Learn how to architect, orchestrate, and optimize a world-class AI coding workflow with Claude Code. This step-by-step system helps you code efficiently, with quality and scale in mind.

Why This Guide Exists

Claude Code is powerful, but without a strong workflow you risk:

  • Wasting tokens
  • Generating code that doesn’t match your architecture
  • Losing alignment between product managers and engineers
  • Overcomplicating projects instead of accelerating them

This guide shows a senior-level development workflow built around:

  • Context engineering first
  • Separation of concerns
  • Self-correcting systems
  • Spec-driven development
  • Checkpoints and state management

Part 1 — Core Philosophy

Context Engineering First

Don’t dump your entire repo into context. Instead, use priming lanes:

/prime_spec       → load specs only
/prime_schema     → load DB schema
/prime_bug        → load failing tests and diffs

Example audit function:

function auditContext(tokensIn: number, windowLimit: number) {
  const pct = tokensIn / windowLimit;
  if (pct > 0.5) return { action: "compress", strategy: "chunk+summarize" };
  return { action: "ok" };
}

Separation of Concerns

Each agent handles one responsibility:

  • prd-writer for PRDs
  • system-architect for architecture plans
  • ui-designer for wireframes
  • file-creator for atomic edits
  • stagehand-expert for user journeys

Self-Correcting Systems

Every code mutation should trigger automatic validation:

async function postMutation(changedPaths: string[], affectedRoutes: string[]) {
  await validateSupabase();                // Schema guard
  const report = await runPlaywrightChecks(affectedRoutes);
  return report;
}

Spec-Driven Development

Start with a PRD, structure it with Spec Kit, then implement in phases.

Part 2 — Project Structure

project/
├── ai/
│   ├── CLAUDE.md              # 45-line always-loaded guide
│   ├── MANIFEST.md            # Goals + agents in play
│   ├── IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md # Tasks + checkpoints
│   ├── PROMPTS/               # System prompts for agents
│   ├── WORKFLOWS/             # Repeatable flow contracts
│   ├── MCP/                   # Configs for Firecrawl, Playwright, Supabase
│   └── CONTEXT/               # Prime docs and focus areas
├── specs/
│   ├── product/               # Spec Kit YAMLs
│   └── tech/                  # Architecture specs, ADRs
├── docs/scraped/              # Auto-loaded reference docs
├── apps/web/                  # Bun + Next.js frontend
└── packages/                  # Shared libraries

Part 3 — Agent Architecture

Orchestrator Pattern

orchestrator:
  max_tools: 30
  delegates_to:
    - prd-writer
    - system-architect
    - ui-designer
    - shadcn-expert
    - react-typescript-specialist
    - stagehand-expert
    - nextjs-expert
    - file-creator
    - docs-scraper

Agent Flow Diagram

+------------------+
|   Orchestrator   |
+------------------+
        |
        v
+------------------+
|    PRD Writer    |
+------------------+
        |
        v
+------------------+
| System Architect |
+------------------+
        |
        v
+------------------+
|  File Creator    |
+------------------+
        |
        v
+---------------------------+
| Self-Correction (Hooks)   |
| Playwright + Schema Guard |
+---------------------------+

Part 4 — Development Workflow

  1. Generate PRD
workflow:
  - Initial Prompt → Iterate → Hand to prd-writer
  - Output: spec.yml with personas, stories, KPIs
  1. Implement Features
bunx create-next-app apps/web
bun install
bun run dev
  1. Self-Correction Loop
await playwright.navigate(changedPages);
await playwright.screenshot();
const logs = await playwright.getConsoleLogs();
validateAgainstBackendSchema();
  1. Document Everything
  • Feature docs list changed files
  • ADRs updated automatically
  • Hooks trigger doc updates

Part 5 — Testing & Validation

Visual Testing Workflow

1. Identify changes
   - Review modified components
   - List affected routes

2. Visual validation
   - Navigate with Playwright MCP
   - Capture screenshots
   - Compare with baseline

3. Console monitoring
   - Capture logs
   - Validate API calls

Git Worktree A/B Testing

git worktree add ../feature-a feature-a
git worktree add ../feature-b feature-b

A judge agent can evaluate variations side-by-side.

Part 6 — State & Memory Management

  • LangGraph: State objects + checkpoints
  • LangSmith: Token tracking and compression metrics
  • Pydantic: Runtime validation
  • Graph databases: Relationship tracking
  • Scratchpad + Memories: Separate short-term from long-term

Diagram:

+--------------------+
|   Run State Obj    |
+--------------------+
| goal, phase, inputs|
| artifacts, routes  |
+--------------------+
        |
        v
+--------------------+
|  LangGraph         |
|  (Checkpoints)     |
+--------------------+
        |
        v
+--------------------+
| LangSmith (tokens) |
+--------------------+

Part 7 — Continuous Improvement

  1. Track
    • Token usage per agent
    • Compression effectiveness
    • Self-correction success rates
  2. Optimize
    • Remove unused tools
    • Keep ≤30 tools per agent
    • Reduce context with priming lanes

Quick Start Checklist

  • Configure Bun + Next.js + shadcn
  • Add CLAUDE.md (≤45 lines)
  • Initialize Spec Kit in specs/product/
  • Configure Firecrawl + Playwright MCP
  • Add MANIFEST.md and IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md
  • Wire up post-mutation hooks
  • Set up LangGraph + LangSmith tracking
  • Create Git worktrees for A/B testing

Success Metrics

  • Token efficiency: < 50% of window used
  • Agent specialization: single domain per agent
  • Self-correction rate: > 90%
  • Documentation coverage: 100% of features
  • Test coverage: visual + unit + E2E

Closing Thoughts

A Claude Code workflow should feel like working with a virtual senior engineering team. Product managers create structured PRDs, architects define plans, engineers implement code, QA runs automatically, and documentation stays in sync.

By following the steps in this guide—context engineering, agent specialization, hooks, specs, and orchestration—you can transform Claude Code into a professional-grade development environment.