Beyond Basic Prompts

Once you’re comfortable with Claude Code basics, it’s time to explore advanced patterns that can handle complex, multi-step tasks.

Multi-Agent Patterns

Claude Code supports spawning specialized agents for different tasks:

User: Research the best practices for React Server Components,
then implement them in our app

This triggers:

  1. Research agent - Gathers current best practices
  2. Analysis agent - Reviews your existing code
  3. Implementation - Applies changes systematically

Custom Skills

Skills are reusable command patterns. Create them in ~/.claude/skills/:

name: review-pr
description: Review a GitHub PR with security focus
prompt: |
  Review PR #{args.pr_number}:
  1. Check for security vulnerabilities
  2. Verify test coverage
  3. Ensure code style compliance
  4. Summarize findings

Invoke with:

/review-pr 123

Complex Refactoring

For large refactors, use a staged approach:

Phase 1: Analysis

User: Analyze the authentication system and identify
all components that need updating for OAuth2

Phase 2: Planning

User: Create a plan for migrating to OAuth2,
prioritizing backward compatibility

Phase 3: Execution

User: Execute phase 1 of the plan, focusing on
the token management module

Hooks for Automation

Hooks run before/after tool calls. Example hooks.json:

{
  "onBeforeCommit": {
    "command": "bun run lint && bun run test"
  },
  "onAfterWrite": {
    "pattern": "*.test.ts",
    "command": "bun test ${file}"
  }
}

Parallel Task Execution

Request parallel operations when tasks are independent:

User: In parallel:
1. Add input validation to all API endpoints
2. Create integration tests for the user service
3. Update the API documentation

Performance Optimization

For large codebases:

  • Use Glob and Grep before reading files
  • Limit file reads with offset and limit
  • Prefer Task agents for open-ended exploration

Debugging Complex Issues

Layer your debugging approach:

User: Debug the memory leak in the WebSocket handler:
1. First, analyze the lifecycle of connections
2. Then, trace the event listeners
3. Finally, check for retained references

Best Practices

  1. Break down complex tasks - Smaller steps = better results
  2. Use checkpoints - Commit after each major change
  3. Leverage agents - Delegate specialized work
  4. Document as you go - Keep CLAUDE.md updated