50 tips to help you build with Claude that nobody talks about.
Claude Code tips, Cowork workflows, hidden Anthropic resources, power user secrets, and more.
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General Claude Tips
50. Claude . MD Files - Create a markdown file in your project root with project rules, preferences, and context. Claude reads this automatically every session. Most users don't know this exists.
49. Settings → Privacy → Export Data - A simple, quick way to export your Claude data/projects/chats into other LLMs (I do this often between ChatGPT and Claude).
48. Settings → Connectors - This is how you prompt your favorite apps. I personally use Google Calendar & Notion connectors daily.
47. Project Memory - Inside Claude projects, you'll find a "memory" tab. Here you can edit/revise exactly what you want Claude to remember.
46. Expert UI Design - When you see a UI design you like, take a screenshot and prompt Claude to create a Skill that will replicate the exact design schemes.
45. Avoid Claude Rambling - In any chat, click "+" and "Style" and edit Claude to "Concise"
44. Haiku 4.5 - This is Claude's latest model and fastest LLM - imo, the best Claude model for daily tasks (great in the Chrome extension for quick replies).
43. Claude Chrome Extension - Most people don't know this exists. An easy way to have Claude live in your sidebar and take control of your browser for tasks.
42. PDF Creation - Opus/Sonnet are hands-down the best and most consistent LLMs for PDF generation. I use them often to create project context files, convert images/text to PDF format, and more.
41. Claude App - Download the Claude Mac app (if applicable). It adds a Claude assistant to your top menu bar so you can easily chat with Claude at any time (like a Chrome extension). It also gives you access to Cowork if you're on a Pro or higher plan.
Claude Code
40. Plan Mode - Shift + Tab to enter 'Plan' mode. This is the mode you want to be in for planning projects.
39. Doctor Command - /doctor diagnoses environment issues, missing dependencies, and configuration problems. Run this first when things break.
38. Claude Code: Best practices for agentic coding - A guide from Anthropic https: //www.anthropic.com/engineering/claude-code-best-practices.
37. Learn / commands - I highly recommend learning slash commands. Here's a GitHub repo: https://github. com/wshobson/commands
36. Solve Step by Step - Claude models tend to be pretty good at long-lasting tasks, but they're not perfect. Go step-by-step for all builds.
35. Rules - Create an .MD file with "rules" you want your coding partner to follow.
34. Compact Command - Learn to run /compact manually.
33. MCP - Learn the ins and outs of MCP connections. If Claude can't do something, an MCP connection will likely be able to help.
32. Claude Skills - My favorite Claude feature. Here's a marketplace with 60,000+ Skills https:// skillsmp. com/categories
31. Claude Code for Everyone - A course that teaches you Claude Code IN Claude Code https://ccforeveryone. com/
Prompting Hacks
30. Formatting Hacks - Claude responds VERY well to this format:
[Role] + [Task] + [Context] + [Constraints] + [Question]
29. Notion Tip - If you set up the Notion connector (like I mentioned previously), you should set up a "Prompt Library" where you automatically send your most-used Claude prompts. You can then connect the Notion Prompt Library database to other LLMs.
28. Extended Thinking - For all your advanced workflows/tasks (be sure to enable it).
27. "Think First" Pattern - I put this in all my project instructions - "Think deeply about all requests..."
26. Role Assignment - Basic tip, but just works. "You are a [insert role]."
25. Prompt Library - Anthropics prompt library of prompts that just work:
https://platform.claude. com/docs/en/resources/prompt-library/library
24. Prompting Best Practices - Anthropics guide to prompting the latest Claude models (you can insert this into a Claude project that teaches you how to prompt) https://platform.claude. com/docs/en/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/claude-4-best-practices
23. JSON/XML/Markdown - All great file formats for prompting effectively
22. Interactive Prompt Maker - A public Claude artifact that helps you optimise your prompts. You can interact here: https: //claude.ai/public /artifacts/3796db7e-4ef1-4cab-b70c-d045778f23ec
21. The Hard Stop - An easy way to manage your Claude user limits. Tell Claude "Hard stop when _."
Claude Cowork
20. Claude Cowork Desktop Cleanse - Use the new Claude Cowork to conduct a deep clean of your entire desktop (folder access).
19. Batch Rename - Rename files with consistent patterns like YYYY-MM-DD formatting.
18. Usage Tip - Cowork burns through credits. Use standard chat with Sonnet 4.5 to plan, THEN switch to Cowork to execute.
17. Isolate Access with Folders - Create a dedicated "Cowork" folder and grant Claude access only to that directory rather than your entire Documents folder.
16. Clean Up Tip- If using Cowork to permanently delete files, make sure to end your prompt with "Confirm with me before deleting..." - Claude will naturally do this, but this is a reasonable extra precaution anyway.
15. Claude in Chrome - Enable this to let Claude handle work in the browser via Claude Desktop.
14. Multiple Threads - Cowork can run multiple tasks simultaneously. You can start a research project, launch a document formatting job, and begin data analysis in parallel across different threads.
13. Boring Security Tip - Claude Cowork can take destructive actions, such as deleting files. Always back up critical data before running the agent.
12. Teach Skills - Cowork can learn through demonstration. Record your browser to teach Claude custom workflows/skills.
11. Cowork Safety - Anthropics guide to Cowork safety, read it:
https://support.claude. com/en/articles/13364135-using-cowork-safely
Best Practices/Final Tips
10. Boris' (Claude Code's Creator) Claude Setup:
9. Claude . MD Guide - An excellent guide on how to craft Claude . MD files
https://www.humanlayer. dev/blog/writing-a-good-claude-md
8. Claude Subreddits - Stay up-to-date on the latest Claude tips here:
r/Claude r/ClaudeCode r/Anthropic
7. Usage Tip - We all know how fast Claude can burn through tokens while coding. If you're prototyping, this is a HUGE pain. Instead of using Claude for prototypes, use Google AI Studio and only switch to Claude when Google AI Studio has written most/all of the code.
6. Usage Tip - If Claude is confused after 3+ failed attempts, clear context and re-explain. You'll burn tokens otherwise.
5. Session Logs - Create a "Claude Journal" - a way to review past sessions to see what prompts worked. This is how you get better over time.
4. Ralph Plug-in - A tool that enables running Claude in an autonomous loop.
Great thread here:
3. Paid Plans - If there's one AI tool worth paying for right now, it's Claude. Get on a paid plan as soon as you can (you never know when Anthropic will increase its prices due to demand).
2. ChatGPT → Claude - Voice prompt through ChatGPT, then export the transcript to Claude. This method is exponentially better than shallow prompting Claude in text format and wasting tokens.
1. Model Stacking - Similar to the last tip, Claude works best when stacked with other models. (example: use Grok to scrape X, then import to Claude) You'll get your best Claude outputs when you combine the strengths of multiple tools.
Outro
If you made it this far, thank you for reading, and I hope you found these tips valuable.
If you enjoy this straight-to-the-point content style, be sure to follow me @aiedge_ for weekly posts.
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