Claude Code (Anthropic): the learning curve, solved. ~16K-line guide + 103 templates + 257 quiz questions + 22 event hooks + 47 resource evaluations. Beginner → Power User.
Quickest path: Cheat Sheet — 1 printable page with daily essentials
Interactive onboarding (no clone needed):
claude "Fetch and follow the onboarding instructions from: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/FlorianBruniaux/claude-code-ultimate-guide/main/tools/onboarding-prompt.md"Browse directly: Full Guide | Examples | Quiz
Prerequisites & Minimal CLAUDE.md Template
Prerequisites: Node.js 18+ | Anthropic API key
# Project: [NAME]
## Tech Stack
- Language: [e.g., TypeScript]
- Framework: [e.g., Next.js 14]
- Testing: [e.g., Vitest]
## Commands
- Build: `npm run build`
- Test: `npm test`
- Lint: `npm run lint`
## Rules
- Run tests before marking tasks complete
- Follow existing code patterns
- Keep commits atomic and conventionalSave as CLAUDE.md in your project root. Claude reads it automatically.
graph LR
root[📦 Repository<br/>Root]
root --> guide[📖 guide/<br/>16K lines]
root --> examples[📋 examples/<br/>89 templates]
root --> quiz[🧠 quiz/<br/>257 questions]
root --> tools[🔧 tools/<br/>utils]
root --> machine[🤖 machine-readable/<br/>AI index]
root --> docs[📚 docs/<br/>41 evaluations]
style root fill:#d35400,stroke:#e67e22,stroke-width:3px,color:#fff
style guide fill:#2980b9,stroke:#3498db,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff
style examples fill:#8e44ad,stroke:#9b59b6,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff
style quiz fill:#d68910,stroke:#f39c12,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff
style tools fill:#5d6d7e,stroke:#7f8c8d,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff
style machine fill:#138d75,stroke:#16a085,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff
style docs fill:#c0392b,stroke:#e74c3c,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff
Detailed Structure (Text View)
📦 claude-code-ultimate-guide/
│
├─ 📖 guide/ Core Documentation (~16K lines)
│ ├─ ultimate-guide.md Complete reference, 10 sections
│ ├─ cheatsheet.md 1-page printable
│ ├─ architecture.md How Claude Code works internally
│ ├─ methodologies.md TDD, SDD, BDD workflows
│ ├─ mcp-servers-ecosystem.md Official & community MCP servers
│ └─ workflows/ Step-by-step guides
│
├─ 📋 examples/ 86 Production Templates
│ ├─ agents/ 6 custom AI personas
│ ├─ commands/ 18 slash commands
│ ├─ hooks/ 18 security hooks (bash + PowerShell)
│ ├─ skills/ 1 meta-skill (Claudeception)
│ └─ scripts/ Utility scripts (audit, search)
│
├─ 🧠 quiz/ 257 Questions
│ ├─ 9 categories Setup, Agents, MCP, Trust, Advanced...
│ ├─ 4 profiles Junior, Senior, Power User, PM
│ └─ Instant feedback Doc links + score tracking
│
├─ 🔧 tools/ Interactive Utilities
│ ├─ onboarding-prompt Personalized guided tour
│ └─ audit-prompt Setup audit & recommendations
│
├─ 🤖 machine-readable/ AI-Optimized Index
│ ├─ reference.yaml Structured index (~2K tokens)
│ └─ llms.txt Standard LLM context file
│
└─ 📚 docs/ 46 Resource Evaluations
└─ resource-evaluations/ 5-point scoring, source attribution
We explain concepts first, not just configs:
- Architecture — How Claude Code works internally
- Trade-offs — When to use agents vs skills vs commands
- Pitfalls — Common mistakes and solutions
Only comprehensive assessment available — test your understanding across 9 categories:
- Setup & Configuration
- Agents & Sub-Agents
- MCP Servers & Integration
- Trust & Verification
- Advanced Patterns
Try the Quiz Online → | Run Locally
Complete guides with rationale and examples:
- TDD — Test-Driven Development
- SDD — Specification-Driven Development
- BDD — Behavior-Driven Development
- GSD — Get Shit Done pattern
Educational templates with explanations:
- Agents (6), Commands (18), Hooks (18), Skills
- Comments explaining why each pattern works
- Gradual complexity progression
Systematic assessment of external resources (5-point scoring):
- Articles, videos, tools, frameworks
- Honest assessments with source attribution
- Integration recommendations
Junior Developer — Foundation path (7 steps)
- Quick Start — Install & first workflow
- Essential Commands — The 7 commands
- Context Management — Critical concept
- Memory Files — Your first CLAUDE.md
- Learning with AI — Use AI without becoming dependent ⭐
- TDD Workflow — Test-first development
- Cheat Sheet — Print this
Senior Developer — Intermediate path (6 steps)
- Core Concepts — Mental model
- Plan Mode — Safe exploration
- Methodologies — TDD, SDD, BDD reference
- Agents — Custom AI personas
- Hooks — Event automation
- CI/CD Integration — Pipelines
Power User — Comprehensive path (7 steps)
- Complete Guide — End-to-end
- Architecture — How Claude Code works
- Security Hardening — MCP vetting, injection defense
- MCP Servers — Extended capabilities
- Trinity Pattern — Advanced workflows
- Observability — Monitor costs & sessions
- Examples — Production templates
Product Manager / DevOps / Designer
Product Manager (5 steps):
- What's Inside — Scope overview
- Golden Rules — Key principles
- Data Privacy — Retention & compliance
- Adoption Approaches — Team strategies
- PM FAQ — Code-adjacent vs non-coding PMs
Note: Non-coding PMs should consider Claude Cowork Guide instead.
