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claude code

Claude Code is a terminal-based AI coding assistant powered by Anthropic’s Claude model. Integrated directly into your shell, it reads your project context and helps you write, refactor, document, and test code through natural language commands—making coding faster and more intuitive.

It can ‘see’ all the folders on your computer that you give it access too. So it’s a great way to work with software, or documents locally, in a collaborative way with the machine.

Key features:

  1. Conversational coding interface:
    • Invoke Claude Code with simple commands in your terminal.
    • Ask for new functions, bug fixes, or code explanations in plain English.
    • Supports multi-turn interactions for complex requests.
  2. Context-aware code generation:
    • Automatically parses your codebase, file structure, and Git history.
    • Tailors suggestions to existing patterns and naming conventions.
    • Generates code snippets, commit messages, and pull requests.
  3. Refactoring and optimisation:
    • Request consistent style updates (e.g., migrate to async functions).
    • Simplify complex code blocks or extract reusable modules.
    • Automatically update imports and run refactor across multiple files.
  4. Testing and validation:
    • Generate unit tests or test scenarios for your functions.
    • Run tests and interpret failures or coverage gaps.
    • Suggest edge-case inputs and error handling improvements.
  5. Documentation and comments:
    • Produce docstrings in your preferred style (Google, NumPy, JSDoc).
    • Generate README sections or inline code explanations.
    • Translate comments into other languages for international teams.
  6. Integration and extensibility:
    • Works with any language supported by the Claude model.
    • Customisable approval modes: preview-only or auto-apply changes.
    • Integrates with existing CLIs, editors, and CI pipelines.

Use Cases:

  • Rapid Prototyping: Sketch new features and iterate without switching contexts.
  • Legacy code maintenance: Understand and modernise outdated codebases swiftly.
  • Onboarding: New developers use Claude Code to explore and document unfamiliar repos.
  • Pair programming: Solo developers gain a “rubber duck” that can write and explain code.

Claude code SOUNDS like a coding tool, but it can also do everything else a large language model can do, but in agent mode. What this means is, you could say for example give it three strategy documents and ask it to create a new strategy document that includes all of the information in all three in a new easy to read structure.

You can then ask it to write out that content in HTML with cool formatting - in slides, or for a website or for other ways. And because it is less limited in the power it can provide (because you’re paying for it) - it’s a fast way forward to get work done.

Installing it is super easy.

Go to your command prompt and type.

  1. Install the CLI:
    2. npm install -g @anthropic/claude-code
  2. Authenticate:
    3. claude-code login
  3. Navigate to your project directory and run:
    4. claude-code chat

I know this works on a Mac and and a Linux Computer and Chromebook. Try it on windows. Ask claude to help you if it doesn’t work.

Conclusion

Claude Code is one of my favourite AI tools - Period.

  • It seamlessly integrates with your computer.
  • It reduces context switching between editor, browser and terminal.
  • It can leverage advanced AI reasoning natively for more accurate code.
  • Empowers developers of all levels to write high-quality, well-tested code faster.
  • The only downside to it, is the tokens are expensive, however they are some of the most accurate in the busienss so it’s a well trusted model.
  • I’d use this over OpenAI’s CLI product.

For more information, visit https://claude.ai/code and check the documentation at https://claude.ai/docs/code.