Claude Code is still crushing it - My updated workflow

Three months ago I wrote about Claude Code automation, and the AI coding landscape has completely lost its mind since then. New tools drop daily, my LinkedIn feed is a graveyard of “revolutionary AI breakthroughs,” and yet here I am, still using Claude Code like it’s my favorite hoodie.

You know, the one you wear even though it has that weird stain from that time you tried to eat spaghetti while coding. Don’t judge me.

Table of contents

Why I’m still team Claude Code (and you probably should be too)

Everyone’s asking if I’ve jumped ship to the latest shiny AI coding tool. Short answer: nope. Long answer: noooooope.

Claude Code is still the best tool in my workflow, even with all the new competition trying to steal its lunch money. I’ve tested most of them - or at least I try to keep up, which is like trying to drink from a fire hose while someone keeps turning up the pressure.

But here’s the thing: when you’re debugging at 2 AM and your server’s throwing errors like confetti at a parade, you need something that actually works. Not something that might work. Not something that works most of the time. Something that just freaking works.

Claude Code just works. Plus, I’ve picked up some tricks that are making me even more productive than when I last wrote about using Claude Code. You can read that here: Claude Code automation: building AI agent systems that write, test, and improve code automatically.

The “ultra think” trick that sounds fake but isn’t

Here’s the simplest productivity hack that sounds like something a YouTube guru made up to sell courses: just add “ultra think” to your prompts when you’re stuck on something complex.

I was skeptical too. “Ultra think? Really? What’s next, mega-ultra-super think?” But then I actually checked Anthropic’s documentation¹, and holy moly, it’s actually legitimate. When you tell Claude Code to ultra think, it processes the problem longer and more thoroughly. It’s like telling your AI to put on its serious pants.

I save this for the real head-scratchers - the ones where Claude Code has already whiffed once or twice. Complex business logic that makes my brain hurt, weird race conditions in state management, that one bug that only happens on Thursdays when Mercury is in retrograde. It’s such a simple trick, but it actually works.

Background tasks: The feature nobody’s using (but should be)

Background tasks in Claude Code, and I’m genuinely confused why more people aren’t losing their minds over this.

Before background tasks (aka the dark ages)

My old workflow was basically:

1. Run backend server in separate terminal
2. Error happens
3. Copy error from terminal
4. Paste into Claude Code
5. Get suggestion
6. Repeat until I question my career choices

I was a glorified human clipboard. Copy, paste, repeat. Copy, paste, cry a little. You know the drill.

After background tasks (aka the enlightenment)

Now I just tell Claude Code: “Hey buddy, run the server in the background for me.”

You’ll see this cute little indicator showing “1 bash running,” and suddenly Claude Code has live access to all your server logs. No more copy-paste Olympics. When something inevitably breaks (because let’s be honest, something always breaks), Claude Code just checks the logs itself like a responsible adult.

This is way better than my old workflow from my Claude Code automation experiments where I was literally babysitting AI agents through every step. Now they can actually handle the boring stuff while I focus on the interesting problems.

This is genuinely game-changing for debugging. If you use Claude Code with any kind of server and you’re not using this, you’re basically choosing to work harder instead of smarter. Stop it. Love yourself more.

Note: Requires Node.js 18 or higher. Learned this the hard way on a few legacy systems where I still have to copy and paste like it’s 2015. The pain is real.

Claude Code as your personal research assistant

Here’s something that’s saving me more time than I care to admit: using Claude Code to research complex features before building them.

Example: You need to implement PDF extraction. Instead of spending an hour down the Google rabbit hole reading Stack Overflow answers from 2012, you ask Claude Code to do a web search, find current best methods for PDF OCR extraction, and create a detailed implementation plan in a markdown file.

Even better: if you have a Claude Code subscription, you also get Claude desktop with deep research mode. This beast will search hundreds of sources for up to 20 to 30 minutes. It’s like having a research assistant who never complains about the coffee and actually enjoys reading documentation.

My workflow:

1. Use Claude desktop for deep technical research (while I get actual coffee)
2. Copy findings into Claude Code
3. Let Claude Code implement based on the research
4. Ship the feature
5. Take credit for being brilliant

There’s more to it but you get the idea. I’m here to help you think for yourself, not spoon-feed you everything. (But if people want a deep dive on my research workflow, I’ll write about that too. Just ask nicely.)

