Building with Claude Code

Building software with AI assistants like Claude Code requires a different mindset than traditional development. Here are some key patterns I’ve learned.

Structuring Your Prompts

When working with AI coding assistants, clear prompts lead to better results:

# Good: Specific and testable
def calculate_discount(price: float, percentage: float) -> float:
    """Calculate discount amount from price and percentage."""
    return price * (percentage / 100)

The key is being explicit about:

• What you want to build
• How it should behave
• What edge cases matter

Managing Context

Keep your context focused. Break large tasks into smaller chunks that fit in the AI’s working memory.

Testing First

Write tests before implementation when possible:

def test_calculate_discount():
    """Test that discount calculation is correct."""
    assert calculate_discount(100, 10) == 10
    assert calculate_discount(50, 20) == 10

This gives the AI a clear target to hit.