Extend your workspace
Teach Claude
how you work.
Start with project instructions. Add reusable workflows and integrations only when they solve a real need.
Looking for the app menu? Start with Customize & Plugins. For a first reusable recipe, try Skills. This page keeps the deeper memory, hook, and agent reference together.
Which extension does what?
| Feature | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| CLAUDE.md | Project guidance Claude reads. | Build commands and architecture conventions. |
| Auto memory | Information Claude retains between sessions. | Useful project facts and previous troubleshooting. |
| Skill | A reusable task recipe. | A release-readiness checklist. |
| Hook | A program triggered by an event. | Run a formatter after certain edits. |
| MCP server | A connection that exposes external tools or data. | Read issues from an authorized tracker. |
| Plugin | A packaged collection of extensions. | A curated set of development workflows. |
| Subagent | A separate assistant context for a bounded task. | Inspect test coverage and return findings. |
Create a useful CLAUDE.md
Inside your project, run /init, then inspect the generated file. Keep facts concise and accurate. Replace guessed build commands with commands that actually work in the repository.
# Project guidance
## Purpose
A simple personal website for learning.
## Working rules
- Explain a plan before large changes.
- Make the smallest change that satisfies the request.
- Match the existing project style.
- Do not add unrelated features or dependencies.
- Never include secrets in code or logs.
## Verification
- Review your own diff after every implementation or code change.
- Run the relevant checks supported by this project.
- For visible changes, inspect the page and keyboard behavior.
- Report checks performed, results, and anything untested.
## Delivery
- Summarize changed files and the reason for each change.
- Ask before publishing, merging, or changing external accounts.Use /memory to inspect and manage instruction files and auto memory. Repository instructions can travel with Git; personal machine settings and memories do not automatically travel to cloud sessions.
A sentence in CLAUDE.md is not a sandbox or a guaranteed security boundary. Apply tool permissions, account restrictions, and operating-system isolation separately.
Create your first custom command
The Skills practice lesson contains the review-only recipe. Keep one copy there rather than maintaining overlapping examples. A project skill belongs in .claude/skills/; older .claude/commands/*.md files remain supported.
Connect tools with MCP
MCP means Model Context Protocol. A server offers tools Claude can call, such as querying an issue tracker. Some servers run locally; others are remote services. Neither the protocol nor a marketplace listing proves a server is trustworthy.
Choose one trusted integration
Read its official setup instructions and permissions. Identify whether it can only read or also change data.
Add it using its documented setup
Use the service’s exact endpoint or package. Inspect claude mcp --help for CLI options. Avoid copying an unknown server command from a forum.
Authenticate and inspect
Open /mcp, sign in if needed, and check the available tools. Start with the smallest useful account scope.
Test a harmless read
Ask it to list one non-sensitive item. Verify the response against the original service before granting write workflows.
Hooks and plugins
Hooks react to lifecycle events such as PreToolUse or PostToolUse. They can run real programs, so inspect the command and its inputs. Start with a hook that reports information before allowing one to modify files or block actions. Use /hooks to review configuration.
Use /plugin to inspect available plugin management. Prefer known publishers and review the package’s skills, hooks, and MCP connections. Removing a plugin is separate from revoking a credential it used.
Subagents, worktrees, and teams
Ask Claude to create a narrowly scoped reviewer or researcher when separate context is useful. Agent definitions may live in .claude/agents/ for a project or ~/.claude/agents/ for your machine. Separate worktrees provide separate working copies of a Git repository; they are not complete security isolation.
Agent teams coordinate multiple sessions and are an advanced, availability-dependent feature. More agents can increase cost and conflicting edits. Start with one assistant, then use parallel work only for tasks with clear boundaries.
- Anthropic. (n.d.-m). Connect Claude Code to tools via MCP. Retrieved September 24, 2026, from https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp
- Anthropic. (n.d.-o). Create custom subagents. Retrieved September 24, 2026, from https://code.claude.com/docs/en/sub-agents
- Anthropic. (n.d.-r). Discover and install prebuilt plugins through marketplaces. Retrieved September 24, 2026, from https://code.claude.com/docs/en/discover-plugins
- Anthropic. (n.d.-t). Extend Claude with skills. Retrieved September 24, 2026, from https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills
- Anthropic. (n.d.-x). Hooks reference. Retrieved September 24, 2026, from https://code.claude.com/docs/en/hooks
- Anthropic. (n.d.-z). How Claude remembers your project. Retrieved September 24, 2026, from https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory
- Anthropic. (n.d.-ad). Orchestrate teams of Claude Code sessions. Retrieved September 24, 2026, from https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-teams
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