Mastering Agentic Coding with Claude Code

Claude Code can read your project, edit files, run your tests and fix what breaks. Used well, it changes how fast a developer can work. Used carelessly, it spends money, forgets your rules and makes changes nobody reviewed.

Mastering Agentic Coding with Claude Code is a practical guide for working developers who want the first outcome and not the second. It explains how the agentic loop works, then teaches each mechanism one at a time, with exact commands, settings and tested examples.

Inside you will learn how to:
Install and configure Claude Code in the terminal, VS Code and JetBrains
Write CLAUDE.md memory files that stay short and actually get followed
Use plan mode, permission rules, auto mode, checkpoints and the sandbox
Enforce rules with hooks and package procedures as commands and skills
Connect databases, trackers and APIs with MCP, and build your own server
Delegate to subagents and run parallel work with worktrees, background sessions and agent teams
Build two complete projects, a Next.js app and a Python API, with tests, linting and live checks
Run Claude in scripts, GitHub Actions and CI with structured output, budgets and least privilege
Control security, secrets, prompt injection and cost, and keep a team setup healthy as releases change

Every command, flag and setting was checked against the Claude Code documentation as of November 2026 (version 2.1.318), and the project code was built and run. Appendices give you a cheat sheet, copy-ready templates and a glossary.

Claude and Claude Code are trademarks of Anthropic. This book is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic.