Module 9 ★ Advanced

Claude Code – The Full Power

Go beyond the chat window. Run Claude as an agent directly in your terminal and IDE.

Session Overview

30 minutes

Claude Code is a separate tool from claude.ai. Instead of chatting in a browser, Claude runs directly inside your project folder, reads every file, runs commands, and ships working code — all from your terminal or VS Code. This is "Stage 3 – Code" from Module 2, in full detail.

Core Concepts

Think of Claude Code as a coding colleague who lives inside your project. It can:

Read Your Entire Project

Understands all your files — trading scripts, data pipelines, config — not just what you paste in.

Run Commands

Executes terminal commands, runs your backtests, installs packages, commits code to git.

Verify Its Own Work

Runs tests after making changes, checks output, and fixes mistakes — without you stepping in.

Remember Between Sessions

Auto memory stores what it learns about your project. Next session it picks up where it left off.

How Claude Code Works (The Loop)

Every task runs through the same four-step cycle:

  1. Gather context: Claude reads your files and searches for relevant code
  2. Take action: Makes file edits, runs commands, calls external services
  3. Verify results: Runs tests, checks output, compares with expected results
  4. Repeat: Each result informs the next step until the task is complete

For traders: describe your strategy goal, Claude builds the script, runs a quick test, and fixes any errors — all in one session.

The .claude Directory

Claude Code uses a hidden .claude/ folder in your project to store its brain. Key files:

File/Folder What It Does
CLAUDE.md Your standing instructions — Claude reads this every session. Put your coding rules, trading conventions, and build commands here.
CLAUDE.local.md Your personal notes (not shared with teammates).
.claude/settings.json Project configuration — permission modes, allowed commands.
.claude/skills/ Custom workflows you can trigger with /skill-name (e.g. /backtest, /deploy).
~/.claude/projects/ Auto memory — Claude's notes from past sessions about your project patterns.

Store Instructions & Memories

Two memory systems work together:

  • CLAUDE.md (your rules): Write once, Claude follows every session. Example: 
    # Trading Conventions
- Always use 2 decimal places for position sizes
- Fetch data using yfinance library, not Alpha Vantage
- Run pytest before committing any changes
- Never hardcode API keys — use environment variables
  • Auto memory (Claude's notes): Claude automatically writes notes about things it discovers — your project structure, debugging insights, your preferences. First 25KB loaded every session.

Keep CLAUDE.md under 200 lines. Longer files get ignored.

Permission Modes

Control how much Claude can do without asking you first:

Mode What Claude Does Without Asking Best For
Default Read files only Getting started, reviewing code
Accept Edits Read and edit files freely Active development you're watching
Plan Mode Reads files, shows a plan, waits for your approval Major strategy changes — review before any edit
Auto All actions with background safety checks Long tasks, reducing interruptions

Cycle through modes with Shift+Tab. For traders: use Plan Mode whenever changing live trading logic — see what Claude intends before it touches anything.

Context Window — Your Working Memory

Claude can only hold a limited amount of information at once (think: 200,000 words of sticky notes). When it fills up, it auto-compresses old messages.

Tips to avoid running out:

  • Type /clear between unrelated tasks to start fresh
  • Keep CLAUDE.md concise — it loads fully every session
  • Use subagents for heavy investigation work (keeps your main session clean)
  • Long backtest output in your conversation eats context — pipe long outputs to a file instead

Common Workflows for Traders

Understand Existing Code

"give me an overview of this project"
"explain how the data pipeline works"
"where is RSI calculated?"

Fix a Bug

"my price fetcher returns NaN for TSLA"
"find and fix the issue, then run tests"
"make it robust against edge cases"

Add a Feature

"add MACD calculation to my indicator module"
"send an email alert when RSI crosses 30"

Commit & PR

"commit my changes with a clear message"
"create a pull request for this feature"

Extend Claude Code

Three powerful ways to expand what Claude can do:

  • Skills: Package a repeatable workflow into a /skill-name command. Example: /analyze-backtest that always follows the same steps for reviewing your strategy results.
  • MCP Servers: Connect Claude to external systems — your brokerage API, a Google Sheet of trades, a Slack channel for alerts. Claude can query and post to these directly.
  • Hooks: Shell commands that run automatically at specific moments (e.g. run linting after every file edit, auto-commit before deploy).

Best Practices

Rules That Actually Matter

  • Give Claude something to verify against. Include expected output or test cases — Claude checks its own work.
  • Explore first, then code. Start in Plan Mode to understand, then switch to normal mode to implement.
  • Be specific upfront. Name the file: @src/indicators.py — add MACD here
  • Use /clear between tasks. Starting a fresh context prevents confusion from earlier conversation.
  • Write a good CLAUDE.md. Include your build commands, test runner, and trading conventions. Claude can't guess these.
  • Never paste real API keys. Even in Claude Code — use environment variables and .env files.

VS Code IDE Integration

Claude Code works inside VS Code — no terminal required. The visual interface makes reviewing changes much easier.

VS Code

Install

Search "Claude Code" in the VS Code Extensions marketplace, or run: code --install-extension anthropic.claude-code

Open Claude

Click the spark icon (top-right of editor), or use the Activity Bar. Claude panel opens on the side.

