claude-howto

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 20:07:47 +0800

luongnv89/claude-howto

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Master Claude Code in a Weekend

Go from typing claude to orchestrating agents, hooks, skills, and MCP servers — with visual tutorials, copy-paste templates, and a guided learning path.

Get Started in 15 Minutes | Find Your Level | Browse the Feature Catalog

The Problem

You installed Claude Code. You ran a few prompts. Now what?

The official docs describe features — but don’t show you how to combine them. You know slash commands exist, but not how to chain them with hooks, memory, and subagents into a workflow that actually saves hours.
There’s no clear learning path. Should you learn MCP before hooks? Skills before subagents? You end up skimming everything and mastering nothing.
Examples are too basic. A “hello world” slash command doesn’t help you build a production code review pipeline that uses memory, delegates to specialized agents, and runs security scans automatically.

You’re leaving 90% of Claude Code’s power on the table — and you don’t know what you don’t know.

How Claude How To Fixes This

This isn’t another feature reference. It’s a structured, visual, example-driven guide that teaches you to use every Claude Code feature with real-world templates you can copy into your project today.

	Official Docs	This Guide
Format	Reference documentation	Visual tutorials with Mermaid diagrams
Depth	Feature descriptions	How it works under the hood
Examples	Basic snippets	Production-ready templates you use immediately
Structure	Feature-organized	Progressive learning path (beginner to advanced)
Onboarding	Self-directed	Guided roadmap with time estimates
Self-Assessment	None	Interactive quizzes to find your gaps and build a personalized path

What you get:

10 tutorial modules covering every Claude Code feature — from slash commands to custom agent teams
Copy-paste configs — slash commands, CLAUDE.md templates, hook scripts, MCP configs, subagent definitions, and full plugin bundles
Mermaid diagrams showing how each feature works internally, so you understand why, not just how
A guided learning path that takes you from beginner to power user in 11-13 hours
Built-in self-assessment — run /self-assessment or /lesson-quiz hooks directly in Claude Code to identify gaps

Start the Learning Path ->

How It Works

1. Find your level

Take the self-assessment quiz or run /self-assessment in Claude Code. Get a personalized roadmap based on what you already know.

2. Follow the guided path

Work through 10 modules in order — each builds on the last. Copy templates directly into your project as you learn.

3. Combine features into workflows

The real power is in combining features. Learn to wire slash commands + memory + subagents + hooks into automated pipelines that handle code reviews, deployments, and documentation generation.

4. Test your understanding

Run /lesson-quiz [topic] after each module. The quiz pinpoints what you missed so you can fill gaps fast.

Get Started in 15 Minutes

Trusted by Developers

GitHub stars from developers who use Claude Code daily
Forks from teams adapting this guide for their own workflows
Actively maintained — synced with every Claude Code release (latest: v2.1.302, October 2026)
Community-driven — contributions from developers who share their real-world configurations

Not Sure Where to Start?

Take the self-assessment or pick your level:

Level	You can…	Start here	Time
Beginner	Start Claude Code and chat	Slash Commands	~2.5 hours
Intermediate	Use CLAUDE.md and custom commands	Skills	~3.5 hours
Advanced	Configure MCP servers and hooks	Advanced Features	~5 hours

Full learning path with all 10 modules:

Order	Module	Level	Time
1	Slash Commands	Beginner	30 min
2	Memory	Beginner+	45 min
3	Checkpoints	Intermediate	45 min
4	CLI Basics	Beginner+	30 min
5	Skills	Intermediate	1 hour
6	Hooks	Intermediate	1 hour
7	MCP	Intermediate+	1 hour
8	Subagents	Intermediate+	1.5 hours
9	Advanced Features	Advanced	2-3 hours
10	Plugins	Advanced	2 hours

Complete Learning Roadmap ->

Get Started in 15 Minutes

Installation note: Starting in v2.1.113, Claude Code ships as a native per-platform binary (macOS/Linux/Windows). The recommended install is the native installer (curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash); npm installation is deprecated in the official README; prefer the native installer, Homebrew (brew install --cask claude-code) or WinGet (winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode). For reference, npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code pulls the same native binary through a per-platform optional dependency at install time. As of v2.1.116, downloads come from https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-code-releases — corporate proxies must allowlist this host.

