Claude Code Beginners
Run Claude Code like a senior reviewer. Never a passenger.
Run Claude Code as a terminal-first agent. Write CLAUDE.md, scope context with @-files, and defend every multi-file diff before it merges.
LAST UPDATED · MAY 5, 2026 · BUILDER COHORT OPENS MONTHLY
§ 01 · OUTCOMES
What you'll ship
Not lessons watched. Artifacts you keep. Every outcome is work you can defend in review and reuse on Monday.
A repo-tuned CLAUDE.md
A living operating manual the agent and your teammates both read. Specs, conventions, and review gates in one place.
A diff-review playbook
A repeatable pass for reading multi-file diffs. Reject what you can't defend; keep what compounds.
A reviewed capstone PR
Ship a real change to a repo you care about — written by Claude Code, defended by you, merged on its merits.
§ 02 · OVERVIEW
The vibe coding workflow
This course teaches the vibe coding workflow behind Claude Code Beginners: spec-driven prompting, diff discipline, and review-before-merge. You write the spec, the agent writes the diff, and you defend the work in review.
Every week ends with one shipped artifact — a CLAUDE.md revision, a reviewed PR, a context budget you can keep. No theory, no toy exercises. You leave with proof of work.
§ 03 · CURRICULUM
Six weeks, six artifacts
WEEK 01
The terminal-first mental model
Install Claude Code, learn the agent loop, and break the muscle memory of chatbot-style prompting.
SHIPS · A WORKING INSTALL & FIRST DIFF
SHIPSA WORKING INSTALL & FIRST DIFF
WEEK 02
CLAUDE.md as operating manual
Write the project file the agent reads on every turn. Conventions, guardrails, and review gates encoded once.
SHIPS · A v1 CLAUDE.md FOR YOUR REPO
SHIPSA v1 CLAUDE.md FOR YOUR REPO
WEEK 03
Scoping context with @-files
Pull the right files into the window. Skip the wrong ones. Manage the context budget like a senior reviewer.
SHIPS · A CONTEXT BUDGET CHEAT SHEET
SHIPSA CONTEXT BUDGET CHEAT SHEET
WEEK 04
Diff-review discipline
Read every line. Reject what you can't defend. The diff is where judgment compounds — line by line.
SHIPS · A REVIEW PASS YOU CAN REPEAT
SHIPSA REVIEW PASS YOU CAN REPEAT
WEEK 05
Multi-file edits & safe rollback
Plan multi-file changes the agent can execute. Stage, review, and roll back without breaking the build.
SHIPS · A ROLLBACK-SAFE FEATURE BRANCH
SHIPSA ROLLBACK-SAFE FEATURE BRANCH
WEEK 06
Capstone — defend a real PR
Pick a repo you care about. Write the spec, let Claude write the diff, defend the work in review.
SHIPS · ONE MERGED PR, REVIEWED ON ITS MERITS
SHIPSONE MERGED PR, REVIEWED ON ITS MERITS
§ 04 · COMPETENCIES
What you'll leave knowing
- Write and iterate on CLAUDE.md
- Review-before-merge discipline
- Context budget management
§ 05 · WHO IT'S FOR
Built for, written for
BUILT FOR
- Builders new to Claude Code or coding agents in general
- Engineers who've used Cursor or Copilot and want a terminal-first agentic loop
- Anyone shipping production code who needs review gates that actually hold
YOU SHOULD ALREADY
- Comfortable in a terminal (cd, git, basic shell)
- A working Claude Code install — or get one in week 01
- A repo you actually care about (work, side project, or open source)
§ 06 · CONTINUE
Pair it with
Claude Code Intermediate
Push Claude Code past single-file tasks. Chain multi-step sessions, write slash commands, manage large context windows, and wire Claude into CI.
Claude Code Advanced
Run Claude Code at production scale. Build CLAUDE.md systems, enforce review gates across teams, and instrument every session for audit and compliance.
Codex CLI Beginners
Run sandboxed agent tasks from your terminal with the Codex CLI. Decompose work into specs, review every generated diff, and ship through an agentic loop.