Learn Claude Code

What can you use Claude Code for? 12 everyday jobs

Twelve practical ways to use Claude Code: understanding a codebase, fixing bugs, writing tests, reviewing pull requests and building internal tools.

Lesson 2.5⏱ 7 min read🚲 Getting going❓ 3-question quiz
The short answer

Claude Code is useful well beyond writing new code: it explains unfamiliar projects, fixes bugs from an error message, writes tests and documentation, refactors, reviews pull requests, handles git chores, builds small tools and scripts, and helps non-developers automate everyday tasks. Each job has a prompt pattern that works well.

Understand and explore

  1. Get a tour of a codebase. "Give me an overview of this project: what it does, the main folders and how a request flows through it."
  2. Answer specific questions. "Where do we calculate VAT, and what happens for zero-rated items?"
  3. Learn as you go. "Explain this function line by line as if I am new to Python."

Fix and build

  1. Fix a bug from the evidence. Paste the error or screenshot: "Users see this error on checkout. Find the cause, fix it and add a test that would have caught it."
  2. Add a feature. Start in plan mode: "Plan how to add a booking form to the contact page. Do not change anything yet."
  3. Build a small tool. "Write a script that merges these three CSV exports and flags duplicate customers."

Keep code healthy

  1. Write tests. "Add tests for the invoice module, covering the edge cases you can find."
  2. Refactor safely. "Split this 600-line file into smaller modules without changing behaviour. Run the tests after each step."
  3. Update dependencies. "Upgrade this project to the latest major version of the framework and fix what breaks."
  4. Write documentation. "Write a README a new developer could follow to run this project locally."

Team and workflow jobs

  1. Git chores. "Write a clear commit message for these changes", "resolve this merge conflict" or "open a pull request with a summary".
  2. Review code. "Review this pull request for bugs, security issues and anything unclear." In GitHub, mention @claude on the pull request.
Not a developer? The same approach works for spreadsheets of data, reports, website copy changes and small automations. Describe the outcome, let Claude do the steps, and check the result.

Patterns that make every job go better

  • Give evidence: errors, logs, screenshots and example inputs beat descriptions.
  • Say what done looks like: "tests pass", "the page loads under a second", "matches this screenshot".
  • Plan first for anything big: review the plan before any code changes.
  • Keep tasks focused: one job per session, and /clear between unrelated jobs.

Check yourself

Three quick questions to check it stuck.

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Frequently asked

Can Claude Code work on an existing codebase?

Yes. Exploring and changing existing projects is one of its strengths. Start by asking for an overview, then make focused changes with tests.

Can non-developers use Claude Code?

Yes. People use it for data clean-up, reports, small internal tools and website changes. Describe the outcome you want, review what it produces and ask it to explain anything unclear.

Can Claude Code review pull requests?

Yes. You can ask it to review a branch or pull request locally, or mention @claude on a GitHub pull request once the Claude GitHub app is set up.