Pro Workflow

Real-world AI coding patterns from power users who ship production code daily. Not theory - workflows that compound over time.

Works with: Claude Code, Cursor, and other AI coding agents. Sections marked (Claude Code) use features specific to Claude Code — Cursor users can skip those or use the noted alternatives.

The Core Insight

"80% of my code is written by AI, 20% is spent reviewing and correcting it." — Karpathy

This skill optimizes for that ratio. Every pattern here reduces correction cycles.

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1. The Self-Correction Loop

The single most powerful pattern. Your CLAUDE.md trains itself through corrections.

How It Works

When you correct Claude:

1. Claude acknowledges the mistake
2. Proposes a rule to prevent it
3. You approve → rule goes into memory
4. Future sessions avoid the same mistake

Add to CLAUDE.md

## Self-Correction Protocol

When the user corrects me or I make a mistake:
1. Acknowledge specifically what went wrong
2. Propose a concise rule: `[LEARN] Category: One-line rule`
3. Wait for approval before adding to LEARNED section

### LEARNED
<!-- Auto-populated through corrections -->

Trigger Phrases

• "Add that to your rules"
• "Remember this"
• "Don't do that again"

Example Flow

User: You edited the wrong file
Claude: I edited src/utils.ts when you meant src/lib/utils.ts.

[LEARN] Navigation: Confirm full path before editing files with common names.

Should I add this?

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2. Parallel Sessions with Worktrees

Zero dead time. While one Claude thinks, work on something else.

Setup

Claude Code:

claude --worktree    # or claude -w (auto-creates isolated worktree)

Cursor / Any editor:

git worktree add ../project-feat feature-branch
git worktree add ../project-fix bugfix-branch

Background Agent Management (Claude Code)

• Ctrl+F — Kill all background agents (two-press confirmation)
• Ctrl+B — Send task to background
• Subagents support isolation: worktree in agent frontmatter

When to Parallelize

Scenario	Action
Waiting on tests	Start new feature in worktree
Long build	Debug issue in parallel
Exploring approaches	Try 2-3 simultaneously

Add to CLAUDE.md

## Parallel Work
When blocked on long operations, use `claude -w` for instant parallel sessions.
Subagents with `isolation: worktree` get their own safe working copy.

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3. The Wrap-Up Ritual

End sessions with intention. Capture learnings, verify state.

/wrap-up Checklist

1. Changes Audit - List modified files, uncommitted changes
2. State Check - Run git status, tests, lint
3. Learning Capture - What mistakes? What worked?
4. Next Session - What's next? Any blockers?
5. Summary - One paragraph of what was accomplished

Create Command

~/.claude/commands/wrap-up.md:

Execute wrap-up checklist:
1. `git status` - uncommitted changes?
2. `npm test -- --changed` - tests passing?
3. What was learned this session?
4. Propose LEARNED additions
5. One-paragraph summary

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4. Split Memory Architecture

For complex projects, modularize Claude memory.

Structure

.claude/
├── CLAUDE.md        # Entry point
├── AGENTS.md        # Workflow rules
├── SOUL.md          # Style preferences
└── LEARNED.md       # Auto-populated

AGENTS.md

# Workflow Rules

## Planning
Plan mode when: >3 files, architecture decisions, multiple approaches.

## Quality Gates
Before complete: lint, typecheck, test --related.

## Subagents
Use for: parallel exploration, background tasks.
Avoid for: tasks needing conversation context.

SOUL.md

# Style

- Concise over verbose
- Action over explanation
- Acknowledge mistakes directly
- No features beyond scope

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5. The 80/20 Review Pattern

Batch reviews at checkpoints, not every change.

Review Points

1. After plan approval
2. After each milestone
3. Before destructive operations
4. At /wrap-up

Add to CLAUDE.md

## Review Checkpoints
Pause for review at: plan completion, >5 file edits, git operations, auth/security code.
Between: proceed with confidence.

