10 Practical Tips for Using Claude Code from Reddit User

Specific Commands and Techniques

A Reddit user posted a cheat sheet with 10 specific tips for working with Claude Code. These are practical commands and settings that users have found effective.

• Use /effort high then include "ultrathink" in your prompt. This forces full extended thinking with a 31,999-token budget.
• End every important session with a clear "Summary of learnings" paragraph. The background Dream system (Auto-Memory) will automatically extract it and inject it into future sessions.
• /fork <name> creates a fully isolated conversation branch with its own plan files and transcripts. /rewind undoes the last turn — including any code changes.
• Tell Claude to "start an Explore agent" or "enter Plan mode." The state manager instantly injects the correct role instructions and tool restrictions.
• Always use absolute paths. Sub-agents and worktrees enforce this strictly — relative paths cause friction and errors.
• Set up custom hooks in .claude/settings.json. Use exit code 2 in a PostToolUse or PreToolUse hook to silently block actions and force a rewind.
• /fast does not change the model — it runs the same Opus with faster output. Pair it with /effort medium for the best speed/quality balance.
• Keep ~/.claude/debug/latest open with tail -f. It shows every trigger, whisper injection, and state-manager decision in real time.
• Run your own local MCP servers. They let you expose custom tools and use elicitation to pause the agent mid-task for structured user input.
• Prefix important instructions with <system-reminder> tags. Because of the prompt assembly order, the model treats them with the same priority as internal whispers.

These tips come from user experience rather than official documentation.