How I use Claude Code (Meta Staff Engineer Tips)
This is my 50 Claude Code tips from 6 months of daily use personally and at Meta as a Staff Software Engineer. I've been coding with Claude Code basically 12 hours a day really trying to understand what makes Claude Code tik. Here's everything I wish I knew when I started, from foundations to advanced parallel workflows.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Intro
1:04 - ACT 1: Foundations (Tips 1-25)
1:18 - Tip 1: Run from root directory
1:56 - Tip 2: Run /init immediately
2:54 - Tip 3: CLAUDE.md is hierarchical
3:27 - Tip 4: Keep CLAUDE.md concise
3:58 - Tip 5: Structure: What, Domain, Validation
5:36 - Keyboard Shortcuts
5:58 - Tip 6: Shift+Tab toggles modes
6:40 - Tip 7: Escape interrupts
7:43 - Tip 8: Double Escape clears input
7:59 - Tip 9: Double Escape on empty = rewind
8:29 - Tip 10: Screenshot and drag
8:44 - Tip 11: Add context to screenshots
9:09 - Essential Commands
9:41 - Tip 12: /clear resets context
10:13 - Tip 13: /context shows token usage
11:42 - Tip 14: Let auto-compaction work
12:23 - Tip 15: /model switches models
12:49 - Tip 16: /resume recovers sessions
13:21 - Tip 17: /mcp shows MCP status
14:19 - Tip 18: /help shows all commands
14:33 - Tip 19: Git is your safety net
15:24 - CLAUDE.md Deep Dive
15:52 - Tip 20: Add a Critical Rules section
17:08 - Tip 21: Ask Claude to update rules
17:46 - Tip 22: Use workflow triggers
18:27 - Tip 23: Commit CLAUDE.md to git
19:34 - Tip 24: dangerously-skip for throwaway envs
20:39 - Tip 25: Combine skip with allowlists
20:59 - ACT 2: Daily Workflow (Tips 26-32)
21:38 - Tip 26: Start features in Plan Mode
23:46 - Tip 27: Fresh context beats bloated
24:29 - Tip 28: Persist before ending sessions
25:03 - Tip 29: Lazy load context
26:09 - Tip 30: Give verification commands
27:32 - Tip 31: Consider Opus for complex work
28:18 - Tip 32: Read thinking blocks
29:01 - ACT 3: Power User (Tips 33-40)
29:34 - Tip 33: Four composability primitives
29:54 - Tip 34: Skills = recurring workflows
31:33 - Tip 35: Commands = quick shorthand
32:18 - Tip 36: Never create commands manually
33:02 - Tip 37: MCPs = external service docs
33:52 - Tip 38: Ask Claude to install MCPs
34:15 - Tip 39: Subagents = isolated context
37:10 - Tip 40: Avoid instruction overload
37:48 - ACT 4: Advanced (Tips 41-50)
38:02 - Tip 41: Run multiple instances
39:06 - Tip 42: iTerm split panes
40:33 - Tip 43: Enable notifications
41:10 - Tip 44: Git worktrees for isolation
41:40 - Tip 45: /chrome connects browser
43:17 - Tip 46: Powerful for debugging
43:28 - Hooks & Automation
43:41 - Tip 47: Hooks intercept actions
44:10 - Tip 48: Auto-format with PostToolUse
44:24 - Tip 49: Block dangerous commands
44:43 - Tip 50: Explore the plugin ecosystem
45:32 - Context is King (Outro)
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