DevOps / SRE (5 steps):
- DevOps & SRE Guide — FIRE framework
- K8s Troubleshooting — Symptom-based prompts
- Incident Response — Workflows
- IaC Patterns — Terraform, Ansible
- Guardrails — Security boundaries
Product Designer (5 steps):
- Working with Images — Image analysis
- Wireframing Tools — ASCII/Excalidraw
- Figma MCP — Design file access
- Design-to-Code Workflow — Figma → Claude
- Cheat Sheet — Print this
- Week 1: Foundations (install, CLAUDE.md, first agent)
- Week 2: Core Features (skills, hooks, trust calibration)
- Week 3: Advanced (MCP servers, methodologies)
- Month 2+: Production mastery (CI/CD, observability)
cc-copilot-bridge routes Claude Code through GitHub Copilot Pro+ for flat-rate access ($10/month instead of per-token billing).
# Install
git clone https://github.com/FlorianBruniaux/cc-copilot-bridge.git && cd cc-copilot-bridge && ./install.sh
# Use
ccc # Copilot mode (flat $10/month)
ccd # Direct Anthropic mode (per-token)
cco # Offline mode (Ollama, 100% local)Benefits: Multi-provider switching, rate limit bypass, 99%+ cost savings on heavy usage.
- Start small — First project: 10-15 lines CLAUDE.md max
- Read before edit — Always Read → Understand → Edit (never blind Write)
- Test-first — Write test → Watch fail → Implement → Pass
- Use
/compactbefore context hits 70% — prevention beats recovery - Review everything — AI code has 1.75× more logic errors (source)
- Context = Gold — Clear CLAUDE.md > clever prompts
Context management is critical. See the Cheat Sheet for thresholds and actions.
| Resource | Purpose | Tokens |
|---|---|---|
| llms.txt | Standard context file | ~1K |
| reference.yaml | Structured index with line numbers | ~2K |
Quick load: curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/FlorianBruniaux/claude-code-ultimate-guide/main/machine-readable/reference.yaml
Claude Code has two major community resources:
| Resource | Focus | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| This Guide | 🎓 Educational depth, methodologies | Deep understanding, learning WHY |
| everything-claude-code | ⚙️ Production configs, plugin install | Quick setup, battle-tested patterns |
Recommended workflow: Learn concepts here → Leverage production configs there → Return for deep dives
Both resources serve different needs. Use what fits your learning style and project requirements.
Claude Cowork is the companion guide for non-technical users (knowledge workers, assistants, managers).
Same agentic capabilities as Claude Code, but through a visual interface with no coding required.
→ Claude Cowork Guide — File organization, document generation, automated workflows
Status: Research preview (Pro $20/mo or Max $100-200/mo, macOS only, VPN incompatible)
| Project | Focus | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| claude-code-templates | Distribution (200+ templates) | CLI installation (17k⭐) |
| anthropics/skills | Official Anthropic skills (60K+⭐) | Documents, design, dev templates |
| skills.sh | Skills marketplace | One-command install (Vercel Labs) |
| awesome-claude-code | Curation | Resource discovery |
| AI Coding Agents Matrix | Technical comparison | Comparing 23+ alternatives |
Community: 🇫🇷 Dev With AI — 1500+ devs on Slack, meetups in Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon
→ AI Ecosystem Guide — Complete integration patterns with complementary AI tools
Origins & Philosophy
This guide is the result of several months of daily practice with Claude Code. I don't claim expertise—I'm sharing what I've learned to help peers and evangelize AI-assisted development best practices.