# 1. Clone the guide
git clone https://github.com/luongnv89/claude-howto.git
cd claude-howto

# 2. Copy your first slash command
mkdir -p /path/to/your-project/.claude/commands
cp 01-slash-commands/optimize.md /path/to/your-project/.claude/commands/

# 3. Try it — in Claude Code, type:
# /optimize

# 4. Ready for more? Set up project memory:
cp 02-memory/project-CLAUDE.md /path/to/your-project/CLAUDE.md

# 5. Install a skill:
cp -r 03-skills/code-review-specialist ~/.claude/skills/

Want the full setup? Here’s the 1-hour essential setup:

# Slash commands (15 min)
cp 01-slash-commands/*.md .claude/commands/

# Project memory (15 min)
cp 02-memory/project-CLAUDE.md ./CLAUDE.md

# Install a skill (15 min)
cp -r 03-skills/code-review-specialist ~/.claude/skills/

# Weekend goal: add hooks, subagents, MCP, and plugins
# Follow the learning path for guided setup

View the Full Installation Reference

What Can You Build With This?

Use Case	Features You’ll Combine
Automated Code Review	Slash Commands + Subagents + Memory + MCP
Team Onboarding	Memory + Slash Commands + Plugins
CI/CD Automation	CLI Reference + Hooks + Background Tasks
Documentation Generation	Skills + Subagents + Plugins
Security Audits	Subagents + Skills + Hooks (read-only mode)
DevOps Pipelines	Plugins + MCP + Hooks + Background Tasks
Complex Refactoring	Checkpoints + Planning Mode + Hooks

FAQ

Is this free? Yes. MIT licensed, free forever. Use it in personal projects, at work, in your team — no restrictions beyond including the license notice.

Is this maintained? Actively. The guide is synced with every Claude Code release. Current version: v2.1.302 (October 2026), compatible with Claude Code 2.1+.

How is this different from the official docs? The official docs are a feature reference. This guide is a tutorial with diagrams, production-ready templates, and a progressive learning path. They complement each other — start here to learn, reference the docs when you need specifics.

How long does it take to go through everything? 11-13 hours for the full path. But you’ll get immediate value in 15 minutes — just copy a slash command template and try it.

Can I use this with Claude Sonnet / Haiku / Opus? Yes. All templates work with Claude Fable 5.1, Claude Fable 5, Claude Opus 5.5, Claude Opus 5, Claude Sonnet 5.5, Claude Sonnet 5, Claude Sonnet 4.6, Claude Opus 4.8, Claude Haiku 5.5, and Claude Haiku 4.5.

Can I contribute? Absolutely. See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines. We welcome new examples, bug fixes, documentation improvements, and community templates.

Can I read this offline? Yes. Run uv run scripts/build_epub.py to generate an EPUB ebook with all content and rendered diagrams.

Start Mastering Claude Code Today

You already have Claude Code installed. The only thing between you and 10x productivity is knowing how to use it. This guide gives you the structured path, the visual explanations, and the copy-paste templates to get there.

MIT licensed. Free forever. Clone it, fork it, make it yours.

Start the Learning Path -> | Browse the Feature Catalog | Get Started in 15 Minutes

Quick Navigation — All Features

Feature	Description	Folder
Feature Catalog	Complete reference with installation commands	CATALOG.md
Slash Commands	User-invoked shortcuts	01-slash-commands/
Memory	Persistent context	02-memory/
Skills	Reusable capabilities	03-skills/
Subagents	Specialized AI assistants	04-subagents/
MCP Protocol	External tool access	05-mcp/
Hooks	Event-driven automation	06-hooks/
Plugins	Bundled features	07-plugins/
Checkpoints	Session snapshots & rewind	08-checkpoints/
Advanced Features	Planning, thinking, background tasks	09-advanced-features/
CLI Reference	Commands, flags, and options	10-cli/
Blog Posts	Real-world usage examples	Blog Posts

