine in Claude. Combine the strengths of multiple tools to get your best outputs.
Which of these tips was new to you? Drop a comment below — I'd love to know which ones land! 🚀
I'm Sabita, an AI/ML engineer writing about LangGraph, RAG systems, and everything I learn while building with AI. Follow along if that's your thing.
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