Boosting Development Efficiency in Complex Codebases with Claude Code

This article details how the author uses Claude Code, an AI coding tool, to implement new features in a complex codebase with many users. The author emphasizes that AI tools are not a silver bullet and require active developer involvement, code review, and adherence to best practices. The article outlines the author's `CLAUDE.md` file, containing AI coding rules covering pre-coding preparation, the coding process, testing, database interactions, code organization, and tooling. The author shares their workflow with Claude Code, using shortcuts like `qnew`, `qplan`, `qcode`, and `qcheck` commands to guide the AI and review its code. Finally, `qgit` is used for committing changes. The author cautions readers to closely monitor AI-generated code, correcting errors and inefficiencies to avoid accumulating technical debt.