This isn't theory. This is the battle-tested, plan-first playbook that took my project, Apparate, from zero to a production-ready app in about 30 days a project I'd have budgeted eight months for traditionally.
Forget the hype. This "101" is the practical starting point built solely on my real-world experience, emphasizing scoped workflows, brutal failure modes, and why your discipline is the only thing that makes AI coding reliable. You are the Tech Lead; Claude Code is your genius junior engineer fast, brilliant, but requiring constant coaching and explicit rules. This isn't theory. This is the battle-tested, plan-first playbook that took my project, Apparate, from zero to a production-ready app in about 30 days a project I'd have budgeted eight months for traditionally. battle-tested, plan-first playbook Apparate 30 days Forget the hype. This "101" is the practical starting point built solely on my real-world experience, emphasizing scoped workflows, brutal failure modes, and why your discipline is the only thing that makes AI coding reliable. You are the Tech Lead; Claude Code is your genius junior engineer fast, brilliant, but requiring constant coaching and explicit rules. discipline ⚡️ The Core Truth: Speed is a Trap Without Checks The biggest 'aha' is the sheer velocity of code generation when Claude is directed precisely. The biggest disappointment? How quickly it can destroy a working codebase when granted unchecked autonomy. biggest 'aha' biggest disappointment The Contrast: Claude is a race car. It will get you there fast, but it will drive off a cliff if you aren't the one steering.
The Takeaway: Use the speed. Never grant it control over critical code. Reliability comes from verification, not autonomy. The Contrast: Claude is a race car. It will get you there fast, but it will drive off a cliff if you aren't the one steering. The Contrast: The Takeaway: Use the speed. Never grant it control over critical code. Reliability comes from verification, not autonomy. The Takeaway: Reliability comes from verification, not autonomy. This contrast is what shaped my core approach: use the speed, but never grant it unchecked autonomy over important sections of the codebase. ⏳ 30-Day App vs. The 8-Month Slog My timeline: I launched a production app in 30 days with Claude Code and one "vibe coder" (me). The traditional path would have been an eight-month marathon of full-time development. 30 days This acceleration isn't "AI magic." It’s a direct result of process: Relentlessly scoping tasks to the smallest possible unit.
Approving a plan (the "Plan" in the Plan-Act loop) before any code is written.
Shipping in small slices that are quick to review (the "Act" in the Plan-Act loop). Relentlessly scoping tasks to the smallest possible unit. Relentlessly scoping tasks Approving a plan (the "Plan" in the Plan-Act loop) before any code is written. Approving a plan any Shipping in small slices that are quick to review (the "Act" in the Plan-Act loop). Shipping in small slices Your mantra must be: Plan first, ship in slices. Let speed amplify good process never replace it. Your mantra must be: good 🚨 The Costliest Failure: The Dependency Death Loop My worst spiral came while integrating an activity-detection API, where the system kept selecting non-compatible library versions and got stuck in an infinite loop of upgrading and downgrading without converging. Token burn and time wasted were astronomical. Token burn and time wasted were astronomical. How I Broke It: I stopped the session immediately, reset the context completely, and reasserted the specific, pinned versions and compatibility requirements before letting it touch another file.
The Lesson: If versions oscillate and suggestions repeat, stop immediately and re-verify constraints before you write another line. How I Broke It: I stopped the session immediately, reset the context completely, and reasserted the specific, pinned versions and compatibility requirements before letting it touch another file. How I Broke It: reset the context completely pinned versions before The Lesson: If versions oscillate and suggestions repeat, stop immediately and re-verify constraints before you write another line. The Lesson: The most expensive mistake: My standing rule now is simple: Skipping a written plan led straight to loops, token burn, and code churn. If there is no plan on the table, there is no code. The most expensive mistake: Skipping a written plan led straight to loops, token burn, and code churn. 📝 My Secret Weapon: The CLAUDE.md Contract CLAUDE.md I don't just start coding. I follow a strict, end-to-end spec-writing process that creates a living rules-of-engagement document for the agent: living rules-of-engagement document Concept Refinement: Discuss the raw idea in Claude Desktop until a clear software architecture emerges.
PRD Generation: Create a formal PRD from that refined discussion.
Project Initialization: Give the PRD to Claude Code, initialize the project, and demand it generate a CLAUDE.md file based on the PRD.
