Claude Code is a powerful AI-powered coding assistant that can significantly boost your development productivity. Here are my top practical tips for getting the most out of this tool:
1. Master Image Pasting with Ctrl+V
Use Ctrl+Cmd+Shift+4 to screenshot directly to clipboard, then Ctrl+V to paste. Claude Code can analyze Figma designs, error screenshots, and UI mockups, so keyboard shortcuts will help.
Pitfall: It does not work if you select a file and Cmd+C - this only pastes file icons, not actual image content.
2. Create Custom Slash Commands
Create reusable workflows with $ARGUMENTS for dynamic input. This is an example in my global ~/.claude/commands/issue.md:
Analyze and fix GitHub issue: $ARGUMENTS
1. Use 'gh issue view' to get details
2. Search codebase for relevant files
3. Implement changes and ensure tests pass
4. Create PR
Usage: /issue 123 runs the workflow with your instructions.
3. Let Claude Code Write Your Commit Messages
You probably know you should commit frequently for better project snapshots. So why not just ask Claude Code to “create a commit” and it will analyze your changes, write detailed conventional commit messages, and execute the commit.
Key benefit: Detailed messages are perfect for AI to read later when analyzing project history. Likely much better than your rushed commit messages.
4. Resume Sessions
Use claude --resume to continue from where you left off after restarting (like when adding new slash commands). Maintains full context and conversation history.
5. Debug with claude-trace
npm install -g @mariozechner/claude-trace then claude-trace to see hidden system prompts, tool outputs, and internal reasoning.
Essential for debugging complex interactions, or to explore what’s under the hood!
6. Track Usage with ccusage
npm install -g ccusage then ccusage daily for token usage and cost breakdown. Perfect for tracking costs and optimizing usage patterns.
7. Know Your Plan Limits: Pro vs Max
Pro plan has no Opus access (only Sonnet 4), as of July 2025. Only Max plan ($100 or $200 per month) has access to Opus.
What if you want to use Opus but has only the Pro plan? Use claude.ai web interface, then paste that back in Claude Code.
8. Run Parallel Sessions with Git Worktrees
git worktree add ../project-feature -b feature then run Claude in multiple directories. Perfect for:
- Parallel backend/frontend development
- Handling interruptions like debug requests while main task continues
Each worktree has complete isolation. After committing changes, clean up with git worktree remove.
9. Extend Claude Code with MCP Servers
For example, claude mcp add sequential-thinking npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking adds step-by-step reasoning instead of quick answers.
To use it, prompt with mcp__sequential-thinking__sequentialthinking blah blah and it will invoke the MCP.
There are other useful MCPs: Database servers (Postgres, MySQL), Cloudinary for media management, E2B for sandboxed code execution, etc.
10. Change Your Mindset: Be a Manager, Not a Coder
Treat Claude Code like a brilliant junior developer - amazing speed and knowledge access, but shitty code quality.
Your new role:
- Give clear, specific requirements
- Break down complex tasks into smaller pieces
- Always test and review the generated code
- Catch edge cases and security issues Claude misses
You might not like your new role, if you love the art of writing good code.