Feature Comparison

Feature	Invocation	Persistence	Best For
Slash Commands	Manual (`/cmd`)	Session only	Quick shortcuts
Memory	Auto-loaded	Cross-session	Long-term learning
Skills	Auto-invoked	Filesystem	Automated workflows
Subagents	Auto-delegated	Isolated context	Task distribution
MCP Protocol	Auto-queried	Real-time	Live data access
Hooks	Event-triggered	Configured	Automation & validation
Plugins	One command	All features	Complete solutions
Checkpoints	Manual/Auto	Session-based	Safe experimentation
Planning Mode	Manual/Auto	Plan phase	Complex implementations
Background Tasks	Manual	Task duration	Long-running operations
CLI Reference	Terminal commands	Session/Script	Automation & scripting

Installation Quick Reference

# Slash Commands
cp 01-slash-commands/*.md .claude/commands/

# Memory
cp 02-memory/project-CLAUDE.md ./CLAUDE.md

# Skills
cp -r 03-skills/code-review-specialist ~/.claude/skills/

# Subagents
cp 04-subagents/*.md .claude/agents/

# MCP
claude mcp add --transport http github https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/ --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_GITHUB_PAT"

# Hooks
mkdir -p ~/.claude/hooks
cp 06-hooks/*.sh ~/.claude/hooks/
chmod +x ~/.claude/hooks/*.sh

# Plugins (load a local plugin from the repo root)
claude --plugin-dir ./07-plugins/pr-review

# Checkpoints (auto-enabled, configure in settings)
# See 08-checkpoints/README.md

# Advanced Features (configure in settings)
# See 09-advanced-features/config-examples.json

# CLI Reference (no installation needed)
# See 10-cli/README.md for usage examples

01. Slash Commands

Location: 01-slash-commands/

What: User-invoked shortcuts stored as Markdown files

Examples:

optimize.md - Code optimization analysis
pr.md - Pull request preparation
generate-api-docs.md - API documentation generator

Installation:

`1`	`cp 01-slash-commands/*.md /path/to/project/.claude/commands/`

Usage:

1
2
3

/optimize
/pr
/generate-api-docs

Learn More: Discovering Claude Code Slash Commands

02. Memory

Location: 02-memory/

What: Persistent context across sessions

Examples:

project-CLAUDE.md - Team-wide project standards
directory-api-CLAUDE.md - Directory-specific rules
personal-CLAUDE.md - Personal preferences

Installation:

# Project memory
cp 02-memory/project-CLAUDE.md /path/to/project/CLAUDE.md

# Directory memory
cp 02-memory/directory-api-CLAUDE.md /path/to/project/src/api/CLAUDE.md

# Personal memory
cp 02-memory/personal-CLAUDE.md ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md

Usage: Automatically loaded by Claude

03. Skills

Location: 03-skills/

What: Reusable, auto-invoked capabilities with instructions and scripts

Examples:

code-review-specialist/ - Comprehensive code review with scripts
brand-voice/ - Brand voice consistency checker
doc-generator/ - API documentation generator

Installation:

# Personal skills
cp -r 03-skills/code-review-specialist ~/.claude/skills/

# Project skills
cp -r 03-skills/code-review-specialist /path/to/project/.claude/skills/

Usage: Automatically invoked when relevant

04. Subagents

Location: 04-subagents/

What: Specialized AI assistants with isolated contexts and custom prompts

Examples:

code-reviewer.md - Comprehensive code quality analysis
test-engineer.md - Test strategy and coverage
documentation-writer.md - Technical documentation
secure-reviewer.md - Security-focused review (read-only)
implementation-agent.md - Full feature implementation

Installation:

`1`	`cp 04-subagents/*.md /path/to/project/.claude/agents/`

Usage: Automatically delegated by main agent

05. MCP Protocol

Location: 05-mcp/

What: Model Context Protocol for accessing external tools and APIs

Examples:

github-mcp.json - GitHub integration
database-mcp.json - Database queries
filesystem-mcp.json - File operations
multi-mcp.json - Multiple MCP servers