Enforcing House Rules: I then add my non-negotiable "house rules" to CLAUDE.md. This file is now the contract for how work gets done. It is the guardrail against drift, rework, and accidental scope creep. Concept Refinement: Discuss the raw idea in Claude Desktop until a clear software architecture emerges. Concept Refinement: PRD Generation: Create a formal PRD from that refined discussion. PRD Generation: Project Initialization: Give the PRD to Claude Code, initialize the project, and demand it generate a CLAUDE.md file based on the PRD. Project Initialization: CLAUDE.md CLAUDE.md Enforcing House Rules: I then add my non-negotiable "house rules" to CLAUDE.md. This file is now the contract for how work gets done. It is the guardrail against drift, rework, and accidental scope creep. Enforcing House Rules: CLAUDE.md CLAUDE.md contract 🛑 The 7 Non-Negotiable Rules in My CLAUDE.md CLAUDE.md These aren't suggestions; they are guardrails that define the coaching model for your AI junior engineer: guardrails Plan First: Wait for explicit user confirmation before writing code.
Architecture: For major decisions, always present the top three options with a clear list of pros and cons.
Security Gate: Route all changes through a security review agent before they can be accepted.
Task Tracking: Write all TODO items to a dedicated file and let specialized agents update their status as work progresses.
Efficiency: Use sub-agents for specialized tasks, coordinated by a Project Manager agent.
Platform Authority: Read the official API documentation (e.g., Android API) before implementing platform-specific behaviors.
Compatibility Check: Before checking in, verify all libraries are compatible and match the latest stable versions I have approved. Plan First: Wait for explicit user confirmation before writing code. Plan First: before Architecture: For major decisions, always present the top three options with a clear list of pros and cons. Architecture: top three options Security Gate: Route all changes through a security review agent before they can be accepted. Security Gate: all Task Tracking: Write all TODO items to a dedicated file and let specialized agents update their status as work progresses. Task Tracking: Efficiency: Use sub-agents for specialized tasks, coordinated by a Project Manager agent. Efficiency: Platform Authority: Read the official API documentation (e.g., Android API) before implementing platform-specific behaviors. Platform Authority: Compatibility Check: Before checking in, verify all libraries are compatible and match the latest stable versions I have approved. Compatibility Check: I have approved. 🧘 When to Stop Wrestling and Hit the Break You never accept a suggestion from Claude Code without challenging it, and you treat the agent like a junior engineer whose steps must be questioned. The Break Signal: You know it’s time to take a break when Claude starts suggesting the same irrelevant changes or minor edits, and your core problem still isn’t solved.
My Rule: "STOP, TAKE A BREAK." Your human debugging skills are still the most critical part of the loop; Claude is not autonomous enough to debug safely without active oversight. The Break Signal: You know it’s time to take a break when Claude starts suggesting the same irrelevant changes or minor edits, and your core problem still isn’t solved. The Break Signal: same irrelevant changes My Rule: "STOP, TAKE A BREAK." Your human debugging skills are still the most critical part of the loop; Claude is not autonomous enough to debug safely without active oversight. My Rule: "STOP, TAKE A BREAK." Reviewing AI-Generated Code: I use a review agent to generate a report, but I still prefer building in small chunks and reviewing manually. Chunking the work keeps the risk surface small and prevents long sessions from accumulating subtle errors. Even with a review agent, I assume responsibility for final judgment. Reviewing AI-Generated Code: 🚀 Guidance for Managers (A Laddered Rollout) I didn't pitch this to leadership; I just shipped with it. For organizations, I recommend a laddered rollout to build trust and avoid culture shock: shipped laddered rollout Phase 1 (Familiarity): Start by using Claude only for minor defects and bug fixes.
Phase 2 (Expansion): Once the team is comfortable, expand to new feature development under the same plan-first/review rules.
Phase 3 (Complex): Only then should you push into larger refactors and more complex features. Phase 1 (Familiarity): Start by using Claude only for minor defects and bug fixes. Phase 1 (Familiarity): minor defects and bug fixes. Phase 2 (Expansion): Once the team is comfortable, expand to new feature development under the same plan-first/review rules. Phase 2 (Expansion): new feature development Phase 3 (Complex): Only then should you push into larger refactors and more complex features. Phase 3 (Complex): This laddered approach builds trust in the workflow and avoids expensive reversals. Closing: This Is the Starting Point This is your 101 only your experience, in your words, expanded into a format others can apply immediately. This is the Plan-Act Loop. Plan-Act Loop. Next up, I'll be publishing the deeper dives that build on these foundations: Advanced Multi-Agent Verification, Security Guardrails, Cost Control, and the full Team Rollout strategy all coming soon. Advanced Multi-Agent Verification, Security Guardrails, Cost Control, Team Rollout strategy

This story contains new, firsthand information uncovered by the writer.

💡 The Plan-Act Loop: How to Coach a Genius Junior Engineer (AKA Claude Code)

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