Lesson Content

Claude Code direction is different from ordinary Claude drafting because the request may involve files, commands, tests, and project state. A good direction prompt tells the agent what success means and where the boundaries are. It should also name what not to touch.

A reliable pattern is: describe the symptom, name the workspace or feature area, list allowed files or folders, list forbidden files or destructive actions, provide the test command, and ask for a concise summary of changes and verification. When the task is risky, ask the agent to inspect first and propose the change before editing.

Professional Use Case: A site owner asks a coding agent to adjust an LMS display block. The prompt names the LMS plugin source folder, says not to edit Access or theme files, requires a PHP syntax check, and asks for a summary of exact files changed.

Student task: Draft a Claude Code direction prompt for a small website or plugin fix. Include the bug, the intended behavior, files or folders in scope, files or folders to avoid, one verification step, and the final handoff details you want. Student task help: If you do not have a coding project, use a pretend issue such as "the course detail page shows too much update text." The goal is to practice giving a coding agent boundaries before it edits.

Troubleshooting: If the agent edits outside scope, stop and restate the allowed files. If it cannot run the test, ask it to report the reason and perform the safest available static check. If it says the task is complete without naming evidence, ask for changed files, commands run, output reviewed, and remaining risk.

Quality Rubric:

• The direction prompt has a clear target behavior.
• The scope and forbidden areas are explicit.
• The verification step is realistic for the project.
• The handoff asks for changed files, tests, and residual risk.