Claude Code: A Comprehensive Guide to AI-Powered Development Tools

Introduction

Claude Code is an AI-assisted development toolkit designed to streamline coding workflows through natural language interaction. This guide covers essential commands, configuration options, and advanced features to help developers leverage this tool effectively.

1. Installation and Setup

1.1 Basic Installation

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
claudeupdate

Verifies installation:

claude --version

1.2 Core Configuration

# Set default AI model
claude config set model claude-0pus-4-1-20250805

# Enable dark theme globally
claude config set -g theme dark

# View all settings
claude config list

Configuration files stored in:

• User settings: ~/.claude/settings.json
• Project settings: .claude/settings.json

2. Essential Commands

2.1 Interactive Commands

2.2 Advanced Operations

Git Worktree Management:

git worktree add ../app-feature -b feature main  # Create new branch workspace
git worktree list  # List all active worktrees

MCP Server Integration:

# Browser automation
claude mcp add playwright npx @playwright/mcp@latest

# Documentation access
claude mcp add --transport http context7 https://mcp.context7.com/mcp

3. File Management and Automation

3.1 Key File Locations

3.2 Hook System

Supported trigger events:

{
  "HookEvents": [
    "PreToolUse",
    "PostToolUse",
    "UserPromptSubmit",
    "SessionStart",
    "SessionEnd"
  ]
}

Example hook configuration:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PostToolUse": "npm run lint",
    "SessionStart": "echo 'Development session started'"
  }
}

4. AI Model Selection

5. Advanced Configuration

5.1 Performance Tuning

# Increase output length
claude config set max_tokens 4096

# Add code directories to index
claude config add include_dirs src/ tests/

5.2 Cost Management

# Use lighter model for simple tasks
claude config set model claude-3-5-haiku-20241022

# Monitor token usage
claude cost --detailed

6. Troubleshooting Guide

6.1 Common Issues

Configuration Errors:

# Check detailed diagnostics
claude doctor --verbose

# Reset configurations
claude config reset

Version Conflicts:

# Install specific version
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@1.2.3

# Verify environment compatibility
claude doctor --check-env

6.2 Security Settings

# View current permissions
claude permissions

# Enable restricted mode
claude config set restricted true

7. Extending Functionality

7.1 Custom MCP Server

Create mcp-server.js:

const { Server } = require('@modelcontextprotocol/sdk');
const server = new Server({
  name: "custom-service",
  version: "1.0.0"
});

// Add custom tools
server.addTool({
  name: "data-processor",
  description: "Process structured data"
  // Implementation...
});

Register server:

claude mcp add custom mcp-server.js

7.2 Development Workflow

# Start VSCode with Claude
code . && claude dev

# Monitor project
npm run dev && claude monitor

Conclusion

This guide covers the essential aspects of using Claude Code for development tasks. Regular updates via claude update ensure access to the latest features. For complex projects, combine different models and MCP servers to optimize both performance and cost.

All commands tested with Claude Code 1.0. Always verify syntax against official documentation.