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6. Model Selection

Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.6 both support adaptive thinking and 1M-token context. The 1M context is available as a beta option (via the context-1m-2025-08-07 beta header); the default context window remains 200K. Sonnet 4.5 (200K context) has been retired from the Max plan in favor of Sonnet 4.6.

Task	Model
Quick fixes, exploration	Haiku 4.5
Features, balanced work	Sonnet 4.6
Refactors, architecture	Opus 4.6
Hard bugs, multi-system	Opus 4.6

Adaptive Thinking

Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.6 automatically calibrate reasoning depth per task — lightweight for simple operations, deep analysis for complex problems. No configuration needed. Extended thinking is built-in.

Add to CLAUDE.md

## Model Hints
Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.6 auto-calibrate reasoning depth — no need to toggle thinking mode.
Use subagents with Haiku for fast read-only exploration, Sonnet 4.6 for balanced work.

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7. Context Discipline

200k tokens is precious. Manage it.

Rules

1. Read before edit
2. Compact at task boundaries
3. Disable unused MCPs (<10 enabled, <80 tools)
4. Summarize explorations
5. Use subagents to isolate high-volume output (tests, logs, docs)

Context Compaction

• Auto-compacts at ~95% capacity (keeps long-running agents alive)
• Configure earlier compaction: CLAUDE_AUTOCOMPACT_PCT_OVERRIDE=50
• Use PreCompact hooks to save state before compaction
• Subagents auto-compact independently from the main session

Good Compact Points

• After planning, before execution
• After completing a feature
• When context >70%
• Before switching task domains

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8. Learning Log

Auto-document insights from sessions.

Add to CLAUDE.md

## Learning Log
After tasks, note learnings:
`[DATE] [TOPIC]: Key insight`

Append to .claude/learning-log.md

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Learn Claude Code

Master Claude Code through built-in best practices and official documentation.

Pro-workflow teaches Claude Code concepts directly and links to official docs at https://code.claude.com/docs/ for deep dives.

What You'll Learn

Topic	Pro-Workflow Pattern	Official Docs
Sessions & context management	Pattern 7: Context Discipline	Common Workflows
Modes (Plan/Normal/Auto/Delegate)	Pattern 5: 80/20 Review	Common Workflows
CLAUDE.md & project memory	Pattern 4: Split Memory	Settings
Writing rules & constraints	Pattern 1: Self-Correction Loop	Settings
Effective prompting	Pattern 5: 80/20 Review	—
Skills & automation	Pattern 8: Learning Log	Settings
Custom subagents	Pattern 2: Parallel Worktrees	Sub-agents
Agent teams	Pattern 2: Parallel Worktrees	Agent Teams
Hooks & quality gates	All hooks in hooks.json	Hooks
Context compaction	Pattern 7: Context Discipline	Common Workflows
Adaptive thinking	Pattern 6: Model Selection	—
Security & permissions	—	Security
MCP configuration	Pattern 7: Context Discipline	MCP

Learning Path

1. Start — CLI shortcuts, context management, modes
2. Build — CLAUDE.md, writing rules, prompting, skills
3. Scale — Custom subagents, agent teams, hooks, MCP, GitHub Actions
4. Optimize — Pro-Workflow patterns 1-8, adaptive thinking, context compaction
5. Reference — Official docs for deep dives on any topic

Use /learn

Run /learn for a topic-by-topic guide with practices and official doc links.

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Quick Setup

Minimal

Add to your CLAUDE.md:

## Pro Workflow

### Self-Correction
When corrected, propose rule → add to LEARNED after approval.

### Planning
Multi-file: plan first, wait for "proceed".

### Quality
After edits: lint, typecheck, test.

### LEARNED

Full Setup

git clone https://github.com/rohitg00/pro-workflow.git /tmp/pw
cp -r /tmp/pw/templates/split-claude-md/* ./.claude/
cp -r /tmp/pw/commands/* ~/.claude/commands/

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Hooks (Claude Code)

Pro-workflow includes automated hooks to enforce the patterns. Cursor users get equivalent enforcement through .mdc rules in the rules/ directory.

