Advanced Techniques: Tips 76-85

These advanced techniques represent the cutting edge of Claude Code usage. From extended thinking modes that unlock Claude’s deepest reasoning capabilities to sophisticated MCP integrations and custom automation, these tips will help you achieve expert-level proficiency.

Extended Thinking and Reasoning

Tip 76: Use Extended Thinking for Complex Tasks

Claude Code supports various thinking modes for different complexity levels:

# Standard thinking (default)
"Implement user authentication"

# Extended thinking (~5,000 tokens)
"Think about this problem: How should we architect
 a real-time collaborative editing system?"

# Deep thinking (~10,000 tokens)
"Think hard about this: Design a distributed caching
 system with automatic invalidation and sharding"

# Ultra thinking (~128,000 tokens)
"Ultrathink: Analyze our entire codebase and propose
 a microservices migration strategy"

Thinking Mode Guidelines

• Standard: Routine coding tasks
• “Think”: Architecture decisions, complex debugging
• “Think hard/harder”: System design, performance optimization
• “Ultrathink”: Major architectural changes, complex analysis

Real-world thinking examples:

Architecture Design

"Think hard about how to design a multi-tenant
 SaaS architecture that supports:
 - Data isolation per tenant
 - Shared infrastructure
 - Custom domains
 - Flexible pricing tiers
 - Horizontal scaling"

# Claude spends ~10k tokens reasoning through:
# - Database strategies
# - Security implications
# - Performance tradeoffs
# - Implementation approaches

Performance Analysis

"Ultrathink: Our application is experiencing
 intermittent slowdowns under load. Analyze
 potential causes and solutions considering:
 - Current architecture
 - Database queries
 - Caching strategy
 - Network topology
 - Resource constraints"

# Deep analysis with concrete recommendations

Tip 77: Implement MCP Server Integration

Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers extend Claude Code’s capabilities:

1. Install MCP Servers

   npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/server-github
   npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres
   npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/server-puppeteer

2. Configure in .mcp.json

   {
     "servers": {
       "github": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
         "env": {
           "GITHUB_TOKEN": "${GITHUB_TOKEN}"
         }
       },
       "database": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres"],
         "env": {
           "DATABASE_URL": "${DATABASE_URL}"
         }
       },
       "browser": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["@modelcontextprotocol/server-puppeteer"]
       }
     }
   }

3. Use MCP Tools

   # GitHub operations
   "Create an issue for the authentication bug"
   "List all open PRs that need review"
   
   # Database queries
   "Show me the user table schema"
   "Find users who haven't logged in for 30 days"
   
   # Browser automation
   "Test the login flow in the browser"
   "Take screenshots of the dashboard"

Wskazówka

MCP servers run in isolated processes with controlled permissions, making them safer than direct CLI access for sensitive operations.

Tip 78: Create Project-Specific Tool Chains

Build custom MCP servers for your specific needs:

custom-mcp-server.ts

import { Server } from '@modelcontextprotocol/server';

const server = new Server({
  name: 'project-tools',
  version: '1.0.0'
});

// Custom tool for your project
server.addTool({
  name: 'deploy-staging',
  description: 'Deploy current branch to staging',
  inputSchema: {
    type: 'object',
    properties: {
      branch: { type: 'string' }
    }
  },
  handler: async ({ branch }) => {
    // Implementation
    return { success: true, url: 'https://staging.example.com' };
  }
});

server.start();

Custom MCP Use Cases

• Deployment automation
• Custom linting rules
• Project-specific workflows
• Integration with proprietary tools
• Security-sensitive operations

Tip 79: Use Vim Mode for Power Users

Enable Vim mode for efficient text navigation:

# Enable Vim mode during a session
/vim

# Toggle Vim mode on/off
/vim

Vim mode features:

• Standard Vim navigation (hjkl)
• Text objects and motions
• Visual mode selection
• Macro recording
• Custom key mappings

Navigation

# Quick navigation
gg      # Go to start
G       # Go to end
5j      # Down 5 lines
/pattern # Search forward
n       # Next match

Editing

# Efficient editing
ciw     # Change inner word
da"     # Delete around quotes
yi(     # Yank inside parentheses
.       # Repeat last change

GitHub Integration and Automation

Tip 80: Leverage GitHub App Integration

Set up automated PR reviews with custom focus:

1. Install GitHub App

   /install-github-app
   # Follow OAuth flow

2. Configure Review Settings

   .github/claude-code-review.yml

   review:
     enabled: true
     trigger:
       - on_pr_opened
       - on_pr_updated
   
   direct_prompt: |
     Review this PR focusing on:
     1. Security vulnerabilities
     2. Performance issues
     3. Logic errors
     4. Missing error handling
   
     Be concise. Only report actual issues.
   
   ignore_patterns:
     - "*.test.js"
     - "*.md"
     - "package-lock.json"

