The Secrets of Claude Code From the Engineers Who Built It

In this episode of the podcast, Dan Shipper interviews Cat Wu and Boris Cherny, the creators of Claude Code, an agent SDK. They discuss the origins and design philosophy behind Claude Code, emphasizing its terminal-based interface and dual-use tools for both engineers and the model. They delve into the importance of "ant-fooding" (dogfooding), building for personal needs, and the "wait and demand" product development approach. The conversation covers practical applications of Claude Code, such as code migrations, expense filing, and the use of sub-agents. They also touch on the future of agentic development, the shift from documentation to demos, and the challenges of balancing power-user flexibility with intuitive design for broader adoption.

Outlines

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Every

Introduction to Claude Code and its unconventional design

Tool Management and Team Responsibilities in Claude Code Development

Bottom-Up Development, Dual-Use Tools, and Extensibility

Slash Commands, Feature Development, and Prototyping

Adapting to Model Advancements and Prioritizing Premium Experiences

Sub-Agents, Code Review, and Uncorrelated Context Windows

Front-End Testing Sub-Agents and Memory Management

Synthesizing Memory and Compounding Engineering

Power User Behavior and Wait and Demand

Hooks, Agent SDK, and Proactive Claude

Agentic RAG, MCPs, and Power User Tips

Stop Hooks, CLI Paradigm, and Future Form Factors

Terminal Intimidation and Model Interpretation

Building for Yourself and Democulture

Prototypes and UX Interactions

Deleting Code and New Product Management Challenges

Progressive Disclosure and Unshipping

The Secrets of Claude Code From the Engineers Who Built It

Every

00:00Introduction to Claude Code and its unconventional design

Introduction to Claude Code and its unconventional design

05:04Tool Management and Team Responsibilities in Claude Code Development

Tool Management and Team Responsibilities in Claude Code Development

08:54Bottom-Up Development, Dual-Use Tools, and Extensibility

Bottom-Up Development, Dual-Use Tools, and Extensibility

13:05Slash Commands, Feature Development, and Prototyping

Slash Commands, Feature Development, and Prototyping

17:02Adapting to Model Advancements and Prioritizing Premium Experiences

Adapting to Model Advancements and Prioritizing Premium Experiences

20:27Sub-Agents, Code Review, and Uncorrelated Context Windows

Sub-Agents, Code Review, and Uncorrelated Context Windows

24:29Front-End Testing Sub-Agents and Memory Management

Front-End Testing Sub-Agents and Memory Management

28:39Synthesizing Memory and Compounding Engineering

Synthesizing Memory and Compounding Engineering

32:35Power User Behavior and Wait and Demand

Power User Behavior and Wait and Demand

36:02Hooks, Agent SDK, and Proactive Claude

Hooks, Agent SDK, and Proactive Claude

40:50Agentic RAG, MCPs, and Power User Tips

Agentic RAG, MCPs, and Power User Tips

44:15Stop Hooks, CLI Paradigm, and Future Form Factors

Stop Hooks, CLI Paradigm, and Future Form Factors

47:46Terminal Intimidation and Model Interpretation

Terminal Intimidation and Model Interpretation

52:31Building for Yourself and Democulture

Building for Yourself and Democulture

56:11Prototypes and UX Interactions

Prototypes and UX Interactions

1:00:24Deleting Code and New Product Management Challenges

Deleting Code and New Product Management Challenges

1:04:24Progressive Disclosure and Unshipping

Progressive Disclosure and Unshipping