Claude Code Explained

What Is Claude Code

 

Claude Code is Anthropic’s agentic developer assistant that runs where you work - the terminal - with optional IDE and web access. It speaks natural language, but acts like a disciplined engineer:

• Navigates directories, reads and edits files, runs commands
• Maps structure and dependencies after a quick scan
• Explains intent, proposes steps, and executes in tight loops you can approve

Think of it as a power user layer for your command line: file-aware, git-smart, and review-friendly.

How Claude Code Works - The Loop

1. Understand - Scans and builds a mental model of modules, interfaces, and dependencies
2. Plan - Lists proposed changes, files to touch, and verification steps
3. Edit - Makes small, reviewable changes with explanations
4. Verify - Runs tests, linters, and type checks, then iterates until green
5. Commit - Writes clear commits and manages branches safely

You stay in control with permissions. It’s read-only until you approve edits, commands, or tests.

Core Capabilities

Claude Code’s core capabilities center on deep repo awareness that reasons across files rather than isolated snippets, smart file operations that create, reorganize, and separate concerns to keep code maintainable, and end-to-end workflows where debugging, refactoring, and test writing are first-class tasks. It offers git you can trust for branching, recovery, conflict resolution, and clean commit messages, turns natural language into working code you can approve step by step, and runs an integrated quality loop that fails fast, explains why, proposes a fix, and reruns. It works out of the box, with MCPs supported but optional.

Where Claude Code Fits Best

• Product engineers use it to run safer refactors, performance passes, and architectural cleanups by having it map dependencies, propose a stepwise plan, and validate each change with tests and linters before merge.
• Open source contributors lean on its rapid repo comprehension to get oriented fast, make targeted edits, and ship focused PRs with tight diffs and included tests that maintain project standards.
• DevOps and platform teams automate linting, test runs, and branch hygiene so pipelines stay green, conflicts are easier to resolve, and rollbacks are rare.

It’s especially strong when work spans multiple files and modules: tracing edge cases across boundaries, enforcing invariants, and keeping commits small and reversible. If your day involves reading across files, stitching context, and shipping small, correct changes frequently, Claude Code acts like a disciplined co-developer that amplifies throughput while reducing risk.

Safety and Control

Claude Code is designed for safety and control with a permission model that starts read-only and requires explicit approvals for edits, commands, and test runs. You can define allowlists and use sandboxing to pre-approve routine, low-risk commands while gating anything destructive or unusual, so autonomy never outruns guardrails. The workflow is review-first and audit-friendly: it proposes a plan, explains why a change is needed, and submits small, explainable diffs you can accept or reject. Changes land on isolated branches with clean commit messages, making rollbacks straightforward and reducing blast radius. In practice, this means you stay in control at every step while still moving quickly, with clear rationale and reversible changes by default.

Limitations and How To Mitigate

• Context drift in long sessions: It may drop details as history compacts
  Fix - Restate acceptance criteria, key interfaces, and constraints from TASKS.md or CLAUDE.md
• Terminal learning curve: Powerful but not point-and-click
  Fix - Use the VS Code extensions if you prefer editor-first
• Occasional over-editing or suboptimal paths
  Fix - Ask for a plan first, keep branches small, lean on tests and linters

Operating Playbook

 

• Be specific up front: goal, constraints, public APIs, performance budgets, “must not change” areas. Add a short definition of done
• Ask for a plan before execution: files to inspect, expected touch points, verification commands
• Keep sessions focused. Use /clear between features and restate objectives
• Anchor requirements in the repo. Put rules in CLAUDE.md and acceptance criteria in TASKS.md
• When history compacts, repost API signatures and invariants, or run /compact with a focus
• Verify early and often. Run unit tests, type checks, and linters after each meaningful edit
• Use permissions intentionally. Allowlist routine commands, review unusual ones, and ask why when uncertain

Summary

Claude Code is a terminal-first teammate. It plans, edits, tests, and commits like a careful engineer - but faster. Treat it like a strong junior with superpowers: set crisp constraints, approve plans, review diffs, and let tests arbitrate. Do that and you get reliable multi-file changes, less context switching, and cleaner repos without leaving your terminal.