Most people use Claude Code the same way they used every other AI tool before it.

One prompt at a time. Babysitting every step. Approving every action.

That's not how the people who built it use it.

Boris Churnney, one of the creators of Claude Code, recently shared the exact tips and tricks his team uses to get the most out of it. These were the best 7:

1. Turn on auto mode

Hit shift tab until you see auto mode. Make it your default.

Claude Code asks for permission way too much out of the box. Auto mode lets it make its own judgment calls so it can work for hours without interrupting you every five seconds. This alone will change how you use it.

2. Frontload everything

Before starting a session, give Claude Code every instruction, every requirement, every detail upfront. All at once.

Opus 4.7 is exceptionally good at parsing complex instructions. Stop feeding it one step at a time. Give it the whole picture and let it run.

3. Use /recap

After a long running session, type /recap to get a one-line summary of everything your agent has done.

Essential if you let it run overnight or step away for a few hours. You come back, you know exactly where things stand.

4. Use /effort

This controls how much horsepower the model puts into each task. Use extra high for most things. Switch to max for the big initial prompt that kicks off a new project.

5. Set up notifications

Tell Claude Code to send you a notification every time it finishes a task. Just say it in plain English and it will set up the automation itself.

You give it a long running job, go do something else, and it pings you when it's done. Keeps you in flow without having to hover over it.

6. Use chat as a co-pilot CEO

Before building any new feature, bounce the idea off Claude first. Ask it what other apps do. Ask it how it would implement something. Ask it what you're missing.

It will always give you at least one idea you haven't thought of. This is just as valuable as the building itself.

7. Control thinking with prompts

Extended thinking is no longer a toggle. You control it through your prompts.

Add "think carefully step by step" for complex tasks. Add "prioritize responding quickly" for simple ones. This is how you manage token spend without sacrificing quality where it matters.

This is how the people who built Claude Code actually use it.

Now you know too.

Every week I host a live session inside the Vibe Coding Academy where I share more tips and tactics to help you build faster. Join us.

​Join the Vibe Coding Academy here.​

Keep shipping,

Alex