

Claude Code
Anthropic
Checked · still using it
My take
“Cool for playing around — an AI coding agent that lives in your terminal and can build, edit, and ship entire features.”
NiklasUpdated 22 Oct 2026
Love it
- Terminal-native — works where developers already live
- Can read, write, and edit files across your entire project
- Great for rapid prototyping and exploring new ideas
- Understands complex multi-file codebases
Fair warning
- Requires Anthropic API credits or subscription
- Can be unpredictable on very large refactoring tasks
- Terminal-first, so it's less visual than an editor plugin
This may be an affiliate link. I only recommend what I genuinely use.
The longer story
Claude Code
Claude Code is Anthropic's AI coding agent that runs directly in your terminal. It can read your codebase, write code, run commands, and build entire features from a natural language description.
Why I Recommend It
Claude Code shines for exploration and rapid prototyping. You describe what you want, and it figures out the steps — reading files, writing code, running tests, fixing errors. It's like pair programming with a very fast, very patient colleague.
The key insight: Claude Code is at its best when you want to explore an idea quickly — "build me X" and watch it figure out the approach, the files, and the implementation.
Key Takeaways
- Terminal-native agent — no IDE needed, works over SSH too
- Reads and writes files across your project autonomously
- Can run shell commands, tests, and debug errors in a loop
- Best for prototyping, boilerplate generation, and exploration
- Works next to any editor, so you keep the setup you already have
Who It's For
Developers who want an AI pair programmer in their terminal. Especially useful for rapid prototyping, exploring unfamiliar codebases, and automating repetitive coding tasks. It runs next to whatever editor you already use.
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Transparency note: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I genuinely use and believe in. No paid placements, ever. (The commissions mostly go to Nugget’s treats.)

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