Claude Code — Curriculum
Claude Code Configuration & Workflows · 20% of the exam. 6 lessons.
1. CLAUDE.md and the Memory Hierarchy
How CLAUDE.md files at different scopes combine into Claude Code's context, and why merging is not overriding.
2. settings.json and Permissions
How settings.json configures permissions, hooks, and environment variables, and how to design a correct allow/deny/ask permission set.
3. Slash Commands vs. Skills
The key distinction between user-triggered slash commands and Claude-triggered skills, and when to build each.
4. Hooks for Deterministic Behavior
Why hooks exist to enforce hard requirements that prompted instructions can't reliably guarantee, and how lifecycle events work.
5. Plan Mode and Human Review
When to use plan mode's read-only research-then-approve workflow for risky or hard-to-reverse changes.
6. CI/CD and Headless Claude Code
Running Claude Code non-interactively in pipelines, and why permissions must be fully configured before the run starts.