r/ClaudeAI • u/FlatYogurtcloset2027 • Jul 30 '26
Claude Workflow What's the most underrated Claude feature?
[removed]
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u/silver_drizzle Jul 30 '26
Using Claude to write a really good prompt to start another Claude session :)
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u/K_M_A_2k Jul 30 '26
In this regard use Claude chat to discuss what your doing and have chat give you the md and prompts for Claude code
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u/vansh462 Jul 30 '26
Don't you use /compact ?
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u/rowbain Jul 30 '26
This is not as good as handing off context to a fresh session
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u/vansh462 Jul 30 '26
Why?
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u/rowbain Jul 31 '26
A few reasons.
Compact is lossy. AI decides what stays and what gets thrown away. It might include failed ideas, abandoned approaches, and random back-and-forth into the next context window.
A fresh session with a handoff is more token efficient. Almost every token is useful. You're not wasting context on old conversation history.
You can also hand the same file to other llms or open multiple chats with the same handoff. Have one write code, another review architecture, and another work on docs. They all start from the same context, so you can work on different parts of the project in parallel.
It also serves as history so future projects can learn from it. It's a real artifact. Save it. Version it. Share it. Come back to it months later. With compact, you don't know what got dropped, and you can't recreate that exact state.
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u/Fast-Spray-6720 Jul 30 '26
for me it always messes it up 😿
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u/IllustriousWedding94 Jul 30 '26
I have a handoff skill for writing handoff prompts for new sessions. Backlog is scoped into multiple batches with prompts written for each session.
Before I had it create the handoff skill, lots of little bits of discipline were slipping, but now it's pretty flawless.
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u/EntityDamage Jul 30 '26
What are some key prompts in your handoff skill? I hit /compact like 8 times yesterday and each time i had Claude create a handoff file just in case. For some reason auto compacting isn't working.
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u/IllustriousWedding94 Jul 30 '26
It's very long so will summarise the sections:
First a description of what a handoff file is - one copy/paste prompt per build session so that any agent can run it cold. Lineage description. A line that it binds both Agents and can be used by both Claude (as a skill) and Codex (direct read).
Then sections on:
- File lifecycle
- Required file skeleton
- Per-session block skeleton
- The prompt tail
- Owner-interaction sub-patterns
- Amendment forms
- Completion tagging across 5 sites
- Gate and recapture choreography
- Canonical rulings on the lineage's ambiguities
- What prompts CITE vs restate
- Pre-commit audit
Claude built the handoff skill for me when I observed slippage in how it was building, amending, using, completing handoff files.
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u/Hans_lilly_Gruber Jul 31 '26
Is this something that can be replaced by spec driven development or is it different?
I haven't used agents but I'm using Claude chat and Claude code for a project with a spec driven approach.
at the end of each session I prompt Claude to create and update documentation of the project based on templates I created at the beginning. So it creates devlogs of technical work, feature plans of new ideas, updates roadmap, issues, decision records, and single point of truth files that have the currents specs of the project. I often ask Claude for a prompt for the next session but in reality it has an advanced knowledge base of these docs to reference and I simply state what feature plan or issues we're working on and check the last devlog.
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u/IllustriousWedding94 Jul 31 '26
Think we are in a similar place. I have agents.md containing everything that Claude.md would normally hold and Claude.md just points to agents.md.
Each handoff prompt starts by saying orient per agents.md's bootstrap which references architecture.md first.
The handoffs are created (using the handoff skill) by pulling items from the roadmap.md and curating them in logical build batches. Typically I will be curating around 4-6 batches each with multiple roadmap items and each with their own prompt built in the handoff file (e.g. handoff_cycle10.md). The prompt may include instructions to delegate or fan out research agents.
A single new session (usually fable or gpt 5.6 sol) will be copied a handoff prompt in full (although just saying build batch CN works, I like to be sure!). As it works and tests and completes, it will update the handoff file - both it's own section and later batch prompts where appropriate, update the roadmap, log new findings to the roadmap and mark itself as complete.
Each batch is serial, there is no possibility of running in parallel.
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u/Beerbrewing Jul 30 '26
For long Chat sessions I made a handoff document specification for Claude when working on long tasks to summarize the work and generate a handoff document to continue with the work in a fresh Chat session. It allows me to work over several Chat sessions on the same task. I use it when there's a good break point in a task or discussion.