Inline Diffs

Proposed file changes appear side-by-side in the editor. Accept or reject individual hunks before they're applied.

@-Mentions

Type @filename or drag a file into the prompt to include it. Select code and press Option+K to reference it directly.

Quick Setup Guide

  1. Install Claude Code: VS Code extension or curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash for terminal
  2. Open your trading project folder in VS Code
  3. Run /init — Claude scans your project and generates a starter CLAUDE.md
  4. Edit CLAUDE.md — add your trading conventions and build commands
  5. Start your first task: "explain what this script does" or "help me debug this data fetcher"

Essential Commands

Command What It Does
/init Generate a starter CLAUDE.md for your project
/clear Start a fresh conversation (keeps memory)
/memory View your instructions and auto-learned knowledge
/rewind Undo back to a previous state
/resume Continue a previous conversation
@filename Include a specific file in your message

Key Takeaways

  • Claude Code runs inside your project — reads all files, not just what you paste in
  • CLAUDE.md = your standing instructions. Keep it under 200 lines.
  • Use Plan Mode before any major trading logic change
  • /clear between unrelated tasks keeps context clean and responses sharp
  • VS Code integration gives you inline diffs — review changes visually
  • Skills and MCP let you connect Claude to your real data sources
  • Full docs: code.claude.com/docs
Module 10

Claude Beyond Software

Real-world applications for work, hobbies, and life

Session Overview

30 minutes

Claude Code was originally built for programmers, but the same agentic engine powers Claude Cowork — and it's now being used by marketers, analysts, finance teams, researchers, and everyday people managing their hobbies.

The big shift: You no longer need to know how to code or use complicated tools. You just describe the outcome you want, give it the right files, and steer it when needed. The AI does the planning and the heavy lifting.

3 Professional Use Cases

Marketing & Competitive Analysis

Drop in competitor websites, customer reviews, and internal notes. Cowork builds complete slide decks with pricing tables, feature comparisons, and SWOT analysis. What used to take a full day now finishes overnight.

Finance & Expense Management

Throw a folder of receipts, bank statements, and screenshots at it. Cowork pulls out numbers, creates formatted spreadsheets with formulas, spots duplicates, categorizes for taxes. Monthly close cut from half a day to under two hours.

Research & Meeting Intelligence

Feed it PDFs, interview transcripts, or long meeting recordings. Produces executive summaries, comparison tables, clear action lists. Great for literature reviews or turning messy notes into usable output fast.

3 Personal & Leisure Use Cases

NFL Fantasy League Management

Fantasy football fans drop screenshots of player stats, match results, injury news. Cowork organizes everything, builds performance charts, suggests best weekly lineups, tracks mini-league standings, writes fun scouting reports.

Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master

Tabletop RPG players use Claude as a full DM. It runs complete D&D campaigns, keeps track of entire world state in files, manages NPCs, handles combat rules, creates dynamic stories — all without anyone needing to be the DM.

Whoop Sleep & Recovery Analysis

Wearable users export sleep, recovery, strain, and HRV data. Cowork analyses everything, builds personal health dashboards, spots patterns in sleep quality, and gives clear advice on how to improve recovery and performance.

The Bigger Picture

These examples show something fundamental: The barrier to automation has disappeared.

You no longer need to:

  • Know how to code
  • Use complicated tools
  • Spend hours learning software
  • Hire expensive consultants

You just:

  1. Describe the outcome you want
  2. Give it the right files
  3. Steer it when needed

The AI does the planning and the heavy lifting.

Best Practices for Best Results

Do This Avoid This
Give clear instructions Vague "do something with this" requests
Provide good reference files (brand guidelines, style notes) Expecting it to read your mind
Check in occasionally Going dark for days without feedback
Start small, then scale Trying to automate everything at once

Key Takeaways

  • Claude Cowork = AI that does the work, not just answers questions
  • Professional uses: Marketing analysis, finance/expense management, research intelligence
  • Personal uses: Fantasy sports, gaming (D&D), health tracking (Whoop)
  • No coding required: Describe outcome → Give files → Get results
  • Best results come from: Clear instructions, good reference files, occasional check-ins
Resources

Additional Resources

Everything you need to continue your vibe coding journey

Essential Tools & APIs

Claude

Claude

claude.ai – Your primary AI coding assistant

VS Code

VS Code

code.visualstudio.com – Free, powerful IDE

Tailwind CSS

Tailwind CSS

tailwindcss.com – Style your trading dashboards without writing raw CSS

Alpha Vantage

Alpha Vantage

alphavantage.co – Free stock market data API

SQLite

SQLite

sqlite.org – Store your trade history, watchlists, and signals locally — no server needed

Python

Python

python.org – The language Claude uses to automate your trading workflows and data analysis

Learning Path

  1. Start: Build a simple price fetcher for your watchlist
  2. Progress: Add technical indicators and alerts
  3. Advanced: Build a portfolio dashboard
  4. Expert: Implement full trading strategy automation

Community Support

You're not alone! Join communities of traders and developers who are vibe coding: