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Claude Code, for the curious

You don't need this for the session. Come back if you want to build a small tool, or you manage people who do.

Claude Code reads a project, changes the files, runs them, and has another go when something breaks. In the desktop app it lives in the Code tab. There's also a command-line version. Same idea.

It's on Pro and above, not Max-only. Check the current price at claude.com/pricing. It uses your limits, and a long build uses them fast.

How to access it​

Desktop app, Code tab. Or the CLI, if that's how you already work. Anthropic's docs are the reference: Claude Code.

The switch people miss: telling it to build before you've agreed what done looks like. It will build something. You wanted a plan.

A prompt for handing work over​

Use this when the job is bigger than a question. It works with a folder selected too, not only in the Code tab.

Done means: [the thing is true, and you've checked it].

Plan first. Wait for me to say yes.
Pause only if a step can't be undone.
Before you say you're done, verify it and show me what you checked.
If you're unsure, stop and ask.

Worked example. A non-technical founder wanted a simple internal page that listed orders from a CSV. The first attempt said "build me an orders tool" and got a pile of files they couldn't run. The second used the prompt above. Done meant: open the page, see this week's orders, totals match the CSV. They said yes to a short plan, then let it build. They still had someone technical look at it before anyone else used it.

What it's good for​

  • A small tool you can describe clearly: a page, a conversion, a check that totals match
  • Developers moving through a codebase, with you still reviewing the change
  • Understanding what a project contains, before anyone rewrites it

You direct. You still read the result. "It ran" is not the same as "it's right".

Pro tips​

  • Write "done means" in a sentence a sceptical colleague would accept.
  • One project folder. Don't point it at your whole documents drive.
  • If you're only curious, try the Code tab once on a copy of a folder, not on the live files.

Limits​

This page is not a programming course. If the result matters to customers or to money, someone who can read the work needs to review it.

It will not make a vague idea specific. The brief is still yours.

Limits apply. A wandering build on a heavy model is an expensive afternoon.

Where to start in 30 minutes​

  1. Duplicate a folder you can afford to mess up.
  2. Open it in the Code tab.
  3. Ask: "Read this folder. Tell me what's here. Don't change anything."
  4. If you still want a change, use the done-means prompt. Approve the plan before it edits.
  5. Stop after one small thing. If you didn't enjoy it, you can ignore this page. The rest of the hub doesn't depend on it.