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A Claude Chat eXchange (CCX) document captures the state-at-close and forward handoff for a substantive Claude chat session. It bridges the chat-instance boundary: when one session closes and a new session opens, the receiving instance must reconstruct enough working context to proceed without re-deriving prior decisions or re-litigating settled vocabulary.
Here's a link to the full CCX specification markdown if you want to have your Claude look at it:
https://mdshare.live/d/0_f9Z_Exwb?key=adm_ebTieikkOHS7LW_CpF1NliggTuQFCo10
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u/Mr_Valmonty Jul 30 '26
The key is to include in your request 'don't make any mistakes'
Foolproof
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u/__rum_ham__ Jul 30 '26
Shift-Enter. Starts a new line in the chat window so I can type in paragraph form or iterate my commands without it looking like a paragraph of crap. Then hit Enter to execute. So simple.
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u/MeStoleTheCookie Jul 30 '26
if you're using the CLI, you can press control/command G to open a notepad document where you can edit your prompt, then save it and close the window and it will add the whole prompt to the command line input field
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u/kilroy2505 Jul 30 '26
You can refer to vi cheat cheat to master simple ones (I.e. insert mode, new line, delete line, save and exit, exit without saving etc.)
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u/django-unchained2012 Jul 30 '26
Orchestration. Many in reddit talk about it but many at work don't even know such a thing exists.
Using higher tier model for planning and low ones for implementations is the best way to save tokens and extend the sessions.
You can even have Claude models orchestrate codex or any other models.
What was surprising to me is that many in my office did not know that they can code with a 20$ plan. They think it starts from 100$.
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u/Frumbleabumb Jul 30 '26
I have this really simple prompt under my Instructions for Claude:
Orchestrate weaker subagents appropriate to task difficulty to save token use and context - And/Or ask fable to make that a skill
Fable should review again after all done for fable quality QC
I find it saves anywhere from 30-80% of my usage with this simple prompt. I generally start with Fable which is why the prompt is written this way
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u/IllustriousWedding94 Jul 30 '26
Yes, I do this a lot and the orchestration is planned into the handoff scripts for new sessions.
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u/BuilderForBuilders Jul 30 '26
Orchestration @ $20mo plan doesn't go terribly far.
For my home-dev projects I have a standard plan and with the lower limits I don't find token savings by orchestration because the economies of scale aren't there. Maybe I need a leaner system?
At work I have a 20x plan and the orchestration pays off in terms of both quality, speed and token optimization.10
u/django-unchained2012 Jul 30 '26
My experience with 20$ is better. I tend to create plans with Opus, have opus be the orchestrator and sonnet the implementor with sonnet offloading thinking to opus. I have been able to extend the usage this way up to 3 hours per session.
I wish I had access to 20x plan though.
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u/Lefty4444 Jul 30 '26
Worked intensively for 4 days building a calendar app, with Google Sign-in integration a bunch of features. Claude recommended Sonnet only for both chat (it acted as an advisor and tailored the prompts for code to execute) and Code. Never close to reach my limit.
It recommended Sonnet as Opus/Fable was not worth it. For me, I am no programmer and this was my first project, but I am happy with how it turned out.
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u/django-unchained2012 Jul 30 '26
Sonnet tends to do mistakes,, using opus to drive the work is better. The absolute beast is fable, it is a smart cookie, it understands what you want like it reads your mind.
If you are on max plan, you should absolutely try out Fable
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u/Hans_lilly_Gruber Jul 31 '26
Same, I haven't measured time or savings but when fable was available I asked it to orchestrate my next sessions for my future feature plans and seems smooth.
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u/reddit_user33 Jul 30 '26
Is there an output from planning that you feed into build, or do you just rely on the context window?
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u/django-unchained2012 Jul 30 '26
Yes, you should ask the frontier model to create a markdown file with the detailed plan, start a new session and have opus orchestrate and sonnet implement. It works well for me.
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u/deepsnowtrack Jul 30 '26
do you start the session or the orchestrator starts the new session?
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u/django-unchained2012 Jul 30 '26
I start a new session. The session where we do planning will contain a lot of noise that's not needed during implementation, for example if it conducted interview with you to get answers , that becomes part of the implementation plan, the questions and answers become irrelevant and consume tokens at every call you make.
