45+ Claude Code Tips: From Basics to Advanced

Here are my tips for getting the most out of Claude Code, including a custom status line script and Claude Code running itself in a container. Also includes the dx plugin: skills for everyday dev workflows.

📺 Quick demo - See some of these tips in action with a multi-Claude workflow and voice input:

Table of Contents

• Tip 0: Customize your status line
• Tip 1: Learn a few essential slash commands
• Tip 2: Talk to Claude Code with your voice
• Tip 3: Break down large problems into smaller ones
• Tip 4: Using Git and GitHub CLI like a pro
• Tip 5: AI context is like milk; it's best served fresh and condensed!
• Tip 6: Getting output out of your terminal
• Tip 7: Set up terminal aliases for quick access
• Tip 8: Proactively compact your context
• Tip 9: Complete the write-test cycle for autonomous tasks
• Tip 10: Cmd+A and Ctrl+A are your friends
• Tip 11: Invest in your own workflow
• Tip 12: Search through your conversation history
• Tip 13: Multitasking with terminal tabs
• Tip 14: Git worktrees for parallel branch work
• Tip 15: Manual exponential backoff for long-running jobs
• Tip 16: Claude Code as a writing assistant
• Tip 17: Markdown is the s**t
• Tip 18: Preserve links when pasting
• Tip 19: Isolated environments for long-running risky tasks
• Tip 20: The best way to get better at using Claude Code is by using it
• Tip 21: Fork and half-clone conversations
• Tip 22: Use realpath to get absolute paths
• Tip 23: Understanding CLAUDE.md vs Skills vs Slash Commands vs Plugins
• Tip 24: Interactive PR reviews
• Tip 25: Claude Code as a research tool
• Tip 26: Mastering different ways of verifying its output
• Tip 27: Claude Code as a DevOps engineer
• Tip 28: Keep CLAUDE.md simple and review it periodically
• Tip 29: Claude Code as the universal interface
• Tip 30: It's all about choosing the right level of abstraction
• Tip 31: Use auto mode
• Tip 32: Control Claude Code from your phone
• Tip 33: Learn to use artifacts
• Tip 34: Write lots of tests (and use TDD)
• Tip 35: Be braver in the unknown; iterative problem solving
• Tip 36: Running bash commands and subagents in the background
• Tip 37: The era of personalized software is here
• Tip 38: Navigating and editing your input box
• Tip 39: Spend some time planning, but also prototype quickly
• Tip 40: Simplify overcomplicated code
• Tip 41: Automation of automation
• Tip 42: Share your knowledge and contribute where you can
• Tip 43: Keep learning!
• Tip 44: Install the dx plugin
• Tip 45: Quick setup script
• Tip 46: Switch between multiple Claude accounts
• Tip 47: Use GitHub as your knowledge base
• Tip 48: Learn to review code through a TESTING.md document
• Tip 49: Turn on the concise output style

Tip 0: Customize your status line

You can customize the status line at the bottom of Claude Code to show useful info. I set mine up to show the model, current directory, git branch (if any), uncommitted file count, sync status with origin, and a visual progress bar for token usage. It also shows a second line with my last message so I can see what the conversation was about:

Opus 4.5 | 📁claude-code-tips | 🔀main (scripts/context-bar.sh uncommitted, synced 12m ago) | ██░░░░░░░░ 18% of 200k tokens
💬 This is good. I don't think we need to change the documentation as long as we don't say that the default color is orange el...

This is especially helpful for keeping an eye on your context usage and remembering