Chapter 02 · CLI
First session: project discovery and built-in tools
On a first session inside a project, Claude Code reads the folder structure, identifies languages and tooling, and proposes actions with its built-in tools: reading files, editing, running commands and searching. Understanding what the tool may do is the base for safe work.
Video
Steps
- Run Claude Code from inside the project folder, because context derives from where you launch it.
- Ask it to describe the project in plain language: structure, entry points and tests. This verifies it reads what you expect.
- Get to know the built-in tools shown in permission prompts: read, edit, Bash, search. Any file-changing or command-running action asks for approval per the permission mode.
- Practice a small safe change, such as a documentation fix, and review the diff before approving.
Common pitfall: Do not assume the tool knows the project like you do; it learns from the files it actually reads, and what it has not read does not exist for it in the session.
Hands-on exercise: Open a session in an existing project and ask for a review of the structure and technologies. Compare it with your own answer and record gaps.
Filmed demo · Video is added in the media phase
Recap
Comprehension check
Where does Claude Code get its project context from?
Recap
- Launch from inside the project folder
- Mutating tools need approval per permission mode
- The tool knows only what it actually read