What is Claude Code for me?
To move away from what everyone talks about, I’m going to tell you about artificial intelligence from my personal experience.
I’ve integrated Claude Code into my projects, but for me it’s much more than a tool: it’s my digital assistant, another member of my development team, an extension of my capabilities or, as the image represents well, my technological shadow.
It doesn’t replace me nor do I think it replaces any developer at the moment. Claude Code is only as good as you are or as you know how to use it.
My Golden Rules
I have four fundamental rules that I religiously apply with Claude Code:
- Total Change Control
- I review everything before implementing any changes
- It doesn’t have permissions to modify files without my approval
- Flow: It provides me the plan → I review the changes → I understand them → I approve them (or not)
- This rule is super important to me. Giving it blind permissions doesn’t align with my philosophy
- Claude.md as Project Bible
- I work intensively on the CLAUDE.md file
- I define what the project is and establish clear guidelines
- It’s my way of “training” Claude on my style and preferences
- Result: Responses more aligned with my vision
- Intelligent Configuration
- I configure its settings with official documentation paths
- When I ask questions about specific technologies, it uses official sources
- This guarantees more precise and up-to-date responses
- Collaborative Work, Not Dependency
- I never start from an empty IDE
- I always work on a code base I’ve already developed
- My flow: I start creating → I get stuck → I ask Claude
- Recurring question: “Is there a cleaner and more efficient way to write this code?”
Limitless imagination
And here comes the interesting part: Claude Code isn’t just for programming. You can use it for whatever comes to mind. Just ask yourself this question:
How can I make this idea work with Claude Code?
One of the coolest ways I use it outside of programming is with my technical content consumption:
I consume tons of programming content:
Online courses
Knowledge pills
Conferences and talks
Technical debates
Specialized podcasts
Practical workshops
The typical problem: You’re programming and remember seeing something useful in a video, but… which one was it? At what minute?
My solution with Claude:
- I ask: “Where is this talked about?”
- It returns:
- The specific video or videos
- The exact timestamp where it’s mentioned
- A brief summary of the content
Result: Wonderful! Instant access to all my consumed knowledge.
Final Reflection
Claude Code has become my technological shadow. It’s not magic, it doesn’t do the work for you, but if you know how to use it correctly, it can enormously enhance your productivity and creativity.
The key is in establishing clear limits, maintaining control and using it for what it really is: an exceptional assistant that amplifies your capabilities, not one that replaces them.
Keep coding, keep running 🏃♂️