Claude Code in practice

Claude Code is Anthropic’s development tool. You describe a task in plain language: fix a bug, add a field to a form and to the database, update a dependency. It reads the code, proposes an approach, edits the files, runs the commands and the tests, and fixes what fails. It runs in a terminal, in the VS Code and JetBrains editors, in a desktop app and in the browser.

Getting started with Claude Code

  • Install it by following the vendor’s documentation, then launch it in your project folder.
  • Start by having it explain the project: how it is organized, where the tests are, how to run it.
  • Give it a small task first, one a test can verify, and review the result as you would a colleague’s work.
  • Write the project’s rules in a CLAUDE.md file before going further.

CLAUDE.md, the project’s memory

CLAUDE.md is a text file placed at the root of the repository, which Claude Code reads at the start of every session. It holds the coding conventions, the architecture decisions, the commands to use and the points to check. A repository that already has an AGENTS.md file can use that instead. It is the setting that weighs most on the quality of the result: a well-briefed agent makes fewer mistakes and asks fewer questions.

Automating with nobody at the screen

Claude Code can also be launched from a script or a continuous integration pipeline: reviewing a pull request, sorting reported bugs, updating dependencies on a set date. It connects to other tools through the MCP protocol, to read a ticket or a document without leaving the project. These uses call for limited permissions and a review before anything goes to production.

What makes it reliable

An agent is fast, and it is the method that makes it reliable. On a client project, our requirements are the same with or without AI: tests, a review by a person before anything goes to production, no secrets in the code, and code that belongs to you. Our Cursor or Claude Code comparison details what separates the two tools, and our business applications and AI MVP and POC pages describe the projects concerned.