Installation:

# Set environment variables
export DATABASE_URL="postgresql://..."

# Add MCP server via CLI
claude mcp add --transport http github https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/ --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_GITHUB_PAT"

# Or add to project .mcp.json manually (see 05-mcp/ for examples)

Usage: MCP tools are automatically available to Claude once configured

06. Hooks

Location: 06-hooks/

What: Event-driven shell commands that execute automatically in response to Claude Code events

Examples:

format-code.sh - Auto-format code after writing
pre-commit.sh - Run tests before commits
security-scan.sh - Scan for security issues
log-bash.sh - Log all bash commands
validate-prompt.sh - Validate user prompts
notify-team.sh - Send notifications on events

Installation:

1
2
3

mkdir -p ~/.claude/hooks
cp 06-hooks/*.sh ~/.claude/hooks/
chmod +x ~/.claude/hooks/*.sh

Configure hooks in ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Write",
        "hooks": [
          { "type": "command", "command": "~/.claude/hooks/format-code.sh" },
          { "type": "command", "command": "~/.claude/hooks/security-scan.sh" }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Usage: Hooks execute automatically on events

Hook Types (5): command, http, prompt, mcp_tool, agent — how a hook runs.

Hook Events (33, in 4 categories) — when it runs:

Tool Hooks: PreToolUse, PostToolUse, PostToolUseFailure, PostToolBatch, PermissionRequest, PermissionDenied
Session Hooks: SessionStart, Setup, SessionEnd, Stop, StopFailure, SubagentStart, SubagentStop
Task Hooks: UserPromptSubmit, UserPromptExpansion, MessageDisplay, TaskCompleted, TaskCreated, TeammateIdle — TaskCompleted and TaskCreated only fire when the todo tools are enabled, which is available by default only on Claude 3.x models, Opus 4 through 4.7, Sonnet 4 through 4.6, and Haiku 4.5 (CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_TODO_TOOLS=1 restores them)
Lifecycle Hooks: ConfigChange, CwdChanged, DirectoryAdded, FileChanged, PreCompact, PostCompact, PreModelSwitch, PostModelSwitch, WorktreeCreate, WorktreeRemove, Notification, InstructionsLoaded, Elicitation, ElicitationResult

07. Plugins

Location: 07-plugins/

What: Bundled collections of commands, agents, MCP, and hooks

Examples:

pr-review/ - Complete PR review workflow
devops-automation/ - Deployment and monitoring
documentation/ - Documentation generation

Installation:

# From the repo root (this repo ships no marketplace, so /plugin install does not apply)
claude --plugin-dir ./07-plugins/pr-review
claude --plugin-dir ./07-plugins/devops-automation
claude --plugin-dir ./07-plugins/documentation

Usage: Use bundled slash commands and features

08. Checkpoints and Rewind

Location: 08-checkpoints/

What: Save conversation state and rewind to previous points to explore different approaches

Key Concepts:

Checkpoint: Snapshot of conversation state
Rewind: Return to previous checkpoint
Branch Point: Explore multiple approaches from same checkpoint

Usage:

# Checkpoints are created automatically with every user prompt
# To rewind, press Esc twice or use:
/rewind

# Then choose from six options:
# 1. Restore code and conversation
# 2. Restore conversation
# 3. Restore code
# 4. Summarize from here
# 5. Summarize up to here
# 6. Never mind

Use Cases:

Try different implementation approaches
Recover from mistakes
Safe experimentation
Compare alternative solutions
A/B testing different designs

09. Advanced Features

Location: 09-advanced-features/

What: Advanced capabilities for complex workflows and automation

Includes:

Planning Mode — Create detailed implementation plans before coding
Extended Thinking — Deep reasoning for complex problems (toggle with Alt+T / Option+T)
Background Tasks — Run long operations without blocking
Permission Modes — manual (config value default), acceptEdits, plan, auto, dontAsk, bypassPermissions
Headless Mode — Run Claude Code in CI/CD: claude -p "Run tests and generate report"
Session Management — /resume, /rename, /fork, /branch, claude -c, claude -r
Configuration — Customize behavior in ~/.claude/settings.json

See config-examples.json for complete configurations.