3. Custom Review Commands

   # In PR comments
   @claude-code review security
   @claude-code suggest improvements
   @claude-code check performance

Real-world results from teams:

“Claude catches actual bugs while humans focus on style. It found a race condition our senior engineers missed.” - Security Team

Tip 81: Implement Multi-Instance Workflows

Run multiple Claude Code instances for complex projects:

# Terminal 1: Backend Development
claude --add-dir ./backend
"Implement new authentication endpoints"

# Terminal 2: Frontend Development
claude --add-dir ./frontend
"Create login UI components"

# Terminal 3: Database Migrations
claude --add-dir ./database
"Design schema for authentication"

# Terminal 4: Integration Testing
claude --add-dir ./tests
"Write integration tests for auth flow"

Multi-Instance Benefits

• True Parallelism: Each instance works independently
• Context Isolation: No cross-contamination
• Specialized Focus: Each instance becomes expert in its area
• Team Simulation: Like having multiple developers

Coordination strategies:

# Shared workspace for coordination
mkdir .claude/shared

# Instance 1 generates interface
"Generate TypeScript interfaces for the API and save to .claude/shared/api.types.ts"

# Instance 2 uses interface
"Implement frontend using types from .claude/shared/api.types.ts"

Tip 82: Use Filesystem for Reference Materials

Pull in reference implementations and documentation:

# Create reference directory
mkdir -p .claude/references

# Pull in examples
"Download the Express.js authentication example into .claude/references/"
"Copy the OAuth2 flow diagram from the RFC into our docs"

# Use as reference
"Implement OAuth2 similar to the reference in .claude/references/
 but adapted for our architecture"

Notatka

This technique is particularly powerful for implementing standard protocols, following framework patterns, or adapting proven solutions.

Tip 83: Create Style Learning Workflows

Teach Claude your coding style:

1. Collect Style Examples

   mkdir .claude/style-guide
   # Add your best code examples

2. Analyze Your Style

   "Analyze the code in .claude/style-guide/ and document
    my coding patterns, naming conventions, and architectural
    preferences"

3. Update CLAUDE.md

   "Update CLAUDE.md with the coding style analysis"

4. Apply Consistently

   "Refactor this module to match our style guide"

Style elements to capture:

• Variable naming patterns
• Function organization
• Comment style
• Error handling approach
• Test structure
• Documentation format

Tip 84: Implement Chain-of-Thought Prompting

Guide Claude through complex reasoning:

# Instead of direct request
"Fix the performance issue"

# Use chain-of-thought
"Let's debug this performance issue step by step:
1. First, identify all database queries in the request path
2. Then analyze each query for N+1 problems
3. Check for missing indexes
4. Look for unnecessary data fetching
5. Propose optimizations for each issue found"

Chain-of-Thought Patterns

Effective patterns:
- "Let's think through this step by step"
- "First... Then... Finally..."
- "Consider the following aspects"
- "Analyze... then propose..."
- "Break this down into..."

Tip 85: Use Claude for Meta-Development

Have Claude help optimize your Claude Code usage:

# Analyze your usage patterns
"Review my conversation history and identify:
1. Repetitive tasks I could automate
2. Inefficient prompting patterns
3. Opportunities for custom commands
4. Common mistakes to add to CLAUDE.md"

# Optimize your CLAUDE.md
"Analyze our CLAUDE.md file and suggest improvements
 based on Claude Code best practices"

# Create custom workflows
"Based on my usage patterns, create custom slash
 commands for my most common tasks"

# Improve prompting
"Review my prompts and suggest more effective ways
 to communicate with Claude Code"

Meta-development insights:

• Track repetitive patterns
• Identify workflow bottlenecks
• Optimize token usage
• Improve prompt clarity
• Enhance team coordination

Advanced Features Summary

Combining these advanced techniques creates powerful workflows:

# Morning: Architecture Design
claude --dangerously-skip-permissions
"Ultrathink: Design our new microservices architecture
 considering our current monolith constraints"

# Parallel Implementation
# Terminal 1
claude --add-dir ./services/user
"Implement the user service based on the architecture"

# Terminal 2
claude --add-dir ./services/order
"Implement the order service based on the architecture"

# Integration Testing
"Use the browser MCP to test the full flow"

# Automated Review
"Create PR with comprehensive description"
# Claude reviews automatically via GitHub App

# Meta-optimization
"Review today's work and suggest workflow improvements"

The Future of Development

These advanced techniques represent a new paradigm in software development:

1. Thinking at Scale: Use extended reasoning for complex decisions
2. Tool Integration: MCP servers connect Claude to your entire toolchain
3. Parallel Development: Work like a team using multiple instances
4. Continuous Improvement: Claude helps optimize its own usage
5. Automated Quality: GitHub integration ensures consistent reviews

Next Steps

With advanced techniques mastered, learn how to scale these practices across your team. Continue to Team Collaboration for best practices in collaborative AI-assisted development.