Common workflows

Step-by-step guides for exploring codebases, fixing bugs, refactoring, testing, and other everyday tasks with Claude Code.

This page covers practical workflows for everyday development: exploring unfamiliar code, debugging, refactoring, writing tests, creating PRs, and managing sessions. Each section includes example prompts you can adapt to your own projects. For higher-level patterns and tips, see Best practices.

Understand new codebases

Get a quick codebase overview

Suppose you've just joined a new project and need to understand its structure quickly.

cd /path/to/project 

claude 

give me an overview of this codebase

explain the main architecture patterns used here

what are the key data models?

how is authentication handled?

Find relevant code

Suppose you need to locate code related to a specific feature or functionality.

find the files that handle user authentication

how do these authentication files work together?

trace the login process from front-end to database

Fix bugs efficiently

Suppose you've encountered an error message and need to find and fix its source.

I'm seeing an error when I run npm test

suggest a few ways to fix the @ts-ignore in user.ts

update user.ts to add the null check you suggested

Refactor code

Suppose you need to update old code to use modern patterns and practices.

find deprecated API usage in our codebase

suggest how to refactor utils.js to use modern JavaScript features

refactor utils.js to use ES2024 features while maintaining the same behavior

run tests for the refactored code

Use specialized subagents

Suppose you want to use specialized AI subagents to handle specific tasks more effectively.

/agents

review my recent code changes for security issues

run all tests and fix any failures

use the code-reviewer subagent to check the auth module

have the debugger subagent investigate why users can't log in

/agents

Use Plan Mode for safe code analysis

Plan Mode instructs Claude to create a plan by analyzing the codebase with read-only operations, perfect for exploring codebases, planning complex changes, or reviewing code safely. In Plan Mode, Claude uses AskUserQuestion to gather requirements and clarify your goals before proposing a plan.

When to use Plan Mode

• Multi-step implementation: When your feature requires making edits to many files
• Code exploration: When you want to research the codebase thoroughly before changing anything
• Interactive development: When you want to iterate on the direction with Claude

How to use Plan Mode

Turn on Plan Mode during a session

You can switch into Plan Mode during a session using Shift+Tab to cycle through permission modes.

If you are in Normal Mode, Shift+Tab first switches into Auto-Accept Mode, indicated by ⏵⏵ accept edits on at the bottom of the terminal. A subsequent Shift+Tab will switch into Plan Mode, indicated by ⏸ plan mode on.

Start a new session in Plan Mode

To start a new session in Plan Mode, use the --permission-mode plan flag:

claude --permission-mode plan

Run "headless" queries in Plan Mode

You can also run a query in Plan Mode directly with -p (that is, in "headless mode"):

claude --permission-mode plan -p "Analyze the authentication system and suggest improvements"

Example: Planning a complex refactor

claude --permission-mode plan

I need to refactor our authentication system to use OAuth2. Create a detailed migration plan.

Claude analyzes the current implementation and create a comprehensive plan. Refine with follow-ups:

What about backward compatibility?

How should we handle database migration?

When you accept a plan, Claude automatically names the session from the plan content. The name appears on the prompt bar and in the session picker. If you've already set a name with --name or /rename, accepting a plan won't overwrite it.

Configure Plan Mode as default

// .claude/settings.json
{
  "permissions": {
    "defaultMode": "plan"
  }
}

See settings documentation for more configuration options.

Work with tests

Suppose you need to add tests for uncovered code.

find functions in NotificationsService.swift that are not covered by tests

add tests for the notification service

add test cases for edge conditions in the notification service

run the new tests and fix any failures

Claude can generate tests that follow your project's existing patterns and conventions. When asking for tests, be specific about what behavior you want to verify. Claude examines your existing test files to match the style, frameworks, and assertion patterns already in use.

For comprehensive coverage, ask Claude to identify edge cases you might have missed. Claude can analyze your code paths and suggest tests for error conditions, boundary values, and unexpected inputs that are easy to overlook.

Create pull requests

You can create pull requests by asking Claude directly ("create a pr for my changes"), or guide Claude through it step-by-step:

summarize the changes I've made to the authentication module

create a pr

enhance the PR description with more context about the security improvements

When you create a PR using gh pr create, the session is automatically linked to that PR. You can resume it later with claude --from-pr <number>.

