Effective Agentic Development

Learn techniques that help Claude Code work more effectively on your project.

Check your table assignment for today’s section.

Claude Code is powerful, but it works better when you set it up for success. Today you’ll learn a few practical techniques that make a real difference in how well Claude Code can help you build and improve your app.

Add Tests for Existing Code
Add Tests for Existing Code

Start by asking Claude to write tests for code you’ve already written. This helps you catch bugs and makes it safer to change things later—Claude can run the tests after making changes to make sure nothing broke.

Try it: Ask Claude to write tests for your existing code. Here are some example prompts:

“Look at my app and write tests for the parts that are most likely to break.”
“Write a unit test for my database helper to make sure it handles empty results.”
“Add a test that verifies my app doesn’t crash when the list of items is empty.”
“What parts of my code have no tests? Write tests for the riskiest ones.”

Write Tests First
Write Tests First

Once you have some tests in place, try having Claude write tests before writing new code. This is sometimes called red-green testing:

Red: Ask Claude to write a test for the feature you want. The test should fail because the feature doesn’t exist yet.
Green: Ask Claude to write the code that makes the test pass.

This approach works especially well with AI-assisted development because it gives Claude a clear, concrete target. Instead of vaguely asking “add a search feature,” you’re saying “make this test pass”—and Claude can verify its own work.

Try it now: Pick a small feature you want to add to your app. Ask Claude to write a test for it first, then implement the feature to make the test pass. Some example prompts:

“Write a test that verifies searching for a recipe by name returns the correct results. Then implement the search feature to make the test pass.”
“I want a delete confirmation dialog. Write a test for it first, then make it work.”
“Write a failing test for form validation, then implement the validation to make it pass.”

Add Code Quality Tools
Add Code Quality Tools

Another way to help Claude write better code is to set up code quality tools that catch problems automatically. These tools flag issues like unused variables, missing null checks, or inconsistent formatting—things that are easy to miss but add up over time.

Ask Claude to set up a linter or code quality tool for your project. Once it’s configured, Claude can run it after making changes to catch problems early.

Try it: Ask Claude to set up code quality tools. Some example prompts:

“Set up a linter for my project and fix any issues it finds.”
“Are there any unused imports or variables in my project? Clean them up.”
“Set up detekt and add it as a Gradle task I can run.”

For Android projects, detekt (Kotlin) or checkstyle (Java) are good options.

Update Your CLAUDE.md
Update Your CLAUDE.md

Once you have tests and a linter working, tell Claude to use them automatically by adding instructions to your project’s CLAUDE.md file. CLAUDE.md is a file that Claude reads at the start of every session—it’s how you teach Claude your project’s rules and workflows.

Try it: Ask Claude to update your CLAUDE.md with instructions like:

“Add a rule to CLAUDE.md that says to run tests before and after making changes.”
“Update CLAUDE.md to remind you to run the linter before committing.”
“Add a section to CLAUDE.md that says to write a test first whenever adding a new feature.”

This is powerful because it makes the behavior permanent—Claude will follow these instructions in every future session, not just the current one.

Why This Matters
Why This Matters

These techniques aren’t just good practice—they make Claude Code significantly more effective:

Tests give Claude a way to check its own work. Without tests, Claude has to guess whether its changes are correct. With tests, it can verify.
Code quality tools catch mistakes automatically. Claude can fix issues as it goes rather than letting them accumulate.
Both make your project easier to change. As your app grows, tests and quality tools protect you from breaking things when you add new features.

You don’t need 100% test coverage or a perfect linting setup. Even a handful of tests for your core features and a basic linter make a big difference.

Before You Leave: Commit and Push
Before You Leave: Commit and Push

Before getting your attendance scanned, make sure you commit and push your work. You can ask Claude to do this for you (try “please commit and push my work”), or use the Git integration in Android Studio.

Your Claude Code session transcripts are saved automatically with each commit. We use these logs to track your progress, so a push is required before you leave.

Attendance
Attendance

Once you’ve committed and pushed, show your progress to a staff member. They’ll scan your QR code for attendance.

Effective Agentic Development

Add Tests for Existing CodeAdd Tests for Existing Code

Write Tests FirstWrite Tests First

Add Code Quality ToolsAdd Code Quality Tools

Update Your CLAUDE.mdUpdate Your CLAUDE.md

Why This MattersWhy This Matters

Before You Leave: Commit and PushBefore You Leave: Commit and Push

AttendanceAttendance

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