5 tricks to make Claude Code go 10x crazy (amateur vs pro devs)
Garbage in garbage out.
Many developers treat Claude Code like it’s supposed to magically read their minds — and then they get furious when it gives weak results.
Oh add this feature, oh fix that bug for me… just do it Claudy, I don’t care if I give you a miserably vague, low-quality prompt — I still expect the best Claudy.
And if you can’t give me what I asked for — then of course you’re worthless and vibe coding is total hype BS.
They just have no clue how to drive this tool.
Amateurs ask for code.
Pros ask for outcomes, constraints, trade-offs, and a plan.
They give Claude Code enough context to behave like a senior engineer who can reason, sequence work, and protect the codebase from subtle failure.
1) Use “think mode” for complex problems
If your prompt sounds like a simple low-effort task, Claude Code will give you… a simple low-effort solution.
If your prompt signals “this is a thinking problem”, you’ll get a completely different quality of output: constraints, risks, alternatives, and a step-by-step implementation plan.
Amateur prompt
Add authentication to my app.
Pro prompt (the “think” unlock)
I need you to think through a secure, maintainable authentication design for a React frontend with a Node/Express API. Compare cookie sessions vs JWT, include password hashing strategy, rate limiting, CSRF considerations, refresh-token handling (if relevant), and how this should fit our existing user model. Then propose an implementation plan with milestones and tests.
Why this works: you’re explicitly asking for architecture + trade-offs + sequencing, not “spit out code.”
Extra pro tip: add “assumptions” + “unknowns” to force clarity:
List assumptions you’re making, and ask me the minimum questions needed if something is missing.
2) Connect Claude Code to the world
Stop wasting the Claude Code’s potential — use MCP to connect it to external tools including databases and developer APIs.
Pros don’t keep Claude Code hopelessly relegated to just writing code.
They extend it with tools so it can inspect your environment and act with real context.
Project-scoped MCP config means: everyone on the team shares the same Ctoolbelt, checked into the repo. New dev joins? They pull the project and Claude Code instantly knows how to access the same tools.
What this unlocks
- “Look at our database schema and generate endpoints”
- “Scan the repo and find all usages of X”
- “Check deployment status and suggest a fix”
- “Run tests, interpret failures, patch code”
Amateur approach
Here’s my schema (pastes partial schema). Make me an API.
Pro approach
Use our project MCP tools to inspect the actual schema, identify relationships, then generate a CRUD module with validation, error handling, and tests. After that, propose performance improvements based on indexes and query patterns you observe.
What changes: Claude Code stops guessing and starts integrating with your environment.
3) Stop using Git like that
Amateurs are still treating git like a sequence of memorized commands — they think it’s still 2022.
Pros treat git + PRs like an orchestrated workflow: branching, implementation, commit hygiene, PR description quality, reviewer routing, and cleanup—all expressed as intent.
Amateur behavior
- One giant commit: “stuff”
- Still using manual git commands:
git commit,git branch, etc. - Vague PR description
- No reviewer guidance
Pro command (workflow orchestration)
Create a new feature branch for adding “Sign in with Google” using OAuth2. Implement the full flow end-to-end (redirect handling, token exchange, session persistence, logout). Commit in logical chunks using our conventions (small, descriptive messages). Open a PR with a clear summary, testing notes, and security considerations, and request review from the security-focused reviewers.
Why this works: Claude Code shines when it can plan a multi-step process and keep the repo readable for humans.
4) Don’t be so naive
Amateurs build like software like naive optimists — and this shows up in both their hand-written code — and their prompts to Claude Code.
Pros build systems that keep working when reality shows up: timeouts, duplicate requests, partial failures, bad inputs, rate limits, retries, and logging that makes incidents survivable.
Claude Code is unusually strong at “paranoid engineering”—you just have to ask for it.
Amateur prompt
Make a payment function.
Pro prompt (tests first + failure modes)
Design this payment flow defensively. Start by writing tests first (including failures): network timeouts, declined cards, malformed input, duplicate submission, idempotency, provider rate limiting, and partial capture scenarios. Then implement the code to satisfy the tests. Add structured logs, clear error taxonomy, and safe fallbacks where appropriate.
If you want to push it even further:
Include a retry policy with jitter, a circuit-breaker-like safeguard, and metrics hooks so we can observe success/failure rates.
Outcome: instead of “works on my machine,” you get code that holds up under pressure.
5) Stop refactoring like a noob
Amateurs refactor locally: rename a variable, extract a function, call it done.
Pros refactor system-wide: centralize logic, enforce boundaries, update imports everywhere, adjust tests, and keep behavior consistent across the codebase.
Claude becomes terrifyingly effective when you give it a refactor target + constraints + a migration plan.
Amateur prompt
Move this function into another file.
Pro prompt (multi-file, consistent patterns)
Refactor authentication so UI components no longer contain auth logic. Create a dedicated auth module/service, route all auth-related API calls through it, standardize error handling, and update all imports across the app. Add TypeScript types/interfaces where needed. Update tests to mock the new service cleanly. Then search the repo for any leftover auth logic in utilities and migrate it too.
Why this works: you’re not asking for “a refactor.” You’re asking for a controlled architectural change with guardrails.
The real secret: pros don’t write prompts, they write specs
If you want Claude to “go 10×,” stop giving it chores and start giving it:
- intent (“what success looks like”)
- constraints (security, performance, conventions, compatibility)
- context (stack, repo patterns, architecture)
- sequencing (“plan first, then implement, then test, then cleanup”)












































