Putting it together

Eight habits so far, each useful on its own. But the real skill isn’t any one of them — it’s running them together, in order, until a “bigger task” stops feeling scary and starts feeling routine. Let’s watch the whole thing on one real example.

The workflow is the skill. No single feature here is impressive alone; the value is in chaining them so a big task becomes a series of small, checkable steps.

The task: add a “download my data as JSON” button to the account page. Multiple files, a few real decisions, an unknown or two. A big one. Here’s how the whole level flows through it.

The full loop, start to finish

1. Spot the size. (Lesson 7.1) You read the task and run the four signals. Multiple files? Yes — a button, an endpoint, some data-gathering. Decisions? Which data to include, what the file’s named. Unknowns? You’re not sure where the user’s data is assembled. That’s three signals. Big task. Don’t just ask.

2. Enter plan mode. (Lesson 7.2) Shift+Tab until you see plan mode, then ask for the feature. Claude reads the code and proposes a plan instead of charging in. Nothing changes yet.

3. Read the plan critically. (Lesson 7.3) The plan says it’ll include the user’s password hash in the export. That’s a wrong assumption with a security smell. You push back: “Exclude anything sensitive — no password fields, no internal IDs.” Claude revises. Cost of catching it here: one sentence.

4. Slice it. (Lesson 7.5) The revised plan is still five steps. Rather than approve all five, you take the readable slice first: “Start by showing me which fields the export would include.” You see the list, confirm nothing sensitive slipped through, then let it build.

5. Watch the TODOs. (Lesson 7.4) As it works, the checklist ticks along — endpoint, data-gathering, button, wiring. You can see exactly where it is and what’s left, and you know the seams where you could step in.

6. Course-correct if it drifts. (Lesson 7.6) On the button step, Claude starts restyling the whole account page. Esc. “Just the button — leave the rest of the page alone.” Back on track in one sentence, before the drift spread.

7. Compact when it runs long. (Lesson 7.8) A few files in, the session’s gotten long and Claude starts re-asking about something you settled early. Not a bad model — a full desk. You /compact, it keeps a summary of what matters, and carries on the same task with room to work again.

8. Restart if it truly stalls. (Lesson 7.7) This time it didn’t — but if Claude had looped three times on a broken endpoint, you’d have stopped, started fresh, and brought the lesson with you instead of nudging a stuck thread.

Button works. Data’s clean. You never lost more than a sentence to any wrong turn.

Why this is the close

Look back at that flow. Not one step was clever. Plan mode is a keystroke. Reading a plan is reading. Esc is one key. Slicing is just choosing a smaller bite. Individually, none of it would impress anyone.

Together, they’re the difference between handing Claude a big task and hoping, versus handing it a big task and steering. That’s the whole point of this level — and it’s a skill you’ll use on nearly everything from here on.

What’s next

You can now take on work too big for one prompt and steer it home. But finishing the work isn’t the end — you have to land it: save it properly, share it, and get it reviewed. That’s Level 8, Git the Claude way — commits, pull requests, and handling review comments without the usual git headaches.