My Journey with Claude Code: The Future of Agentic Coding

Not too long ago, I was pretty skeptical about AI coding tools. "So it's just smarter autocomplete, right?" That's what I thought. But after diving deep into Claude Code, my perspective completely shifted. We're not just writing code anymore – we're having conversations with AI to build software together.

Let me share my journey from GitHub Copilot to Cursor to Claude Code, and why I think this represents the future of how we'll all be coding.

My AI Coding Tool Journey

GitHub Copilot: First Love's Promise and Disappointment

GitHub Copilot was my gateway drug into AI-assisted coding. I started using it before ChatGPT became the talk of the town, and man, it felt like magic at first. Hitting tab and watching it complete exactly what I was about to type? Mind-blowing.

But here's the thing – after using it for a while, I realized it hasn't really evolved much since the preview days. They added Chat and Agent features, sure, but I barely touched them. I just kept using it as a fancy autocomplete. It's like having a smartphone with hundreds of apps but only using it for calls and texts.

Cursor: The "Oh, AI Coding Is Real" Moment

When I first tried Cursor, I'll admit I was hesitant. I was comfortable with my JetBrains IDEs, and switching to a VS Code-based editor felt like a step backward. But wow, was I wrong.

What blew my mind was being able to preview file changes before accepting them. Don't like what you see? Just reject it. Already accepted and realized it was a mistake? No problem, just restore to the previous state. It felt like someone finally understood how developers actually think.

But Cursor had its quirks too. Sometimes it got a bit too ambitious, trying to rewrite half your codebase in one go. You'd sit there thinking, "Wait, should I accept all of this?" And lately, I've noticed the performance isn't what it used to be. (I suspect they're throttling the models to manage costs, but that's just speculation.)

Claude Code: Enter the Game Changer

Then I discovered Claude Code. At first, I was like, "Another tool? Really?" But after using it... this is different. This is what I've been waiting for.

Setup So Easy It Feels Wrong

You know what usually kills my enthusiasm for new dev tools? The setup. Config files, rules, customization hell... Sometimes you lose a whole day just getting started.

Claude Code? Different story:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

That's it. Seriously.

Want to use it with an existing project? Just navigate to your project folder and:

/init

It scans your project structure and sets up its context memory automatically. No .claudeignore files to create, no complex rules to define. It just works.

This might seem trivial, but it shows that Anthropic really gets developer experience (DX).

Built-in Tools: No More MCP Decision Paralysis

You know about MCP (Model Context Protocol)? It lets Claude use external tools, but then you're stuck wondering which ones to install. Which web search MCP is best? What about file system access?

Claude Code comes with the essentials built-in. Web search, fetch, and other crucial tools are already there. No decision fatigue.

I only added two extras:

• puppeteer (for web automation)
• context7 (for documentation search)

I used to have sequential-thinking too, but after the Claude 4 update, I found I didn't need it anymore. Sometimes less is more.

/compact - My Favorite Command

Here's the scary part about coding with LLMs: hallucinations. The longer your conversation, the more likely the AI is to start making stuff up or forgetting what you discussed earlier.

I used to manually ask "Hey, can you summarize what we've done so far?" every so often. Claude Code built this right in with the /compact command.

Here's my actual workflow:

When debugging:

Me: "Login is throwing random errors, can you investigate?"
Claude: (lengthy analysis...)
Me: /compact
Claude: (concise summary of findings)
Me: "Cool, let's go with solution B"

This approach saves tokens, reduces hallucinations, and keeps me sane. Win-win-win.

It Actually Understands Your Codebase

One of Claude Code's underrated strengths is how well it explains existing code. Anthropic's official YouTube video even recommends starting by asking questions about your codebase, and they're right.

When jumping into a new project:

• "Can you explain this project's architecture?"
• "How does this function actually work?"
• "What happens when this API endpoint is called?"

The responses are comprehensive and contextual. It doesn't just tell you what a function does – it explains the why and how it fits into the bigger picture. Super useful when onboarding to a new codebase or revisiting old code.

My Current Setup: Cursor + Claude Code

Right now, I'm running a hybrid setup with both Cursor and Claude Code. They each have their strengths.

Claude Code handles:

• Large-scale changes across multiple files
• Building new features from scratch
• Project-wide refactoring
• Understanding and explaining existing code

Cursor handles:

• Quick fixes and small edits
• Tasks where typing is faster than explaining
• Real-time autocomplete scenarios
• Visual work where immediate feedback matters

This combination has seriously boosted my productivity.

Let's Be Honest About the Downsides

Claude Code isn't perfect. The biggest missing feature? Cursor's checkpoint system. Cursor automatically tracks file changes so you can roll back anytime. With Claude Code, you're managing git manually. For a chat-based tool, this feels like a crucial missing piece.

Finding old conversations is also a pain. The resume feature exists, but when the AI summarizes your chats into one-line titles, good luck finding that specific debugging session from last week when you've had five similar ones.

And yes, it's expensive. I started with the API but eventually upgraded to the $200/month Max plan. It's a lot, but after using it, I genuinely think it's worth the investment. The productivity gains and code quality improvements justify the cost.

💡 Pro tip: There's currently a promotion for 4 months of Claude Max! If you're interested, check it out here.

Agentic Coding Is Definitely the Future

Using Claude Code has convinced me: Agentic Coding is the future.

Now, I'm not talking about "Vibe Coding" where you just throw requirements at AI and hope for the best. That's dangerous and lazy. What I experienced with Claude Code is different – it's true collaboration.

As developers, we need new skills now:

• Judgment: Should I do this myself or delegate to AI?
• Communication: How do I clearly express requirements to AI?
• Verification: How do I evaluate AI-generated code quality?

For example, I design complex business logic myself but let AI handle repetitive CRUD operations. I write security-critical code personally but collaborate with AI on test generation.

This isn't just theoretical for me. I recently built a project called eth-toolkit with Claude Code – it's a web tool that helps Ethereum developers encode and decode calldata. The result? Pretty damn satisfying. If you're curious, check it out at warpdev/eth-toolkit. What's cool is that I explicitly welcome AI-assisted contributions and bug reports. I mean, I built it with AI, so why would I gatekeep others from doing the same? It's 2025 – let's embrace the tools we have! 🚀

It feels like pair programming with a really capable colleague. We each bring our strengths – AI brings speed and accuracy in code generation, I bring creative problem-solving and architectural vision.

The best developers of tomorrow won't be those who write every line themselves, but those who can effectively collaborate with AI.