Handle documentation

Suppose you need to add or update documentation for your code.

find functions without proper JSDoc comments in the auth module

add JSDoc comments to the undocumented functions in auth.js

improve the generated documentation with more context and examples

check if the documentation follows our project standards

Work with images

Suppose you need to work with images in your codebase, and you want Claude's help analyzing image content.

What does this image show?

Describe the UI elements in this screenshot

Are there any problematic elements in this diagram?

Here's a screenshot of the error. What's causing it?

This is our current database schema. How should we modify it for the new feature?

Generate CSS to match this design mockup

What HTML structure would recreate this component?

Reference files and directories

Use @ to quickly include files or directories without waiting for Claude to read them.

Explain the logic in @src/utils/auth.js

What's the structure of @src/components?

Show me the data from @github:repos/owner/repo/issues

Use extended thinking (thinking mode)

Extended thinking is enabled by default, giving Claude space to reason through complex problems step-by-step before responding. This reasoning is visible in verbose mode, which you can toggle on with Ctrl+O.

Additionally, Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.6 support adaptive reasoning: instead of a fixed thinking token budget, the model dynamically allocates thinking based on your effort level setting. Extended thinking and adaptive reasoning work together to give you control over how deeply Claude reasons before responding.

Extended thinking is particularly valuable for complex architectural decisions, challenging bugs, multi-step implementation planning, and evaluating tradeoffs between different approaches.

Configure thinking mode

Thinking is enabled by default, but you can adjust or disable it.

To view Claude's thinking process, press Ctrl+O to toggle verbose mode and see the internal reasoning displayed as gray italic text.

How extended thinking works

Extended thinking controls how much internal reasoning Claude performs before responding. More thinking provides more space to explore solutions, analyze edge cases, and self-correct mistakes.

With Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.6, thinking uses adaptive reasoning: the model dynamically allocates thinking tokens based on the effort level you select. This is the recommended way to tune the tradeoff between speed and reasoning depth.

With older models, thinking uses a fixed token budget drawn from your output allocation. The budget varies by model; see MAX_THINKING_TOKENS for per-model ceilings. You can limit the budget with that environment variable, or disable thinking entirely via /config or the Option+T/Alt+T toggle.

On Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.6, adaptive reasoning controls thinking depth, so MAX_THINKING_TOKENS only applies when set to 0 to disable thinking, or when CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_ADAPTIVE_THINKING=1 reverts these models to the fixed budget. See environment variables.

Resume previous conversations

When starting Claude Code, you can resume a previous session:

• claude --continue continues the most recent conversation in the current directory
• claude --resume opens a conversation picker or resumes by name
• claude --from-pr 123 resumes sessions linked to a specific pull request

From inside an active session, use /resume to switch to a different conversation.

Sessions are stored per project directory. The /resume picker shows sessions from the same git repository, including worktrees.

Name your sessions

Give sessions descriptive names to find them later. This is a best practice when working on multiple tasks or features.

claude -n auth-refactor

/rename auth-refactor

claude --resume auth-refactor

/resume auth-refactor

Use the session picker

The /resume command (or claude --resume without arguments) opens an interactive session picker with these features:

Keyboard shortcuts in the picker:

Session organization:

The picker displays sessions with helpful metadata:

• Session name or initial prompt
• Time elapsed since last activity
• Message count
• Git branch (if applicable)

Forked sessions (created with /branch, /rewind, or --fork-session) are grouped together under their root session, making it easier to find related conversations.

Run parallel Claude Code sessions with Git worktrees

When working on multiple tasks at once, you need each Claude session to have its own copy of the codebase so changes don't collide. Git worktrees solve this by creating separate working directories that each have their own files and branch, while sharing the same repository history and remote connections. This means you can have Claude working on a feature in one worktree while fixing a bug in another, without either session interfering with the other.

Use the --worktree (-w) flag to create an isolated worktree and start Claude in it. The value you pass becomes the worktree directory name and branch name:

# Start Claude in a worktree named "feature-auth"
# Creates .claude/worktrees/feature-auth/ with a new branch
claude --worktree feature-auth

# Start another session in a separate worktree
claude --worktree bugfix-123

If you omit the name, Claude generates a random one automatically:

# Auto-generates a name like "bright-running-fox"
claude --worktree

Worktrees are created at <repo>/.claude/worktrees/<name> and branch from the default remote branch. The worktree branch is named worktree-<name>.

