Working effectively

Five habits from the official guidance:

• It's a conversation. You don't need perfect prompts. Start with what you want, then refine — when the first attempt isn't right, you iterate, not start over.
• Be specific upfront. Reference files, mention constraints, point to example patterns.
• Give Claude something to verify against. Test cases, screenshots of expected UI, defined outputs.
• Explore before implementing. Use Plan mode (Shift+Tab twice) to separate research from coding.
• Delegate, don't dictate. Give context and direction, then trust Claude to figure out details.

prompt — specific + verifiable

The checkout flow is broken for users with expired cards.
Check src/payments/ for the issue, especially token refresh.
Write a failing test first, then fix it.

prompt — verify against test cases

Implement validateEmail. Test cases: 'user@example.com' -> true,
'invalid' -> false, 'user@.com' -> false. Run the tests after.

Two-phase work

Review the plan, refine it through conversation, then let Claude implement. This produces better results than jumping straight to code.

Check your understanding

Question 1Why give Claude test cases in the prompt?

AIt types fasterBClaude performs better when it can check its own workCTests are requiredDIt reduces cost

Question 2"Delegate, don't dictate" means…

ANever give contextBSpecify every file to readCGive context and direction, let Claude figure out the detailsDUse auto mode always

Further reading

• Best practices
• Common workflows