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Claude Code Power User Guide

Sessions, permissions, skills, MCP, hooks, subagents, and workflows. No fluff.

By Joon | AI Agent Architect, Founder of AI Topia · April 2026

12 Sections

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MCP & Skills Guide

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Sessions Permissions Thinking CLAUDE.md .claude Folder Skills Hooks Subagents MCP Shortcuts Rewind Workflows

1Session Management

Command	What It Does
`claude`	New session in current directory
`claude -c`	Resume most recent session
`claude -r`	Browse and pick from recent sessions
`claude -n "name"`	Name a session at start
`/resume`	Switch sessions without exiting
`/compact`	Summarize history to free context
`/clear`	Wipe context and start fresh

Pro Tip

Name sessions for active features (claude -n "auth-refactor"). Resume with claude -r the next day.

2Permission Modes

Cycle with Shift+Tab

Mode	Behavior
`default`	Prompts for every dangerous operation
`acceptEdits`	Auto-accepts file edits, prompts for commands
`plan`	Read-only. No edits, no execution
`auto`	AI classifiers block danger, safe ops run freely

When to use Plan Mode

Any task that touches 5+ files or crosses system boundaries. Available tools: Read, Glob, Grep, WebFetch, WebSearch.

3Extended Thinking (Adaptive)

Claude decides dynamically when and how deeply to think. Toggle: Alt+T

Trigger Word	Depth
`"think"`	Light reasoning
`"think harder"`	Deeper analysis
`"ultrathink"`	Maximum depth

Ultraplan (Research Preview)

Planning runs on Anthropic's cloud with Opus 4.6 + 1M context for up to 30 minutes. Terminal stays free while planning runs remotely.

4CLAUDE.md & Memory

Persistent memory files. More specific overrides on conflict. Keep each under 200 lines.

Level	Path	Scope
Global	`~/.claude/CLAUDE.md`	All projects
Project	`/root/CLAUDE.md`	Shared (committed)
Directory	`/root/frontend/CLAUDE.md`	Subdirectory-scoped
Personal	`/root/CLAUDE.local.md`	Gitignored, private

What to include:

Tech stackConventionsBuild commandsArchitectureTesting rulesGotchas

Auto Memory

Claude writes notes to ~/.claude/memory/MEMORY.md based on your corrections and preferences.

5Anatomy of the .claude Folder

your_project/
├── CLAUDE.md              # Project instructions
├── CLAUDE.local.md        # Personal, gitignored
├── .claude/
│   ├── settings.json       # Permissions & env
│   ├── settings.local.json
│   ├── skills/
│   │   ├── code-review/
│   │   │   └── SKILL.md
│   │   └── testing/
│   │       └── SKILL.md
│   ├── commands/
│   │   └── deploy.md
│   ├── agents/
│   │   └── security-reviewer.md
│   └── arc/                # Session archives
├── .mcp.json              # Shared MCP config
└── .gitignore

settings.json

{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": ["Read:*", "Bash:git:*"],
    "deny": ["Read:env:*", "Bash:sudo:*"]
  },
  "hooks": {
    "PostToolUse": [{
      "matcher": "Write",
      "hooks": [{
        "type": "command",
        "command": "prettier --write $FILE"
      }]
    }]
  },
  "env": {
    "MAX_THINKING_TOKENS": "10000"
  }
}

6Skills (The Superpower)

Markdown guides Claude auto-invokes via natural language. Description field is critical for auto-activation.

Project Skill

.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md

Personal Skill

~/.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md

---
name: testing-patterns
description: Jest testing patterns
allowed tools: Read, Grep, Glob
---
Use describe + it + AAA pattern.
Use factory mocks. No snapshots.

Skill Ideas for Engineers:

code-reviewtestingdeployapi-designsecurity-auditcommit-messages

7Hooks System

Run shell commands, prompts, or sub-agents at lifecycle events. Browse with /hooks.

