Meet Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropicrsquos coding agent that runs in a terminal and is designed to help you build debug and automate work inside real coding projects In the last month or so since itrsquos been available to the public everyone from prominent developers from competing AI companies to average Joes with no coding experience have been praising Claude Code The whole thing runs from PowerShell on Windows or Terminal on Mac and Linux machines It is very simple to use and very useful in fact Anthropic itself has been using it to deploy some new productsHow does it workClaude works like any LLM except that it is designed to deliver a complete application or program So you essentially describe what you want to build and all the features it needs to have and Claude code will build it The more detailed your prompt is the better your result I personally like to take my idea to ChatGPT or Claude and explain what I want to build then ask it to produce an action plan I use this action plan to build my productHow to get startedYou need a Claude account to get started A working computer and Internet Claude works on Windows Mac and LinuxOn Mac Open a terminal window and type this curl fsSL httpsclaudeaiinstallsh bashFor Windows Open PowerShell and type this irm httpsclaudeaiinstallps1 iex Thatrsquos it itrsquos installedIn the Terminal or PowerShell head on to the directory that contains your code or where you want to start a new project and typeClaudeThatrsquos it just follow the instructions and connect it to your account and you can now start building an appFirst stepsOnce itrsquos running you can use it in a few practical ways If you want to add something new for example a small feature on a website or a new button in an app ask Claude Code to first outline a simple plan then follow that plan step by step This keeps things organised and easier to understandIf something is broken you can paste the error message or describe whatrsquos going wrong Claude Code can often point out the likely cause and suggest what to change to fix itItrsquos also useful as a map You can ask simple questions like ldquoWhere does this part liverdquo or ldquoWhat happens when I click thisrdquo and it can guide you through the projectrsquos files in plain language helping you understand itFinally it can help with repetitive tasks like running checks cleaning up files or preparing updates automaticallyFor your first project choose something small but complete add one new feature update the instructions and make sure it still works or look for a practice project onlinePiciStockTips and tricksRalph Wiggum named after a character on The Simpsons it is a nickname for a simple AIcoding workflow you wrap Claude Code in a Bash loop that keeps rerunning the same task until itrsquos done or you hit a safety limit Each pass sees the reporsquos updated files and git history so the model can review its own changes notice whatrsquos broken and fix it ndash like Ralphrsquos simplistic persistence in the show but productive It shines for mechanical welldefined jobs with automated checks tests type checks linters and clear ldquodonerdquo criteria However it can fall apart with vague goals subjective quality securitysensitive code not to mention runaway token costs so maxiterations and human review are essential In Claude Code a plugin uses a ldquoStop hookrdquo to block the assistant from exiting then refeeds the original prompt for another round The point isnrsquot a first prompt itrsquos repeated improvement The idea can be applied to other tools by looping until checks pass Ralph Wiggum is already available on Claude and you can initialise it directly Get shit doneGetshitdone GSD is a lightweight ldquospecdriven developmentrdquo toolkit designed to make Claude Code more reliable by adding a structured workflow on top of it Instead of adhoc vibecoding it guides you through capturing a clear idea goals constraints edge cases then turns that into written specs and a stepbystep roadmap Claude can follow You install it with a single command npx getshitdonecc and then use simple slash commands like gsdnewproject to generate key files such as PROJECTmd ROADMAPmd and a persistent STATEmd ldquomemoryrdquo file that keeps sanity for the project The system breaks work into phases and small atomic tasks often running implementation in fresh subagent contexts to avoid longsession drift It also recommends running Claude Code in a lowfriction permissions mode or configuring granular allowlists so automation isnrsquot constantly interrupted In short fewer vibes more shipped features You can see how to run it from its GitHub httpsgithubcomsabalioglugetshitdoneSkip permissionsA little risky but you can skip the need to continuously intervene with this command claudedangerouslyskippermissions when starting ClaudeConclusionClaude Code isnrsquot magic and it wonrsquot replace good judgment but it will remove much of the friction that keeps ideas from becoming real things Used well itrsquos like having a patient helper who can draft organise and tidy up code while you focus on what you actually want to build Start small keep your instructions clear and let it earn your trust one task at a time And if yoursquore tempted to run it unattended overnight remember automation is brilliant right up until it isnrsquot and you end up burning a bunch of credits Set limits use checks and review what it changesThe goal isnrsquot to hand over the steering wheel itrsquos to arrive faster with fewer bumps in the road