Claude Code
Anthropic's CLI coding agent. Runs in your terminal, in your repo, with full project context.
Mindmap
The plain-English version
Claude Code is a command-line coding agent from Anthropic. You run it in your repo; it reads files, runs shell commands, edits code, runs tests, all in conversation. Persistent memory via CLAUDE.md at the repo root, plus subagents, MCP server integration, and headless modes for automation.
The problem it solves
Different agents fit different work. CLI agents shine at multi-file, multi-step tasks where you want the agent driving for a while — refactors, migrations, test writing, debugging. The terminal context is right for engineers who already live there.
Alternatives
| Alternative | Type | When it wins |
|---|---|---|
| Cursor | IDE agent | An AI-first IDE — VS Code fork with deep agent integration. Edit-with-AI, tab completions, repo-aware chat. |
Deep links
The words you'll hear
- CLAUDE.md
- Project-level instructions and context. Lives at repo root, picked up automatically.
- Subagent
- A spawned helper agent for a specific task, with isolated context.
- MCP server
- Model Context Protocol — plug-in tools the agent can call (databases, APIs, etc.).
- Headless / unattended mode
- Run without interactive prompts. Useful in CI.
- Plan / Apply
- Some workflows show the plan before edits. Always read before applying.
Bad vs. good prompt for Claude Code
Why it works: Names the workflow (run, read, hypothesize, propose, edit), bounds blast radius (file count, test integrity), and asks for explicit approval gates. The agent stays useful and you stay in control.
What bites real teams
Without project memory, the agent re-learns conventions every session. Capture them once.
"Make this better" goes badly. Specify the deliverable, the scope, the success check.
The agent will tell you what it changed. Read the diff before committing — every time.