Philosophy: Learning journey over reference manual. Understanding why before how. Progressive complexity — start simple, master advanced at your pace.
Created with Claude Code. Community-validated through contributions and feedback.
Key Inspirations:
- Claudelog.com — Excellent patterns & tutorials
- zebbern/claude-code-guide — Comprehensive reference with security focus
- ykdojo/claude-code-tips — Practical productivity techniques
Privacy & Data
Claude Code sends your prompts, file contents, and MCP results to Anthropic servers.
- Default: 5 years retention (training enabled) | Opt-out: 30 days | Enterprise: 0
- Action: Disable training | Full privacy guide
| File | Purpose | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ultimate Guide | Complete reference (~16K lines), 10 sections | ~4 hours |
| Cheat Sheet | 1-page printable reference | 5 min |
| Visual Reference | 20 ASCII diagrams for key concepts | 5 min |
| Architecture | How Claude Code works internally | 25 min |
| Methodologies | TDD, SDD, BDD reference | 20 min |
| Workflows | Practical guides (TDD, Plan-Driven, Task Management) | 30 min |
| Data Privacy | Retention & compliance | 10 min |
| Security Hardening | MCP vetting, injection defense | 25 min |
| Sandbox Isolation | Docker Sandboxes, cloud alternatives, safe autonomy | 10 min |
| Production Safety | Port stability, DB safety, infrastructure lock | 20 min |
| DevOps & SRE | FIRE framework, K8s troubleshooting, incident response | 30 min |
| AI Ecosystem | Complementary AI tools & integration patterns | 20 min |
| AI Traceability | Code attribution & provenance tracking | 15 min |
| Search Tools Cheatsheet | Grep, Serena, ast-grep, grepai comparison | 5 min |
| Learning with AI | Use AI without becoming dependent | 15 min |
| Claude Code Releases | Official release history | 10 min |
Examples Library (89 templates)
Agents (6): code-reviewer, test-writer, security-auditor, refactoring-specialist, output-evaluator, devops-sre ⭐
Slash Commands (18): /pr, /commit, /release-notes, /diagnose, /security, /refactor, /explain, /optimize, /ship...
Security Hooks (18): dangerous-actions-blocker, prompt-injection-detector, unicode-injection-scanner, output-secrets-scanner...
Skills (1): Claudeception — Meta-skill that auto-generates skills from session discoveries ⭐
Plugins (1): SE-CoVe — Chain-of-Verification for independent code review (Meta AI, ACL 2024)
Utility Scripts: session-search.sh, audit-scan.sh
GitHub Actions: claude-pr-auto-review.yml, claude-security-review.yml, claude-issue-triage.yml
Integrations (1): Agent Vibes TTS - Text-to-speech narration for Claude Code responses
Knowledge Quiz (257 questions)
Test your Claude Code knowledge with an interactive CLI quiz covering all guide sections.
cd quiz && npm install && npm startFeatures: 4 profiles (Junior/Senior/Power User/PM), 10 topic categories, immediate feedback with doc links, score tracking with weak area identification.
Resource Evaluations (47 assessments)
Systematic evaluation of external resources (tools, methodologies, articles) before integration into the guide.
Methodology: 5-point scoring system (Critical → Low) with technical review and challenge phase for objectivity.
Evaluations: GSD methodology, Worktrunk, Boris Cowork video, AST-grep, ClawdBot analysis, and more.
We welcome:
- ✅ Corrections and clarifications
- ✅ New quiz questions
- ✅ Methodologies and workflows
- ✅ Resource evaluations (see process)
- ✅ Educational content improvements
See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
Ways to Help: Star the repo • Report issues • Submit PRs • Share workflows in Discussions
Guide: CC BY-SA 4.0 — Educational content is open for reuse with attribution.
Templates: CC0 1.0 — Copy-paste freely, no attribution needed.
Author: Florian BRUNIAUX | Founding Engineer @Méthode Aristote
Stay Updated: Watch releases | Discussions | Connect on LinkedIn
- Claude Code CLI — Official website
- Documentation — Official docs
- CHANGELOG — Official changelog
- GitHub Issues — Bug reports & feature requests
- everything-claude-code — Production configs (31.9k⭐)
- awesome-claude-code — Curated links
- SuperClaude Framework — Behavioral modes
- Ask Zread — Ask questions about this guide
- Interactive Quiz — 257 questions
- Landing Site — Visual navigation
Version 3.22.0 | February 2026 | Crafted with Claude