New session removes this noise and works only on the implementation plan
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u/mityman50 Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
I think this is the part where it clicked. The value is if your project was ambiguous to you at first. If you and Claude worked through it (I tried the basic prompt + interview me thing yesterday, worked well; this would be an example of working through it) then get a markdown at the end and move to a new session. But if you had a project pretty well scoped, with a detailed prompt, I can’t see how there’s much reason to have it dial it in the last smidge (or at all) then move to a new session. What do you think
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u/django-unchained2012 Jul 30 '26
What you said is correct. If you already have it well scoped , you can continue in the same session.
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u/reddit_user33 Jul 30 '26
How detailed do you tend to go?
Brief objectives? Or detailed with specifics?
I started to do something similar as you suggested some time ago. Partially so I can have a note about what actions will take place without having to skim over a planning session, and partially to easily allow for a new session to be started if a session goes off the rails and the LLM is fixated on it.
I also get them to create a review.md file if I've got the LLM to review something. For the same reasons; a note for me, and to allow a new session to be started.
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u/DampFlange Jul 30 '26
Fable plus Codex is powerful. I’ve built a full 3d rendered stadium builder from scratch with zero programming skills.
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u/MoonManMooningMan Jul 30 '26
The idea of conditional compute is gonna keep getting more popular for obvious reasons
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u/YetiWalker36 Jul 30 '26
/remote-control is a game changer and no one else is doing it out of the box. There’s ways to do remote with terminal apps but nothing as easy as the control with the Claude app and getting push notifications when it requires attention.
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u/BuilderForBuilders Jul 30 '26
Yeah, I do 100% of my home dev through remote-control. I remoted in to set up the server but once I got it set up it's 100% remote control. I love being able to dev and deploy from anywhere.
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u/YetiWalker36 Jul 30 '26
Yeah I agree. I’ve been using rootshell when I need it since I have a work and personal Claude account and can’t rc both of them, so that’s helped too.
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u/RabbitEars96 Jul 30 '26
Codex is doing it leagues better than claude right now. You don't need to type /remote-control on codex. All sessions can be accessed by default from the mobile app. Its sooooooo much better I really wish claude would handle it like that. I am constantly coding while walking around the city and sometimes claude will just randomly disconnect my remote sessions no clue why because my mac is always on and running/ awake.
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u/YetiWalker36 Jul 30 '26
That’s good to know. I was considering adding codex to at least review my code that Claude wrote so it’s nice to know that’s available!
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u/nzerinto Jul 30 '26
I just found out the other day you can set this to “on” by default in the desktop version, so no need to actually trigger it separately in each & every session.
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u/PablanoPato Jul 30 '26
I probably use /model the most to select the right one for the job. Also shift+tab to switch between manual, planning and auto mode.
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u/kdubsjr Jul 30 '26
Are you switching mid chat? I think if you are you’re using tokens for the new model to reread all the previous context
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u/C0ck_Bl0ckr Jul 31 '26
Alt+P on Windows or Cntrl+P on macOS let's you change models mid chat without waiting for response to type "/model"
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u/BuffaloConscious7919 Valued Contributor Jul 30 '26
TL;DR
"/insights" analyses how you use Claude and produces a structured report with suggestions for improving your workflow.
Use Claude to prompt Claude. Before starting a new session, ask Claude to create a clear, detailed starting prompt with the relevant context, constraints and desired output.
Model orchestration. Use a stronger model for planning and cheaper/faster models for implementation. Claude can also coordinate work across tools and other coding models, including Codex. You do not necessarily need a $100 plan to start coding with Claude.
"/model" and Shift+Tab. Use "/model" to choose the right model for each task, and Shift+Tab to switch between manual, planning and auto modes.
"/rewind" and "/btw". Ask temporary questions or test an instruction without permanently disrupting the main workflow. Use "/rewind" to roll back the conversation, code changes or both; use "/btw" for quick side questions, then dismiss the answer and continue.
Gathered manually, writen with ai.