MCPs: Finally making sense

Remember my post about AI agents having their jQuery moment? MCPs (Model Context Protocol servers) are proving that point. I’ll admit I didn’t fully understand them at first, but now they’re essential to my workflow. One of the reasons I wrote that post - you don’t learn what you don’t research and use.

Context MCP: Your documentation butler

The Context MCP² gives Claude Code instant access to updated documentation. Working with Firebase? Instead of copying docs URLs like some kind of caveman, I just say “make sure you’re using the latest Firebase documentation” and Claude Code pulls it automatically.

It’s like having Alfred from Batman, but for documentation. And it works for practically every framework and library you’re using. No more “wait, is this the v4 or v5 syntax?” moments.

Database MCPs: Direct database access

The Firebase MCP lets Claude Code read and modify my database directly. When a user reports a bug, I can say “Check user X’s data in Firebase” and boom - instant results.

Before MCPs, I’d write JavaScript or SQL commands or manually dig through databases like I was mining for gold. Now Claude Code handles it all. There are MCPs for Firebase, Convex, AWS - basically every major service has one. It’s beautiful.

GitHub integration: Your robot code reviewer

As a solo developer, I don’t have a team to review my code. It’s just me, myself, and I. And let’s be honest, I’m terrible at catching my own mistakes. I once spent three hours debugging only to realize I typed “fucntion” instead of “function.” Three. Hours.

Claude Code’s GitHub integration fills that gap. Every commit gets reviewed automatically for bugs, security issues, and best practices. Setup is stupidly simple - just type /install-github-app and Claude Code handles everything. You do need to be an admin though, so no sneaking this into your corporate repo without permission.

About half the comments are generic fluff, but it’s caught enough real issues to save my bacon multiple times. Memory leaks, uninitialized variables, potential security problems - stuff that would’ve bitten me in production.

For beginners especially, this is gold. It’s like having a senior developer reviewing your code, minus the judgment and passive-aggressive comments. And yes, I have tried GitHub Copilot but it’s not as good and I’m already paying for Claude Code so why add another subscription to my “I’ll cancel this next month” list?

Claude Code on the web: Coding from anywhere

Okay, this deserves its own section because it’s kind of ridiculous how useful this is. Claude Code on the web³ means I can literally code from my iPhone while sitting at my son’s water polo practice.

Picture this: Can’t sleep at 3 AM, brain won’t shut off about a feature idea. Instead of losing it by morning, I grab my phone from the nightstand: ‘Claude, implement that A/B test in PostHog we discussed but with cookie-based persistence.’ Wake up to a pull request from myself.

Done. From my phone. While falling back to sleep.

I’ve fixed bugs during my kid’s water polo practice, updated configurations while in line at the DMV, and even pushed a hotfix from a bathroom stall (we’ve all been there, don’t pretend you haven’t).

Is typing on a phone screen ideal? No. But being able to give Claude Code high-level commands and have it execute them perfectly while I’m away from my desk? That’s the future I was promised in all those sci-fi movies, minus the flying cars.

Why I dictate everything (and you should too)

To be fair, I don’t dictate everything. Sometimes I type like a normal person. But people keep asking about my dictation setup like I’ve got some secret sauce. Ready for the big reveal?

Mac accessibility settings. That’s it. That’s the tweet.

Your Mac already has voice features built in. Why pay for something when Tim Apple already gave it to you? Go to System Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control. Boom. You’re welcome.

Quick sidebar: If you’re using the Claude desktop app (Mac or Windows), you can dictate directly into it. No setup needed. Just talk to it like you’re having a conversation. But Claude Code in the terminal? That’s a different beast. You need either Mac’s accessibility features or a third-party tool to dictate there. The desktop app has its own voice input built in, but when you’re in terminal-land, you’re on your own.

I’ve seen others use Whisper Flow and swear by it. Maybe it’s better. I’ll try it eventually when I’m not busy using the free thing that already works perfectly.

The real value of dictation isn’t the tech - it’s that you naturally give more context when speaking. Explaining a bug verbally is like calling your mom versus texting her. The call has all the emotion, the context, the “well, first this happened, then this other thing…” that makes the problem clear.

But real talk: if you stop typing, you’ll lose that skill. Remember that MIT study I wrote about in Your brain on AI? They found we’re losing critical thinking and problem-solving skills by over-relying on AI. Balance is key - use dictation for brainstorming, but keep those typing muscles active.