PreToolUse Hooks

Trigger	Action
Edit/Write	Track edit count, remind at 5/10 edits
git commit	Remind to run quality gates
git push	Remind about /wrap-up

PostToolUse Hooks

Trigger	Action
Code edit (.ts/.js/.py/.go)	Check for console.log, TODOs, secrets
Test commands	Suggest [LEARN] from failures

Session Hooks

Hook	Action
SessionStart	Load LEARNED patterns, show worktree count
Stop	Context-aware reminders using last_assistant_message
SessionEnd	Check uncommitted changes, prompt for learnings
ConfigChange	Detect when quality gates or hooks are modified mid-session

Install Hooks

# Copy hooks to your settings
cp ~/skills/pro-workflow/hooks/hooks.json ~/.claude/settings.local.json

# Or merge with existing settings

Hook Philosophy

Based on Twitter thread insights:

• Non-blocking - Hooks remind, don't block (except dangerous ops)
• Checkpoint-based - Quality gates at intervals, not every edit
• Learning-focused - Always prompt for pattern capture

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Contexts

Switch modes based on what you're doing.

Context	Trigger	Behavior
dev	"Let's build"	Code first, iterate fast
review	"Review this"	Read-only, security focus
research	"Help me understand"	Explore, summarize, plan

Use: "Switch to dev mode" or load context file.

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Agents

Specialized subagents for focused tasks.

Agent	Purpose	Tools
planner	Break down complex tasks	Read-only
reviewer	Code review, security audit	Read + test

When to Delegate

Use planner agent when:

• Task touches >5 files
• Architecture decision needed
• Requirements unclear

Use reviewer agent when:

• Before committing
• PR reviews
• Security concerns

Custom Subagents (Claude Code)

Create project-specific subagents in .claude/agents/ or user-wide in ~/.claude/agents/:

• Define with YAML frontmatter + markdown system prompt
• Control tools, model, permission mode, hooks, and persistent memory
• Use /agents to create, edit, and manage interactively
• Preload skills into subagents for domain knowledge

Agent Teams (Claude Code, Experimental)

Coordinate multiple Claude Code sessions as a team:

• Enable: CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS=1
• Lead session coordinates, teammates work independently
• Teammates message each other directly (not just report back)
• Shared task list with dependency management
• Display: in-process (Shift+Down to navigate, wraps around) or split panes (tmux/iTerm2)
• Delegate mode (Shift+Tab): lead coordinates only, no code edits
• Best for: parallel reviews, competing hypotheses, cross-layer changes
• Docs: https://code.claude.com/docs/agent-teams

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MCP Config (Claude Code)

Keep <10 MCPs enabled, <80 tools total.

Essential:

• github - PRs, issues
• memory - Persist learnings
• filesystem - File ops

See mcp-config.example.json for setup.

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Commands (Claude Code)

These slash commands are available when using pro-workflow as a Claude Code plugin. Cursor users get the same functionality through the skills listed above (wrap-up, smart-commit, parallel-worktrees, etc.).

Command	Purpose	Cursor Equivalent
/wrap-up	End-of-session ritual	wrap-up skill
/learn-rule	Extract correction to memory	learn-rule skill
/parallel	Worktree setup guide	parallel-worktrees skill
/learn	Best practices & save learnings	—
/search	Search learnings by keyword	—
/list	List all stored learnings	—
/commit	Smart commit with quality gates	smart-commit skill
/insights	Session analytics and patterns	insights skill

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Philosophy

1. Compound improvements - Small corrections → big gains
2. Trust but verify - Let AI work, review at checkpoints
3. Zero dead time - Parallel sessions
4. Memory is precious - Yours and the AI's

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From AI coding power users and real production use.