10. CLI Reference

Location: 10-cli/

What: Complete command-line interface reference for Claude Code

Quick Examples:

# Interactive mode
claude "explain this project"

# Print mode (non-interactive)
claude -p "review this code"

# Process file content
cat error.log | claude -p "explain this error"

# JSON output for scripts
claude -p --output-format json "list functions"

# Resume session
claude -r "feature-auth" "continue implementation"

Use Cases: CI/CD pipeline integration, script automation, batch processing, multi-session workflows, custom agent configurations

Example Workflows

Complete Code Review Workflow

# Uses: Slash Commands + Subagents + Memory + MCP

User: /review-pr

Claude:
1. Loads project memory (coding standards)
2. Fetches PR via GitHub MCP
3. Delegates to code-reviewer subagent
4. Delegates to test-engineer subagent
5. Synthesizes findings
6. Provides comprehensive review

Automated Documentation

# Uses: Skills + Subagents + Memory

User: "Generate API documentation for the auth module"

Claude:
1. Loads project memory (doc standards)
2. Detects doc generation request
3. Auto-invokes doc-generator skill
4. Delegates to api-documenter subagent
5. Creates comprehensive docs with examples

DevOps Deployment

# Uses: Plugins + MCP + Hooks

User: /deploy production

Claude:
1. Runs pre-deploy hook (validates environment)
2. Delegates to deployment-specialist subagent
3. Executes deployment via Kubernetes MCP
4. Monitors progress
5. Runs post-deploy hook (health checks)
6. Reports status

Directory Structure

├── 01-slash-commands/
│   ├── optimize.md
│   ├── pr.md
│   ├── generate-api-docs.md
│   └── README.md
├── 02-memory/
│   ├── project-CLAUDE.md
│   ├── directory-api-CLAUDE.md
│   ├── personal-CLAUDE.md
│   └── README.md
├── 03-skills/
│   ├── code-review-specialist/
│   │   ├── SKILL.md
│   │   ├── scripts/
│   │   └── templates/
│   ├── brand-voice/
│   │   ├── SKILL.md
│   │   └── templates/
│   ├── doc-generator/
│   │   ├── SKILL.md
│   │   └── generate-docs.py
│   └── README.md
├── 04-subagents/
│   ├── code-reviewer.md
│   ├── test-engineer.md
│   ├── documentation-writer.md
│   ├── secure-reviewer.md
│   ├── implementation-agent.md
│   └── README.md
├── 05-mcp/
│   ├── github-mcp.json
│   ├── database-mcp.json
│   ├── filesystem-mcp.json
│   ├── multi-mcp.json
│   └── README.md
├── 06-hooks/
│   ├── format-code.sh
│   ├── pre-commit.sh
│   ├── security-scan.sh
│   ├── log-bash.sh
│   ├── validate-prompt.sh
│   ├── notify-team.sh
│   └── README.md
├── 07-plugins/
│   ├── pr-review/
│   ├── devops-automation/
│   ├── documentation/
│   └── README.md
├── 08-checkpoints/
│   ├── checkpoint-examples.md
│   └── README.md
├── 09-advanced-features/
│   ├── config-examples.json
│   ├── planning-mode-examples.md
│   └── README.md
├── 10-cli/
│   └── README.md
└── README.md (this file)

Best Practices

Do’s

Start simple with slash commands
Add features incrementally
Use memory for team standards
Test configurations locally first
Document custom implementations
Version control project configurations
Share plugins with team

Don’ts

Don’t create redundant features
Don’t hardcode credentials
Don’t skip documentation
Don’t over-complicate simple tasks
Don’t ignore security best practices
Don’t commit sensitive data

Troubleshooting

Feature Not Loading

Check file location and naming
Verify YAML frontmatter syntax
Check file permissions
Review Claude Code version compatibility