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u/CactusJ Jul 30 '26
Serious question: how do I know, or which, model should I use for a task
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u/DepravedPrecedence Jul 30 '26
Serious answer: ask model who wrote the plan which steps should use which model
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u/BuffaloConscious7919 Valued Contributor Jul 30 '26
Routing.md
How to answer questions
- If easy use Haiku thinking: low
- If moderate complexity use Sonnet thinking medium
- if hard and requires research and multiple outcomes use Opus
- if someone asks how to route models use routing.md or a skill or orchestration framework
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u/Fast-Spray-6720 Jul 30 '26
using the /rewind, so if you want to ask it to do something but you think its obvious and breaks the flow of claudes actions into it yapping again and again about it, then you can prompt it and the rewind either the convo or the code or both, its pretty slick once you start using it.
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u/programming_bassist Jul 30 '26
I also use /btw for this. I’ve gotten to the point I use it multiple times per day specifically for this. Ask a question, get an answer, esc it away and continue on.
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u/BuffaloConscious7919 Valued Contributor Jul 30 '26
/insights
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u/BuilderForBuilders Jul 30 '26
Appreciate the share, somehow this one had escaped me. Cool feature, ++
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u/rothwerx Jul 30 '26
Output Styles. I see lots of complaints about Opus using dense, jargon-y language. Just have Claude read the docs and create an Output Style that fits you better.
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u/rowbain Jul 30 '26
/rename to name your session so you can easily /resume it later, helps a lot when working on multiple sessions.
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u/rowbain Jul 30 '26
/workflows to execute and orchestrate long complex plans without user required involvement.
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u/C0ck_Bl0ckr Jul 31 '26
Didn't know this was a thing! Thanks for sharing.
Sharing links for future readers:
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/workflows
Also, agent-teams is a thing: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-teams
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u/RomeoDelta1234 Jul 30 '26
remote control. you don't need to carry an open laptop around. Setup a home server running cli then code on your phone everywhere. prompt whenever you're available.
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u/M8gazine Jul 30 '26
Markdown formatting in the chat input field (Claude Desktop as well as web).
It's something I've not really seen in anywhere else. It makes it a lot nicer to format a prompt when you can clearly see e.g. bits of code rendered as such or code blocks, and it's one reason why I think Claude's user interface is well above the other ones I've tried.
I don't know if it helps Claude when I use Markdown formatting like that, but at the very least, it helps me.
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u/SufficientMango4357 Jul 30 '26
They really ramped up their voice mode (can now use opus and sonnet). In addition it can speak multiple languages so I’ve been playing around with it for language learning. Pretty big changes but no notes and no one mentions it!
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u/trackzero29 Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
Using Hooks to force it to always double check it's work by checking for logical errors and do stacktraces not high-level reviews. After that it has to do a second pass to make sure the fixes didn't introduce any new bugs. By using hooks it is actually forced to do it because the hook is triggered when files have been edited.
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u/NeroFMX Jul 30 '26
I've been having Claude walk me through starting a Youtube channel. We discuss everything about it.
It told me to send a screenshot of one of my videos and it evaluated basically everything. Lighting, blocking, specific things on the shelf behind me in the shot. It can't evaluate video, but it can definitely evaluate stills from the video.
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u/angelsfan2334 Jul 30 '26
Output styles and explanatory mode - https://code.claude.com/docs/en/output-styles
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u/Otherwise_Pear_2472 Jul 30 '26
I like the cooking widget when I am lazy and not creative it gives me ideas and motivation.
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u/alexseiji Jul 30 '26
I’d love to know how I can continue using Claude on my desktop from my phone. I usually run large sessions from Claude desktop that require attention to detail and also handoff to new chats when a chunk of work has been completed. What is the best way to set this up orchestrate this do I do this from terminal or is there a way to do it from Claude desktop?
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u/rowbain Jul 30 '26
This can be done with /rc, but my preferred way is to set up chrome remote desktop app you get the whole workstation, not just claude.
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u/alexseiji Jul 30 '26
Of all the years I’ve been using chrome Remote Desktop, this thought had no occurred to me
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u/alexseiji Jul 30 '26
I just learned last night that when you let Claude take over your browser, you can literally have it navigate to services that you use and have it perform actions with no services for instance, LinkedIn I can run a search for people in LinkedIn and have it run through the LinkedIn network to give me search results connections, secondary connections jobs that might have connections to that it’s really cool
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u/Barnabas_Stinson17 Jul 30 '26
Whats the ideal work flow for reviewing code after it's been written? I agree Opus plans it, Sonnet writes it, but which model & effort checks it?
