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How to Use Claude for Coding

Tips for longer context and better code

Claude's biggest advantage for coding is its massive context window (200K tokens). That means you can paste entire files, codebases, or long conversations without losing context. Here's how to take advantage of it.

What Claude Is Great At

📄
Large Files
Review entire files at once
🔍
Code Review
Thorough, careful analysis
🏗️
Architecture
System design discussions
♻️
Refactoring
Complex restructuring
📚
Documentation
Understanding large docs
🐛
Debugging
With full file context

Tips for Better Results

1. Use the Context Window

Don't summarize your code—paste it all. Claude can handle 200K tokens (roughly 150K words). Use it.

❌ Don't do this

"I have a React component that fetches data and displays it. It's about 200 lines. How do I add loading states?"

✓ Do this

"Here's my React component [paste all 200 lines]. How do I add loading states?"

2. Give Full Context Upfront

Start conversations by pasting all relevant files. Then ask your questions. This prevents the back-and-forth of "can you show me that file?"

Good opening message
I'm working on a Node.js API. Here are the relevant files: // routes/users.js [paste file] // models/User.js [paste file] // middleware/auth.js [paste file] I want to add rate limiting to the login endpoint. What's the best approach?

3. Ask for Explanations

Claude tends to be thorough. Ask it to explain its reasoning—you'll learn more and catch potential issues.

Ask "why"
"Refactor this function. Explain why you made each change." "Review this code for bugs. Walk me through your thinking." "What are the tradeoffs of this approach vs alternatives?"

4. Use Artifacts for Code

When Claude generates code, it can create "artifacts"—standalone code blocks you can copy. Ask for artifacts when you want clean, copy-able code.

Ask for artifacts
"Create an artifact with a React component that..." "Put the refactored version in an artifact so I can copy it easily."

5. Upload Files Directly

You can drag and drop files into Claude. This is often easier than copy-pasting, especially for multiple files or non-text files.

6. Be Specific About What You Want

Claude tries to be helpful, which sometimes means it over-explains or adds things you didn't ask for. Be specific.

❌ Vague

"Can you improve this code?"

✓ Specific

"Refactor this to use async/await instead of callbacks. Don't change the logic, just the syntax."

When Claude Isn't the Best Choice

Real-time autocomplete

Claude is a chat interface, not an IDE plugin. For in-editor suggestions, use Copilot or Cursor.

Very recent libraries

Claude's training data has a cutoff. For brand-new APIs, check the official docs or use web search.

Running code

Claude can write code but can't run it. Test everything in your actual environment.