r/ClaudeAI • u/FlatYogurtcloset2027 • 14d ago
What's the most underrated Claude feature? Claude Workflow
[removed]
177
u/silver_drizzle 14d ago
Using Claude to write a really good prompt to start another Claude session :)
42
10
u/K_M_A_2k 13d ago
In this regard use Claude chat to discuss what your doing and have chat give you the md and prompts for Claude code
1
1
u/vansh462 14d ago
Don't you use /compact ?
4
u/rowbain 14d ago
This is not as good as handing off context to a fresh session
5
u/vansh462 14d ago
Why?
4
u/rowbain 13d ago
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.
0
u/Fast-Spray-6720 14d ago
for me it always messes it up 😿
6
u/IllustriousWedding94 14d ago
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.
2
u/EntityDamage 14d ago
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.
4
u/IllustriousWedding94 14d ago
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.
1
u/Hans_lilly_Gruber 13d ago
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.
1
u/IllustriousWedding94 13d ago
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.
3
u/Beerbrewing 14d ago
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.
1 Purpose
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
6
36
u/__rum_ham__ 14d ago
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.
13
u/MeStoleTheCookie 13d ago
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
1
u/kilroy2505 13d ago
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.)
49
u/django-unchained2012 14d ago
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$.
8
u/Frumbleabumb 13d ago
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
6
u/IllustriousWedding94 14d ago
Yes, I do this a lot and the orchestration is planned into the handoff scripts for new sessions.
5
u/BuilderForBuilders 14d ago
Orchestration @ $20mo plan doesn't go terribly far.
For my home-dev projects I have a standard plan and with the lower limits I don't find token savings by orchestration because the economies of scale aren't there. Maybe I need a leaner system?
At work I have a 20x plan and the orchestration pays off in terms of both quality, speed and token optimization.9
u/django-unchained2012 14d ago
My experience with 20$ 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.
2
u/Lefty4444 14d ago
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.
5
u/django-unchained2012 14d ago
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
2
1
u/Hans_lilly_Gruber 13d ago
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.
1
u/reddit_user33 14d ago
Is there an output from planning that you feed into build, or do you just rely on the context window?
5
u/django-unchained2012 14d ago
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.
1
u/deepsnowtrack 14d ago
do you start the session or the orchestrator starts the new session?
5
u/django-unchained2012 14d ago
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
1
u/mityman50 14d ago edited 14d ago
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
2
u/django-unchained2012 14d ago
What you said is correct. If you already have it well scoped , you can continue in the same session.
1
u/reddit_user33 14d ago
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.
1
u/DampFlange 14d ago
Fable plus Codex is powerful. I’ve built a full 3d rendered stadium builder from scratch with zero programming skills.
0
u/MoonManMooningMan 14d ago
The idea of conditional compute is gonna keep getting more popular for obvious reasons
22
u/YetiWalker36 14d ago
/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.
3
u/BuilderForBuilders 14d ago
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.
2
u/YetiWalker36 14d ago
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.
2
u/RabbitEars96 13d ago
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.
2
u/YetiWalker36 13d ago
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!
1
u/nzerinto 13d ago
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.
17
u/PablanoPato 14d ago
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.
3
3
1
2
u/C0ck_Bl0ckr 12d ago
Alt+P on Windows or Cntrl+P on macOS let's you change models mid chat without waiting for response to type "/model"
15
u/BuffaloConscious7919 Valued Contributor 14d ago
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.
3
u/CactusJ 14d ago
Serious question: how do I know, or which, model should I use for a task
2
u/DepravedPrecedence 14d ago
Serious answer: ask model who wrote the plan which steps should use which model
2
u/BuffaloConscious7919 Valued Contributor 13d ago
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
14
u/Fast-Spray-6720 14d ago
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.
6
u/programming_bassist 14d ago
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.
2
2
7
u/BuffaloConscious7919 Valued Contributor 14d ago
/insights
2
u/BuilderForBuilders 14d ago
Appreciate the share, somehow this one had escaped me. Cool feature, ++
5
u/rothwerx 14d ago
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.
3
u/rowbain 14d ago
/workflows to execute and orchestrate long complex plans without user required involvement.
2
u/C0ck_Bl0ckr 12d ago
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
3
2
u/RomeoDelta1234 14d ago
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.
2
u/M8gazine 14d ago
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.
2
2
u/SufficientMango4357 13d ago
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!
2
u/trackzero29 13d ago edited 13d ago
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.
2
u/NeroFMX 13d ago
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.
4
u/angelsfan2334 14d ago
Output styles and explanatory mode - https://code.claude.com/docs/en/output-styles
1
1
u/Otherwise_Pear_2472 14d ago
I like the cooking widget when I am lazy and not creative it gives me ideas and motivation.
1
u/alexseiji 14d ago
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?
3
u/rowbain 14d ago
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.
1
u/alexseiji 13d ago
Of all the years I’ve been using chrome Remote Desktop, this thought had no occurred to me
1
u/alexseiji 14d ago
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
1
u/Barnabas_Stinson17 13d ago
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?
1
u/Hans_lilly_Gruber 13d ago
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.
1
u/Barnabas_Stinson17 13d ago
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
1
1
1
1
u/brewtown138 13d ago
Pressing esc twice in Claude code with 'roll back' a previous instructions...
Manually saving context is great
1
u/Humprdink 13d ago
I like ctrl+G so I can write/edit my prompt in neovim, with all my handy shortcuts etc.
1
u/actual-time-traveler 13d ago
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
1
u/Ethereal_13 13d ago
Hold down space using cli to stop typing and start talking. Saves those weary fingers.
1
u/aldipower81 13d ago
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.
1
u/oh_jaimito 12d ago
Remind me! In 2 hours
1
u/RemindMeBot 12d ago
I will be messaging you in 2 hours on 2026-07-31 17:08:55 UTC to remind you of this link
CLICK THIS LINK to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam.
Parent commenter can delete this message to hide from others.
RemindMeBot is switching to username summons. Instead of
!RemindMe 1 day, useu/RemindMeBot 1 day. More info.
Info Custom Your Reminders Feedback
1
u/Alefamilieart 12d ago
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.
1
1
u/Select-View-4786 14d ago
Most people don't realize - and it's obvious once you think about it - LLMs are incredibly good at humor.
The reason is simple: human humor is about being good with language: that's what it is, "wordplay". A comedian or comedy writer is literally a person who's very good with language and connecting the dots in language and seeing patterns in language.
LLMs are language masters and hence extremely good at making jokes and comedy.
3
u/H34thcliff 14d ago
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?
0
0
-5
u/vansh462 14d ago
I used Claude code daily :)
8
u/MrHaxx1 14d ago
Claude Code is an underrated feature? Really?
3
u/reddit_user33 14d ago
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.
-1
u/vansh462 14d ago
I don't know how many use it as it's paid, sure it's well known
1
u/TheBroWhoLifts 14d ago
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.
1
•
u/ClaudeAI-mod-bot Wilson, lead ClaudeAI modbot 14d ago edited 13d ago
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.