What is the benefit of using the /compact command?

It summarizes long conversation histories, clearing out token-heavy context while retaining the essential details needed to continue the work without hitting context limits.

When should I use 'ultrathink' or 'megathink'?

Use these keywords for high-complexity tasks such as architectural decisions, security audits, or deep debugging where standard reasoning might miss subtle edge cases.

How does the WHAT-WHY-HOW pattern help?

It structures your request so Claude understands the primary objective, the business motivation, and the technical constraints, significantly reducing the need for follow-up corrections.

What are @ mentions in Claude Code?

They are context injection shortcuts (like @file, @folder, or @git) that allow you to feed specific parts of your codebase or documentation into Claude for more accurate analysis.

How do success criteria improve AI code generation?

By explicitly listing 'Done when' conditions, you provide Claude with a checklist to validate its own output against your specific functional and testing requirements before completion.

Effective Prompting for Claude Code

Name: Effective Prompting for Claude Code
Author: hgeldenhuys

byhgeldenhuys

•

Productivity & Workflow

Optimizes Claude Code interactions by implementing advanced prompting techniques, context management, and structured task framing.

About

Effective Prompting for Claude Code is a specialized skill designed to improve the accuracy and efficiency of AI-driven development workflows. It provides a comprehensive framework for communicating with Claude, utilizing specific @ mentions for surgical context injection, depth-level thinking keywords for complex reasoning, and structured patterns like WHAT-WHY-HOW to eliminate ambiguity. Whether you are troubleshooting a misunderstood request or orchestrating a large-scale refactor, this skill ensures Claude executes tasks correctly the first time by providing clear success criteria and iterative refinement strategies that keep your development momentum high.

Key Features

Multi-step task decomposition with checkpoints for complex refactoring
Advanced reasoning triggers including think, ultrathink, and megathink levels
Structured task framing using the WHAT-WHY-HOW and Success Criteria patterns
1 GitHub stars
Context optimization and session management using the /compact command
Context injection using @ mentions for specific files, folders, and URLs

Use Cases

Debugging elusive logic issues by providing precise file context and extended reasoning depth
Scaling development speed by using iterative refinement to build features from simple prototypes to production code
Refactoring complex legacy systems with multi-step execution plans and validation checkpoints

About

Key Features

Multi-step task decomposition with checkpoints for complex refactoring
Advanced reasoning triggers including think, ultrathink, and megathink levels
Structured task framing using the WHAT-WHY-HOW and Success Criteria patterns
1 GitHub stars
Context optimization and session management using the /compact command
Context injection using @ mentions for specific files, folders, and URLs

Use Cases

Debugging elusive logic issues by providing precise file context and extended reasoning depth
Scaling development speed by using iterative refinement to build features from simple prototypes to production code
Refactoring complex legacy systems with multi-step execution plans and validation checkpoints