Claude Code

Claude Code: Best Practices & Tools

Slash commands, built-in skills, MCP connections, and tips for getting the most out of Claude Code

Once you've got Claude Code installed (Guide #3), this guide covers the tools and workflows that make you faster. Slash commands give you quick actions. Skills are pre-built recipes for common tasks. MCP connections let Claude talk directly to services like GitHub and Supabase. Think of this as moving from "it works" to "I'm good at this."

Slash commands you'll use constantly

Type these during any Claude Code session. They're built in — no setup needed.

/help — show all available commands and skills
/clear — wipe the conversation and start fresh
/compact — summarize the conversation so far (saves context space for longer sessions)
/cost — see how much you've spent this session
/review — ask Claude to review your recent code changes
/commit — stage your changes and create a Git commit with a good message
/pr — create a GitHub pull request from your current branch
/init — generate a CLAUDE.md file for a new project based on what Claude sees in the codebase

/commit and /pr are huge time-savers. Claude writes the commit message and PR description for you based on the actual changes — no more staring at a blank message box.

Built-in and community skills

Skills are pre-written instructions that Claude Code can follow for specific tasks. Some are built in, others are shared by the community. Here are some popular ones:

/commit — writes a clear commit message based on your staged changes
/review — reviews your code for bugs, style issues, and potential improvements
/pr — creates a pull request with a summary of your changes
/simplify — looks at your recent code and suggests ways to make it cleaner
/claude-api — helps you integrate the Claude API into your project with the latest SDK patterns
/frontend-design — generates polished, production-grade frontend components

Type /help in any session to see all the skills available in your current project. Skills can be added by you or by anyone who contributes to the project.

MCP: Connecting Claude to external services

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is how Claude Code talks to services beyond your local files. Think of it as plugins — once connected, Claude can read and write to external tools directly.

Supabase MCP — Claude can query your database, run migrations, create tables, manage edge functions, and check logs — all without you leaving the terminal
GitHub MCP — Search issues, read PR comments, create branches, and manage pull requests
Memory MCP — Claude remembers context across sessions (useful for long-running projects)
Web search/fetch — Claude can look up documentation or check a live URL

Setting up Supabase MCP (example)

This is especially useful if your project has a Supabase backend (Guide #6). Once connected, you can say things like "add a 'tags' column to the posts table" or "show me the last 10 user sign-ups" and Claude handles it.

In your project, create or edit .claude/settings.json
Add your Supabase connection under mcpServers
Claude Code can now run SQL, apply migrations, deploy edge functions, and more — directly from the conversation

Claude Code can do this for you

You can ask Claude Code to set up MCP for you: "Connect this project to our Supabase database" — it will walk you through the configuration.

Tips for better results

Be specific about what you want. "Add a search bar that filters the product list by name" beats "make the UI better."
Let Claude read first. Start with "What does this file do?" before asking it to change things.
Review every change. Claude shows you diffs before writing — read them. You're the architect, Claude is the builder.
Use /compact early. Long conversations slow Claude down and degrade quality. Compact after every major milestone.
Iterate, don't restart. If the first result isn't right, tell Claude what to fix. "The button should be on the right side" is better than starting over.
Write a CLAUDE.md. Five minutes of project context saves hours of re-explaining.

When Claude Code can't help

Claude Code is powerful, but it works best as a partner — not a replacement for understanding.

If you don't understand what Claude built, ask it to explain before moving on
Always test changes yourself — Claude can't see your screen or click your buttons
For visual design, describe what you want in detail or reference a specific example
If Claude gets stuck in a loop, /clear and try a different approach

Try this now

Open Claude Code in a project and try /review to get feedback on your recent code. Then try asking "What MCP connections are available?" to see what plugins you can add.

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