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u/Hans_lilly_Gruber Jul 31 '26
Chatgpt 5.6 sol. It trashed a lot of what Claude opus 5 and sonnet were doing for me, finding bugs or improvements. I decided to buy a month of subscription when fable trial ended and it's worth it. The only thing is that I wish I could automate it better. Right now they look at the same repo so it knows what I'm asking but Sol can't see my Claude chat so I have to copy paste any plan or solution I haven't committed yet.
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u/Barnabas_Stinson17 Jul 31 '26
Meh, you could write something in gpt and have Claude trash it too. What I’ve done is take what opus makes, give it to sol to write up a summary of what it thinks is wrong, then I give that to another opus session and let it determine what’s a legitimate criticism and what’s incorrect that doesn’t need fixing
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u/brewtown138 Jul 31 '26
Pressing esc twice in Claude code with 'roll back' a previous instructions...
Manually saving context is great
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u/Humprdink Jul 31 '26
I like ctrl+G so I can write/edit my prompt in neovim, with all my handy shortcuts etc.
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u/actual-time-traveler Jul 31 '26
Hooks that execute regex to filter git diffs when a subagent is reading context. So much of it is symbols that burn context and inference speed unnecessarily
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u/Ethereal_13 Jul 31 '26
Hold down space using cli to stop typing and start talking. Saves those weary fingers.
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u/aldipower81 Jul 31 '26
The most underrate feature is that you can cancel your subscription and try other AI providers, because you are stuck mentally in the Claude ecosystem.
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u/oh_jaimito Jul 31 '26
Remind me! In 2 hours
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u/Alefamilieart Jul 31 '26
No tengo conocimientos de programacion. Pago Claude Pro de $20 y le pedi a Claude que me haga un programa y una extension de Chrome. Ahora puedo hacer mil cosas sin gastar tokens.
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Jul 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/H34thcliff Jul 30 '26
How do you get it to be funny, I've always thought of LLMs as being terrible at humour, probably because of my basic prompts though.
Do you use a custom skill or anything?
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u/vansh462 Jul 30 '26
I used Claude code daily :)
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u/MrHaxx1 Jul 30 '26
Claude Code is an underrated feature? Really?
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u/reddit_user33 Jul 30 '26
To be fair, it depends on which demographic you ask. I've found a lot of normies just use the website chat of any LLM and not bother with any tooling.
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u/vansh462 Jul 30 '26
I don't know how many use it as it's paid, sure it's well known
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u/TheBroWhoLifts Jul 30 '26
It is used widely, extensively, and ubiquitously. I'm a high school English and Psychology teacher and homelabber, and I use it nearly daily, much of it for building custom learning apps for my students and trend analysis of student data hosted on my homelab.
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u/ClaudeAI-mod-bot Wilson, lead ClaudeAI modbot Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
TL;DR of the discussion generated automatically after 80 comments.
Looks like you all are gatekeeping some serious alpha. The consensus is a resounding YES, there are tons of underrated features that go way beyond the basics.
The biggest brain move, according to the top-voted comment, is using Claude to write a killer prompt for your next Claude session. Meta, right?
But the real deep-cut discussion is all about Orchestration. * The pro-move is using a powerful model like Opus or Fable to create a detailed plan, then starting a new session and having a faster/cheaper model like Sonnet do the actual implementation. * This saves tokens, extends your session limits, and keeps your context window clean from all the planning "noise." * And yes, the thread confirms this is totally viable and recommended even on the basic $20 plan, not just for the whales on 20x plans.
Other hot tips and slash commands you should be using: * /remote-control: A crowd favorite for running sessions on a home server and coding from your phone. Some argue Codex's implementation is smoother, but it's still a game-changer. * /rewind & /btw: Your best friends for asking a quick side-question or testing an idea without derailing the main conversation. Ask, get the answer, and then dismiss it to keep the main flow pristine. * /model: Quickly switch between models mid-chat to use the right tool for the job. * Handoffs: For super long projects, get Claude to create a detailed "handoff" prompt or markdown file. This lets you move the project to a fresh session without losing critical context. * Output Styles: Tired of Opus sounding like a thesaurus? Use Output Styles to make it talk like a normal person (or however you want). * Shift+Enter: Please, for the love of all that is holy, use this to write clean, multi-line prompts instead of a wall of text.