MCP Connection Failed

Verify environment variables
Check MCP server installation
Test credentials
Review network connectivity

Subagent Not Delegating

Check tool permissions
Verify agent description clarity
Review task complexity
Test agent independently

Testing

This project includes comprehensive automated testing:

Unit Tests: Python tests using pytest (Python 3.10, 3.11, 3.12)
Code Quality: Linting and formatting with Ruff
Security: Vulnerability scanning with Bandit
Type Checking: Static type analysis with mypy
Build Verification: EPUB generation testing
Coverage Tracking: Codecov integration

# Install development dependencies
uv pip install -r scripts/requirements-dev.txt

# Run all unit tests
pytest scripts/tests/ -v

# Run tests with coverage report
pytest scripts/tests/ -v --cov=scripts --cov-report=html

# Run code quality checks
ruff check scripts/
ruff format --check scripts/

# Run security scan
bandit -c scripts/pyproject.toml -r scripts/ --exclude scripts/tests/

# Run type checking
mypy scripts/ --ignore-missing-imports

Tests run automatically on every push to main/develop and every PR to main. See TESTING.md for detailed information.

EPUB Generation

Want to read this guide offline? Generate an EPUB ebook:

`1`	`uv run scripts/build_epub.py`

This creates claude-howto-guide.epub with all content, including rendered Mermaid diagrams.

See scripts/README.md for more options.

Contributing

Found an issue or want to contribute an example? We’d love your help!

Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines on:

Types of contributions (examples, docs, features, bugs, feedback)
How to set up your development environment
Directory structure and how to add content
Writing guidelines and best practices
Commit and PR process

Our Community Standards:

CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md - How we treat each other
SECURITY.md - Security policy and vulnerability reporting

Reporting Security Issues

If you discover a security vulnerability, please report it responsibly:

Use GitHub Private Vulnerability Reporting: https://github.com/luongnv89/claude-howto/security/advisories
Or read .github/SECURITY_REPORTING.md for detailed instructions
Do NOT open a public issue for security vulnerabilities

Quick start:

Fork and clone the repository
Create a descriptive branch (add/feature-name, fix/bug, docs/improvement)
Make your changes following the guidelines
Submit a pull request with a clear description

Need help? Open an issue or discussion, and we’ll guide you through the process.

Additional Resources

Claude Code Documentation
MCP Protocol Specification
Skills Repository - Collection of ready-to-use skills
Anthropic Cookbook
Boris Cherny’s Claude Code Workflow - The creator of Claude Code shares his systematized workflow: parallel agents, shared CLAUDE.md, Plan mode, slash commands, subagents, and verification hooks for autonomous long-running sessions.

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details on how to get started.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE. Free to use, modify, and distribute. The only requirement is including the license notice.

Last Updated: October 18, 2026 Claude Code Version: 2.1.302 Sources:

https://code.claude.com/docs/en/tools-reference#task-tool-availability
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/hooks
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/overview
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/changelog
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/permission-modes
https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/about-claude/models/overview
https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/releases
https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/releases/tag/v2.1.154
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/model-config
https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md
https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/releases/tag/v2.1.296
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/setup
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/plugins/install
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/checkpointing
https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/changelog#2-1-302 Compatible Models: Claude Fable 5.1, Claude Fable 5, Claude Opus 5, Claude Sonnet 5, Claude Sonnet 4.6, Claude Opus 4.8, Claude Haiku 4.5

Developer Guide on Producthunt daily

claude-howto

luongnv89/claude-howto

Master Claude Code in a Weekend

Table of Contents

The Problem

How Claude How To Fixes This

What you get:

How It Works

1. Find your level

2. Follow the guided path

3. Combine features into workflows

4. Test your understanding

Trusted by Developers

Not Sure Where to Start?

Get Started in 15 Minutes

What Can You Build With This?

FAQ

Start Mastering Claude Code Today

Complete Code Review Workflow

Automated Documentation

DevOps Deployment

Do’s

Don’ts

Feature Not Loading

MCP Connection Failed

Subagent Not Delegating

Reporting Security Issues

Contributing

License