Claude Code Hands-On

Six-piece field guide to Claude Code — config, modes, slash commands, MCP, hooks, SDK + GitHub.

10 articles

  1. 01

    Claude Code Hands-On (1): Install, the Three-Layer Config, and the # @ /init Trio

    Install Claude Code, understand the three-layer settings.json system, and learn the three quietly powerful primitives: # …

    30 min
  2. 02

    Claude Code Hands-On (2): Shortcuts, the Four-State Toggle, and Thinking Modes

    Shift+Tab is a four-state cycle, not a binary. Thinking modes have five levels. Escape and double-Escape do different …

    32 min
  3. 03

    Claude Code Hands-On (3): Custom Slash Commands and Conversation Control

    Slash commands turn repeated workflows into one-line invocations. $ARGUMENTS makes them parameterized. The right ones …

    38 min
  4. 04

    Claude Code Hands-On (4): MCP Servers, or How Claude Talks to Anything

    MCP is the plug-in protocol that lets Claude Code reach beyond your filesystem. Install one (Playwright), see it work …

    40 min
  5. 05

    Claude Code Hands-On (5): Hooks, or How to Stop Worrying About Yolo Mode

    Hooks are the shell scripts that run before and after every tool call. PreToolUse can block. PostToolUse can format, …

    42 min
  6. 06

    Claude Code Hands-On (6): The SDK, GitHub Integration, and Claude in CI

    The SDK turns Claude Code from a CLI into a library. GitHub Action makes it answer @claude on PRs. Together they let you …

    40 min
  7. 07

    Claude Code Hands-On (7): Ten Hooks I Actually Use, with the Code

    Picking ten hooks out of the 100 in the reference repo and walking through each: what it does, the actual JS, the …

    42 min
  8. 08

    Claude Code Hands-On (8): Sub-Agents, Worktrees, and Plan Mode

    Three features that change what Claude Code can take on at once: sub-agents for parallel research, worktrees for …

    32 min
  9. 09

    Claude Code Hands-On (9): settings.json, the Three-Layer Permission Model, and Env

    settings.json is the file that decides what Claude can do, where, and with whose credentials. The three layers (user, …

    30 min
  10. 10

    Claude Code Hands-On (10): Skills, and When to Reach for Each Extension Mechanism

    Skills are the newest extension mechanism in Claude Code: a folder, a SKILL.md, and a body of instructions the model …

    30 min