CommandPromptAgent

Event	Use Case
`PreToolUse`	Block edits to sensitive files, validate inputs
`PostToolUse`	Auto-format on every file write
`SessionStart`	Load context on launch
`PreCommit`	Secret detection
`Notification`	Slack/webhook alerts

Exit code 2 = Block

Return exit code 2 from a hook to block the action. Use this for guardrails (prevent edits to .env, block sudo, etc).

8Subagents & Worktrees

Independent Claude instances with own context, system prompt, and scoped tool access.

Research

Read-only, parallel exploration across the codebase

Implementation

Full edit access, scoped to specific files or directories

Worktree-Isolated

claude -w feature-name creates isolated git branch

Agent Teams

Peer-to-peer coordination via mailbox system (experimental)

# Enable Agent Teams (experimental)
{
  "env": {
    "CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS": "1"
  }
}

9MCP Servers (Model Context Protocol)

Connect Claude Code to external tools and data. 20,000+ public servers. Scopes: local user project

Setup Commands:

# Add a server
claude mcp add <name> <command> [args]

# Import from Claude Desktop
claude mcp add-from-claude-desktop

# List / Remove
claude mcp list
claude mcp remove <name>

Quick Install:

# Context7 - current library docs
claude mcp add context7 \
  npx -y @anthropic-ai/context7-mcp

# Brave Search
claude mcp add brave-search \
  npx -y @anthropic-ai/brave-search-mcp

# Filesystem
claude mcp add filesystem \
  npx -y @anthropic-ai/filesystem-mcp /dir

Top MCP Servers:

GitHub (PRs, issues, repos)Supabase (DB, migrations)Context7 (1000+ lib docs)Firecrawl (web scrape)Brave Search (web search)Playwright (browser)Sequential ThinkingPostgreSQL (direct DB)NotionLinearSlackGoogle Drive

10Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Interrupt generation	`Escape`
Rewind mode	`Escape x2`
Cycle permission modes	`Shift+Tab`
Stash current prompt	`Ctrl+S`
Search command history	`Ctrl+R`
External editor input	`Ctrl+G`
Kill all bg agents	`Ctrl+F x2`
Toggle extended thinking	`Alt+T`
Model picker	`Alt+P`
Multi-line mode	`Alt+M`
Side question	`/btw`
Show all shortcuts	`?`

Custom keybindings: ~/.claude/keybindings.json

11Rewind & Plugins

Rewind / Checkpointing

Press Escape twice or type /rewind

Conversation→Roll back chat, keep file changes

Files→Restore files, keep conversation

Both→Full rewind to checkpoint

Plugins Marketplace

Command	Action
`/plugin`	Open plugin manager (Discover/Installed/Updates)
`/plugin install <name>`	Install from official marketplace
`/reload-plugins`	Activate after install

101 official plugins (33 by Anthropic). Community at claudemarketplaces.com and buildwithclaude.com (497+).

12Daily Workflow Pattern

cd project && claude→Shift+Tab → Plan→Describe intent→Shift+Tab → Auto→/compact when slow→Commit frequently

Morning Standup

claude -c then "What did we work on yesterday? Summarize changes and what's left."

Parallel Research

Launch multiple subagents to explore different parts of the codebase. Findings return without polluting main context.

Context Optimization

Use /compact when Claude gets slow. /btw for side questions. Ctrl+S to stash prompts mid-flow.

MCP-Powered Dev

Connect Supabase + GitHub + Brave Search. Claude queries your DB, checks PRs, and researches without leaving the terminal.

Quick Reference Card

Start

claudeNew session

claude -cResume

claude -wWorktree

/initGen CLAUDE.md

Navigate

/compactFree space

/clearFresh start

Esc x2Rewind

/btwSide Q

Modes

Shift+TabCycle modes

Alt+TThinking

Alt+PModel picker

?All shortcuts

MCP

mcp addAdd server

mcp listList servers

/pluginPlugin mgr

/hooksBrowse hooks

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