The mission
Ship a real, small feature in a real repository, using everything from this course. Pick something with a clear finish line, for example:
- Add CSV export to an app's reports page
- Add rate limiting to an API endpoint, with tests
- Add a
--jsonoutput mode to a CLI tool - Build a small MCP server for a service you use, and use it from Claude Code
Phase 1: Configure (Units 1 and 3)
Phase 2: Plan (Units 1 and 2)
Phase 3: Build with extensions (Units 4–7)
Phase 4: Verify & ship (Units 8–9)
The full flow at a glance
- ⋮⋮Configure CLAUDE.md, rules and settings
- ⋮⋮Explore the code and write SPEC.md
- ⋮⋮Plan in a fresh session and edit the plan
- ⋮⋮Build with a skill, a reviewer subagent and hooks
- ⋮⋮Verify with fresh-context review and real evidence
- ⋮⋮Commit, open a PR and package your setup as a plugin
Share your win
You built something real. Share it: post your PR, your plugin or a short screen recording of the session with #ClaudeCodeAcademy. Walk through one thing that surprised you. Teaching what you learned is the fastest way to lock it in, and it helps the next person get started.
A tight CLAUDE.md, a plan with tests in it, at least one hook doing real enforcement, a reviewer that found something, and a PR description that shows evidence. If yours has those five, you're operating at a level most teams haven't reached yet.
Check your understanding
What should come before planning in the capstone flow?
Which hook should gate your turns on quality?
Why review in a fresh session at the end?
What turns your capstone setup into something teammates can install?