Claude Code
Claude Code is Anthropic's command-line agentic coding tool. It runs inside a developer's terminal, reads and writes files in a working directory, runs commands, and orchestrates Anthropic's Claude models against the actual codebase rather than against pasted excerpts. It supports parallel research agents, Model Context Protocol servers, hooks, and per-project skill configuration, which makes it suitable for both interactive coding sessions and automated workflows in a real development environment.
Official WebsiteWhen to use Claude Code
Use Claude Code throughout discovery and delivery on greenfield projects, on integrations against unfamiliar third-party systems, on legacy modernisation work where the codebase needs to be understood before it can be moved, and on documentation and refactoring tasks that are tedious enough to be deferred indefinitely without help. It is a strong fit on junior-heavy teams, where it shortens the gap between "we have a brief" and "we have something running", provided every output is treated as a draft to be verified rather than an answer to be trusted.
Why choose Claude Code?
My rule for Claude Code use is: verify, do not trust. Every output is a draft. Every output has a brief and a verifier (a person, or a test, that will tell you whether the output is right) before the session starts. On a recent learner platform engagement I used Claude Code through discovery to reverse-engineer three unfamiliar third-party platforms, derive a Vue.js component library from kickoff design screenshots, and produce verifiable data mappings, which led to a runnable front end and back end inside the first week. The team built directly on that proof of concept for the next three months, with no rebuild between PoC and MVP.