The First Task

Why this matters

The first task teaches you what Claude Code actually does: it reads the relevant files, thinks about the solution, writes the code, runs it if needed, and reports back. It is not a chatbot that gives you code to paste. It is an agent that executes. The quality of your first task determines how much you learn — too vague and you get confused results; too complex and you get overwhelmed. The sweet spot is specific, achievable, and verifiable.

How to do it

1. 1

   Choose a simple, specific, verifiable task

   Examples: 'Add a footer to the page with copyright text', 'Change all blue buttons to green', 'Add a loading spinner to the submit button'. Must be something with a clear before and after.

2. 2

   Use Claude Code in plan mode first

   Type: claude --plan 'YOUR TASK' — this shows what Claude Code WOULD do without actually doing it. Review the plan before executing.

3. 3

   Execute the task

   Type: claude 'YOUR TASK' — Claude Code reads relevant files, makes changes, and returns. Review the changes it made.

4. 4

   Verify the result in your local browser

   Run npm run dev. Does it look as expected? Any errors? If something is wrong, tell Claude Code what is wrong and ask it to fix it.

The prompt

[DESCRIBE YOUR SPECIFIC TASK]

Requirements:
- [SPECIFIC REQUIREMENT 1]
- [SPECIFIC REQUIREMENT 2]

When done, tell me:
1. Which files you changed
2. What you added/modified
3. How to verify the change worked

Success criteria

• ✓You used plan mode before executing
• ✓Claude Code completed the task without errors
• ✓You verified the change in your local browser
• ✓You can read the list of files Claude Code changed and understand why

Common mistakes