Getting Started with Claude Code — And Why It's Not Just Another Cursor
I've been coding for 14+ years. I've used many IDEs, every AI tool (Devin to Qoder, Lovable,. ), every "next big thing."
When I switched to Claude Code, it felt different. Not "oh cool, another copilot" different — more like going from a GPS that suggests routes to a co-driver who actually drives. 🚗
Here's everything I wish someone told me on Day 1.
First — How is Claude Code Different from Cursor?
Cursor is great. I've used it. But here's the honest comparison:
Cursor lives inside VS Code. It's an IDE-first experience — you get AI autocomplete, inline chat, and a composer tab. Think of it like having a smart assistant sitting inside your office.
Claude Code lives in your terminal. It's an agentic coding tool — it doesn't just suggest code, it executes things. It reads your codebase, runs commands, makes git commits, creates PRs, and manages files. Think of it like hiring a junior dev who actually does the work, not just tells you what to do. 🧑💻
Here's what really sets Claude Code apart:
→ Plan mode + Skills — Cursor has plan mode too, but Claude Code takes it further. You can Shift+Tab to cycle between Normal mode (full agent), Plan mode (read-only research — Claude looks but doesn't touch), and Auto-accept mode (full speed, no permission prompts). It's like having gears in a car — you pick the level of control you want.
→ Hooks — This is something Cursor doesn't have. Claude Code lets you run custom scripts triggered by events (before/after tool use, on conversation start, etc.). Think of it like GitHub Actions but inside your coding agent. Pre-commit linting, auto-formatting, custom checks — all automatic.
→ Skills over Commands — Claude Code used to have "commands" (.claude/commands/*.md) and "skills" (.claude/skills/*/SKILL.md) as separate things. They've now been unified — skills ARE the slash command system. Important: commands are deprecated — use skills going forward. Skills support additional features like supporting files, and Claude can even auto-trigger them based on context rather than you typing a slash command.
→ Subagents — Claude Code can spawn specialized agents (Explore, Plan, Verify) to handle different parts of a task in parallel. Cursor doesn't have this concept. It's like having a team of specialists instead of one generalist.
The Commands You Need to Know
I'm breaking these into levels because there's a lot, and you don't need everything on Day 1.
🟢 Basic (Start Here)
/init— First thing you run in any project. It generates aCLAUDE.mdfile — basically a cheat sheet that tells Claude about your codebase, conventions, and preferences. Think of it like onboarding a new team member./help— Shows all available commands and skills. Your compass when you're lost./compact— Compresses your conversation context to save tokens (and money). Long conversation getting expensive? Hit compact. Like clearing your browser cache but for AI context./clear— Nuclear option. Wipes all conversation history. File edits remain, but the slate is clean./cost— See how much your current session is costing. Always good to check.
🟡 Intermediate (Once You're Comfortable)
/batch— Orchestrates large-scale changes across your codebase in parallel. Need to update 50 files? Don't do them one by one. Batch is like having 10 devs working on different files simultaneously./fork— Copies your current conversation into a branch without touching the original. Like git branch, but for your AI conversation./rewind— Rolls back your conversation (including code changes) to an earlier point. Your "undo" button when Claude goes in the wrong direction./review— Runs a code review on your changes before you commit. Like having a senior dev glance at your PR before you push./mcp— Exposes MCP (Model Context Protocol) operations as slash commands. This is how you connect Claude to external tools — GitHub, Slack, databases, anything.
🔴 Advanced (Power User Territory)
Permission Modes — Five levels, cycle with Shift+Tab:
Default — Prompts for every potentially dangerous operation
Auto-accept (acceptEdits) — No permission prompts for file edits. Full speed.
Plan mode — Read-only. Claude researches and plans but can't modify anything.
Don't Ask — Auto-denies everything not explicitly pre-approved
Bypass — Skips ALL permission checks. Only use in isolated/sandboxed environments.
Subagents — Specialized agents you can spawn:
Explore — Fast codebase exploration (finding files, searching code)
Plan — Software architect for designing implementation strategies
Verify — Validation agent for checking work
Skills (replacing commands) — Create
.claude/skills/your-skill/SKILL.mdfiles to extend Claude's capabilities. Skills can be auto-triggered or manually invoked via/your-skill. You can build anything — code reviewers, deployment pipelines, content generators, testing frameworks./simplify— Spawns three parallel review agents that check your recent changes for code reuse, quality, and efficiency issues, then fixes them. Like running three senior reviewers at once. 🔥CLAUDE.md — Not a command, but the most powerful concept. This markdown file at your project root is Claude's memory. Put your coding conventions, architecture decisions, tech stack preferences — everything. It's like writing an employee handbook for your AI teammate.
GitHub Repos You Should Star Right Now ⭐
These are the repos that'll 10x your Claude Code game:
→ Awesome Claude Code — The mothership. Curated list of tools, skills, plugins, integrations, and resources. If you only star one repo, make it this one.