You can also ask Claude to "work in a worktree" or "start a worktree" during a session, and it will create one automatically.

Subagent worktrees

Subagents can also use worktree isolation to work in parallel without conflicts. Ask Claude to "use worktrees for your agents" or configure it in a custom subagent by adding isolation: worktree to the agent's frontmatter. Each subagent gets its own worktree that is automatically cleaned up when the subagent finishes without changes.

Worktree cleanup

When you exit a worktree session, Claude handles cleanup based on whether you made changes:

• No changes: the worktree and its branch are removed automatically
• Changes or commits exist: Claude prompts you to keep or remove the worktree. Keeping preserves the directory and branch so you can return later. Removing deletes the worktree directory and its branch, discarding all uncommitted changes and commits

To clean up worktrees outside of a Claude session, use manual worktree management.

Manage worktrees manually

For more control over worktree location and branch configuration, create worktrees with Git directly. This is useful when you need to check out a specific existing branch or place the worktree outside the repository.

# Create a worktree with a new branch
git worktree add ../project-feature-a -b feature-a

# Create a worktree with an existing branch
git worktree add ../project-bugfix bugfix-123

# Start Claude in the worktree
cd ../project-feature-a && claude

# Clean up when done
git worktree list
git worktree remove ../project-feature-a

Learn more in the official Git worktree documentation.

Non-git version control

Worktree isolation works with git by default. For other version control systems like SVN, Perforce, or Mercurial, configure WorktreeCreate and WorktreeRemove hooks to provide custom worktree creation and cleanup logic. When configured, these hooks replace the default git behavior when you use --worktree.

For automated coordination of parallel sessions with shared tasks and messaging, see agent teams.

Get notified when Claude needs your attention

When you kick off a long-running task and switch to another window, you can set up desktop notifications so you know when Claude finishes or needs your input. This uses the Notification hook event, which fires whenever Claude is waiting for permission, idle and ready for a new prompt, or completing authentication.

{
"hooks": {
"Notification": [
{
"matcher": "",
"hooks": [
{
"type": "command",
"command": "osascript -e 'display notification \"Claude Code needs your attention\" with title \"Claude Code\"'"
}
]
}
]
}
}

{
"hooks": {
"Notification": [
{
"matcher": "",
"hooks": [
{
"type": "command",
"command": "notify-send 'Claude Code' 'Claude Code needs your attention'"
}
]
}
]
}
}

{
"hooks": {
"Notification": [
{
"matcher": "",
"hooks": [
{
"type": "command",
"command": "powershell.exe -Command \"[System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName('System.Windows.Forms'); [System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox]::Show('Claude Code needs your attention', 'Claude Code')\""
}
]
}
]
}
}

For the complete event schema and notification types, see the Notification reference.

Use Claude as a unix-style utility

Add Claude to your verification process

Suppose you want to use Claude Code as a linter or code reviewer.

Add Claude to your build script:

// package.json
{
    ...
    "scripts": {
        ...
        "lint:claude": "claude -p 'you are a linter. please look at the changes vs. main and report any issues related to typos. report the filename and line number on one line, and a description of the issue on the second line. do not return any other text.'"
    }
}

Pipe in, pipe out

Suppose you want to pipe data into Claude, and get back data in a structured format.

Pipe data through Claude:

cat build-error.txt | claude -p 'concisely explain the root cause of this build error' > output.txt

Control output format

Suppose you need Claude's output in a specific format, especially when integrating Claude Code into scripts or other tools.

cat data.txt | claude -p 'summarize this data' --output-format text > summary.txt

cat code.py | claude -p 'analyze this code for bugs' --output-format json > analysis.json

cat log.txt | claude -p 'parse this log file for errors' --output-format stream-json

Run Claude on a schedule

Suppose you want Claude to handle a task automatically on a recurring basis, like reviewing open PRs every morning, auditing dependencies weekly, or checking for CI failures overnight.

Pick a scheduling option based on where you want the task to run:

Ask Claude about its capabilities

Claude has built-in access to its documentation and can answer questions about its own features and limitations.

Example questions

can Claude Code create pull requests?

how does Claude Code handle permissions?

what skills are available?

how do I use MCP with Claude Code?

how do I configure Claude Code for Amazon Bedrock?

what are the limitations of Claude Code?

Next steps