Ultra Instinct Claude Code

We read 17 Claude Code repos so you don't have to.
177 tips. 30 minutes. Nothing to install.

Browse all tips · Cheat sheet · Plugins & skills · llms.txt · Sources

Using Claude to read this repo? Point it at llms.txt for the condensed version, or at individual tip files like tips/01-setup.md. Each file stands on its own. No need to load everything.

Why this exists

The Claude Code ecosystem has 400k+ GitHub stars spread across dozens of repos. Most of them want you to install something -- 135 agents, 60 commands, a config framework that takes days to set up. Others hand you a list of 200 links and wish you luck.

We wanted something simpler. We cloned 17 of the biggest repos, read through all of them, and kept what actually held up. The filter: if a tip showed up independently in 3 or more repos, it probably matters. If it only appeared in one, we were skeptical. 177 tips survived (plus a curated skills & plugins directory).

You don't install anything. You just read.

What's out there	What's here	How long
"Install 135 agents, 35 skills, 42 commands"	177 tips you read and use immediately	30 min
Awesome-lists with hundreds of links	Filtered by consensus, organized by skill level	5 min to find what you need
Config frameworks	Nothing to install	Instant

Full source list: SOURCES.md.

Where to start

You are...	Start here	Time
Never used Claude Code	01 Setup	10 min to running
Know the basics, want to level up	Top 10 tips below	5 min
Looking for a specific command	Cheat sheet	1 min
Want plugins or frameworks	Plugins directory	Browse
Teaching Claude these patterns	Feed it `llms.txt`	Instant

Tips are tagged Beginner through Expert and rated by impact. Skip what you know.

Shortcuts worth memorizing

Shortcut	What it does
`Shift+Tab` (x2)	Plan Mode -- plan before you code
`/compact`	Compress conversation context
`/clear`	Wipe everything, fresh start
`Esc`	Stop Claude mid-response
`Ctrl+B`	Background a running command
`Ctrl+G`	Open your prompt in an external editor
`claude -c`	Pick up your last session
`claude --add-dir ../repo`	Give Claude access to another repo
`"ultrathink"`	Extended reasoning for hard problems

Everything else is in the cheat sheet.

All 15 sections

Getting started

#	Section	Tips	What's inside
01	Setup	11	Install, config, models, sandbox, custom agents, `/init`
02	CLAUDE.md Mastery	14	Project memory, hierarchy, `@imports`, char limits, modular rules

Core skills

#	Section	Tips	What's inside
03	Context Management	16	Window management, `/compact`, handoffs, the 3-file pattern, `/context`
04	Commands & Shortcuts	14	Slash commands, keys, `/branch`, `/teleport`, session management

Workflows

#	Section	Tips	What's inside
05	Git & GitHub	8	Worktrees, PRs, `/commit-push-pr`, `--from-pr`
06	Prompting	12	Declarative prompts, thinking triggers, instruction budgets
07	Planning & Specs	13	Plan mode, the interview pattern, vertical slices, confidence checks

Quality

#	Section	Tips	What's inside
08	Testing & Verification	11	Feedback loops, TDD, regression gates, cross-model QA
14	Security & Permissions	8	Sandbox, deny rules, credential scrubbing, supply chain scanning

Multi-agent

#	Section	Tips	What's inside
09	Agents & Orchestration	13	Custom agents, agent teams, the Ralph loop, model routing
10	Hooks & Automation	14	22+ hook events, prompt-based hooks, HTTP hooks, profiles

Ecosystem

#	Section	Tips	What's inside
11	Skills & Marketplace	11	Skills, the plugin marketplace, the `skills` CLI, custom commands, Context7
12	MCP & Tools	8	MCP servers, tool budgets, CLI alternatives, OAuth

Optimization

#	Section	Tips	What's inside
13	Performance & Cost	15	Token optimization, caching, PTC, model routing
15	Advanced Patterns	9	Pipelines, self-improvement loops, sprint workflows

| -- | Cheat sheet | -- | Every command, flag, and keyboard shortcut | | -- | Plugins directory | -- | Curated plugins, skills, MCP servers, and tools |

Top 10 tips (community consensus)

These showed up independently in 3+ source repos. If you only read 10 things:

#	Tip	Level	Why it matters
1	Plan before you code	Beginner	`Shift+Tab` twice. The plan is the highest-leverage part.
2	Give Claude a feedback loop	Beginner	Put your test/lint commands in CLAUDE.md. Claude catches its own mistakes.
3	Git worktrees for parallel work	Intermediate	3 Claude sessions, 3 branches, zero waiting. Biggest productivity unlock.
4	Invest in CLAUDE.md	Beginner	Every correction carries forward. Saves you from repeating yourself for months.
5	Treat context like RAM	Intermediate	`/clear` between tasks, `/compact` at milestones. Quality drops when context fills up.
6	Subagents for exploration	Advanced	Offload file-reading to a subagent. Only the summary comes back to your main session.
7	Say what, not how	Beginner	Describe the outcome. Claude has the full codebase and can figure out the steps.
8	Let Claude interview you first	Intermediate	15 minutes of questions before coding beats 2 hours of rework after.
9	Trigger deeper thinking	Intermediate	Type "ultrathink" when the default reasoning isn't enough.
10	Keep sessions short	Beginner	10-30 min with a clear goal. Long sessions drift and cost more.

Why "Ultra Instinct"

In Dragon Ball, Ultra Instinct is when your body moves on its own -- you've trained so much that the right reaction just happens without thinking about it.

Same idea here. Once you internalize these patterns, you stop fighting the tool. You stop writing five-paragraph prompts and start getting good output on the first try. The name is a bit much, but the concept is real.

Sources

Every tip traces back to a public repo. We read all 17, kept what held up, and tossed the rest. SOURCES.md.

Contributing

Found something wrong or have a tip worth adding? CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

MIT

ultra-instinct-claude-code