→ GStack by Garry Tan — 20K+ stars. Turns Claude Code into a virtual engineering team — CEO, designer, eng manager, QA lead, security officer, release engineer. 20 specialists, 8 power tools, all as slash commands. MIT license. It hit 10K stars in 48 hours. 🔥
→ Get Shit Done (GSD) — A spec-driven development workflow that prevents context rot. It externalizes state into files, splits work into small plans, executes each in fresh context, and verifies against explicit goals. Now a standalone CLI in v2.
→ Agency Agents — 112+ specialized AI agent personas you can inject into Claude Code (and other tools). Think of it like hiring an entire agency — frontend wizards, QA leads, security reviewers, community managers — each with their own personality, processes, and deliverables. Built for Claude Code natively, works with the .md + YAML frontmatter format out of the box.
→ Superset.sh — Want to run 10+ Claude Code agents in parallel? Superset orchestrates multiple Claude Code instances across isolated git worktrees — no merge conflicts, no stepping on each other's changes. It's like going from one developer to a whole engineering floor. Free tier available, Pro at $20/seat/month. (GitHub)
→ Claude Code Official Repo — The source. Star it, watch it, read the issues. This is where the roadmap lives.
Twitter/X Accounts to Follow 🐦
→ @bcherny (Boris Cherny) — The creator of Claude Code himself. He regularly shares tips, how he uses Claude Code, and behind-the-scenes insights from the team. His thread on "how I use Claude Code" is required reading. He started Claude Code as a side project in September 2024 — and today it writes 4% of all GitHub commits.
→ @AnthropicAI — Official Anthropic account for product announcements and updates.
→ @alexalbert__ — Alex Albert, head of Claude Relations at Anthropic. Great for understanding new features and model updates.
→ @garaborosz — Gábor, who curates a lot of Claude Code content and tutorials.
My Honest Take
Claude Code isn't trying to be Cursor. Cursor is an AI-enhanced IDE. Claude Code is an AI agent that happens to code.
If you want autocomplete and inline suggestions while you type → Cursor. If you want an agent that reads your repo, plans architecture, writes code, runs tests, makes commits, and creates PRs → Claude Code.
Some people use both. And that's fine too.
The biggest mistake I see people make: they install Claude Code and use it like ChatGPT — just asking questions. That's like buying a Tesla and only using it in park. 🐴
Run /init. Set up your CLAUDE.md. Build custom skills. Use plan mode. Let it drive.
The #1 Rule of Thumb 🧠
When in doubt — just ask Claude.
Seriously. Confused about a command? Ask Claude. Not sure which mode to use? Ask Claude. Don't know how to set up a skill? Ask Claude.
Claude Code is surprisingly good at explaining itself. It's like having a teammate who never gets annoyed when you ask "wait, how does this work again?" for the fifth time. Most people forget that the tool they're using IS the help desk. You don't need to Google "how to use Claude Code" — you can literally ask Claude Code.
If you don't know, if you're confused, if you're stuck — your first move should always be: ask Claude.
What's Next? Measure What Matters 📊
Once you're up and running with Claude Code, the next step is setting up hooks to measure your productivity. Think of it like a fitness tracker — you've started working out, now track the gains.
GStack makes this easy with two powerful commands:
→ /insights — Gives you a breakdown of what Claude did, how much code was generated, and where time was spent. It's your personal sprint dashboard.
→ /retro — Runs a retrospective on your session — what went well, what didn't, and what to improve. Like doing a standup with your AI teammate after every coding session.
But before you retrospect — you need to actually see what Claude is doing under the hood. Two flags that'll change how you debug:
→ --verbose — Shows you every tool call, every file read, every decision Claude makes in real time. Think of it like turning on "show my work" mode in a math exam. You see the reasoning, not just the answer. Great for understanding why Claude did what it did.
→ --debug — Goes even deeper. Logs API calls, token counts, timing info, and internal state. This is your X-ray machine. When something goes wrong and you don't know why, --debug is the first flag you reach for.
The workflow: Run your session with --verbose, then use /insights to see what happened, and /retro to reflect on it. It's like recording a game, watching the replay, and then doing a post-match analysis. 🎮
One more hidden gem:
→ /btw — This lets you inject a side note or additional context mid-conversation without interrupting Claude's current task. Think of it like passing a sticky note to someone while they're working — "btw, don't forget we use ESLint" or "btw, the API key is in .env.local." Claude absorbs the context and keeps going. Super useful when you remember something mid-flow.
You can't improve what you don't measure. Set up hooks, run --verbose to watch Claude work, /insights after every session, and /retro at the end of the week. That's how you go from "I use Claude Code" to "Claude Code makes me 10x." 🚀
What's your experience been with Claude Code? Drop your favorite command or skill in the comments — I'm always looking for new tricks. 👇
#ClaudeCode #AIAgents #DeveloperTools #CodingWithAI #Anthropic #BuildInPublic
credits : to the original creator
