Seven short lessons that make the agent more useful, and make each of your messages go further.
The agent does best when it knows the goal, where to work, and how to tell it’s finished.
src/auth/validate.ts. Fix it and add a test that covers name+tag@example.com.Type @ and a path to mention a file or folder. Paste error messages and stack traces as they are; don’t paraphrase them.
@webpack.config.js.For anything that touches several files, ask for a plan first, read it, then tell it to go ahead. It’s cheaper to fix a plan than to undo a change.
ClineCode shows each file edit and command before it runs and waits for you. Read the diff. If it’s not what you want, say no and explain why. That’s faster than fixing it afterwards.
Allow a kind of action for the whole session only when you’re comfortable with the agent repeating it unprompted.
Ask the agent to run your tests, linter or build after a change, and to fix what breaks. It can read the output and keep going without another message from you.
npm test and fix any failures you caused.Long conversations that mix unrelated tasks get slower and less accurate.
/clear starts fresh. Use it when you switch tasks./compact summarizes a long session so you can continue it./init writes a notes file about your project that the agent reads every time, so you don’t have to repeat the basics.Free accounts get a set number of messages every 24 hours, and one message can drive a lot of work: the agent’s own steps don’t count. Put the whole request in one message instead of several small ones.
Copy one into ClineCode in a project of your own.
A quick tour of an unfamiliar codebase.
Explain what this project does, how it is organized, and where the entry points are.Start from the symptom.
The app crashes when I submit the form with an empty name. Find the cause and propose a fix before changing anything.Cover what exists before you change it.
Write tests for the functions in @src/utils that have none, then run them.Next: the docs cover installing, signing in and every command.