The Claude Code System

Claude Code is more than a CLI that talks to an AI model. It’s a configurable system with five key building blocks: skills (reusable prompt templates), hooks (event-triggered automation), scripts (shell utilities), agents (specialized sub-processes), and memory (persistent context across sessions).

Most people use Claude Code like a chatbot — they type a message, get a response, and move on. That works for simple tasks. But when you’re building production software across multiple sessions over weeks, you need the system layer. Skills encode your workflows so you don’t re-explain things. Agents handle specialized tasks in parallel. Memory preserves what you’ve learned. Hooks automate repetitive checks.

These guides walk through each building block with real examples from my own setup. Not theoretical — everything here is something I actually use to ship software.