Aliases: Small optimization, big impact

I hear often of others talk about snippet in their clipboard history that they by apps for and that Tim Apple recently added to the lasts Mac OS. You can actually save snippets that you frequently use to aliases. This productivity tip that’ll make you feel like a command-line wizard: aliases in your .bashrc or .zshrc file.

I type ‘claudeblog’ and Claude Code opens right in my blog repository with the right Node version. No navigation, no typing paths, no remembering which Node version this project needs.

# Open project and Claude Code
alias claudeblog="cd ~/Code/astro-blog/ && nvm use 22.20.0 && claude"

# Open project and start dev server
coderun() { code "$1" && cd "$1" && npm run dev }

# Watch Star Wars Episode IV in ASCII art via telnet (classic easter egg) 
alias starwars="telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl" 

# Text-to-speech joke command (macOS say command) - phonetic humor
alias fuh="say pho the face" 

# Reload zsh configuration without restarting terminal 
alias start="source ~/.zshrc" 

# Quick navigation to home directory (alternative to just 'cd' or '~') 
alias home="cd ~"

Why do I have these? Because I’m lazy in the best way possible. The Star Wars one is for when I need a 10-minute break but want to feel productive. The “fuh” command makes my 12-year-old laugh every single time (I’m not proud, but I’m not sorry either).

Key things to remember: Keep aliases short but memorable. Avoid overriding existing important commands (learned that one the hard way). Document complex aliases with comments so future you doesn’t hate current you.

When you’re juggling multiple projects, these small optimizations add up fast. I see developers using expensive third-party services to record shortcuts and I’m like… your terminal already does this for free. If people want a deep dive on my entire alias setup and how it saves me probably 30 minutes a day, let me know. I’ll write that post.

Custom agents: Useful in specific cases

Claude Code agents are… fine. Not revolutionary, but occasionally helpful. I really hope to eat these words later when they become amazing, but right now they’re like that exercise bike you bought - great in theory, barely used in practice.

My one regular use: an iOS agent with specific instructions to use latest Swift syntax, check Apple documentation via Context MCP, and follow iOS design patterns. When Swift updates (which happens more often than I update my passwords), this agent keeps me current.

But for most tasks? Regular Claude Code handles it perfectly. Don’t overthink it.

The little things that matter

Custom status lines are surprisingly useful. Below Claude Code’s input box, I see my current Git branch and time since last commit. It’s like a gentle parent reminding you to clean your room, except the room is your codebase and cleaning means committing.

Type /statusline and tell Claude Code what you want. I keep it simple - project name, branch name, Node.js version, and last commit time. Some people add weather updates and stock prices. Those people have different priorities than me, and that’s okay.

And if you’re constantly context-switching between projects?(Like this guy here) I wrote an entire post about using the /history command to find and resume any conversation from your entire Claude Code history - not just your last 3 sessions. Game-changer for “wait, how did I fix that last week?” moments.

Real talk: Is Claude Code worth it?

After months of daily use, here’s my unfiltered verdict:

Claude Code is still the best AI coding tool available. Full stop.

The combination of background tasks, MCPs, GitHub integration, and genuine context understanding makes it indispensable. I’m shipping faster, catching bugs earlier, and spending less time on the boring stuff that makes me question my life choices.

For engineering teams, it’s an obvious win. For solo developers like me, it’s like having a brilliant intern who never needs sleep, never steals your lunch, and occasionally surprises you with solutions you didn’t think of.

Is it perfect? No. Does it sometimes do weird stuff that makes me go “what the hell, Claude?” Absolutely. But it’s still leagues ahead of everything else I’ve tried.

What’s next?

The pace of change is absolutely bonkers - just look at my monthly tech chaos roundups if you want proof of how insane things have gotten. By the time you read this, Claude Code might have three new features I haven’t discovered yet. That’s both exciting and exhausting.

I’ll write another update in a few months when Claude Code inevitably adds something else that changes how I work. Until then, I’m focused on shipping code, breaking things in interesting ways, and pretending I know what I’m doing.

If you’ve got Claude Code workflow tips, hit me up on LinkedIn. I try to respond to everyone, though my response time ranges from “immediately” to “sorry, just saw this from 3 months ago.”

Want me to write about the AI tools that didn’t make the cut? There’s definitely a post brewing about alternatives that made me appreciate Claude Code even more. Spoiler: Some of them were rough.

Until next time, keep shipping and remember - if your code works on the first try, you probably forgot to run it.

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