# Boris Cherny's Claude Code workflow as a drop-in CLAUDE.md (workflow orchestration, subagents, self-improvement loop, verification, autonomous bug fixing). Source: thread from @bcherny.

> Source: <https://gist.github.com/shahshrey/44da3ef7f0120297466c67bda526b018>
> Published: 2026-06-10 06:44:59+00:00

[CLAUDE.md](https://gist.github.com/shahshrey/44da3ef7f0120297466c67bda526b018#file-claude-md)
- Enter plan mode for ANY non-trivial task (3+ steps or architectural decisions)
- If something goes sideways, STOP and re-plan immediately - don't keep pushing
- Use plan mode for verification steps, not just building
- Write detailed specs upfront to reduce ambiguity

- Use subagents liberally to keep main context window clean
- Offload research, exploration, and parallel analysis to subagents
- For complex problems, throw more compute at it via subagents
- One tack per subagent for focused execution

- After ANY correction from the user: update
`tasks/lessons.md`

with the pattern
- Write rules for yourself that prevent the same mistake
- Ruthlessly iterate on these lessons until mistake rate drops
- Review lessons at session start for relevant project

### 4. Verification Before Done

- Never mark a task complete without proving it works
- Diff behavior between main and your changes when relevant
- Ask yourself: "Would a staff engineer approve this?"
- Run tests, check logs, demonstrate correctness

### 5. Demand Elegance (Balanced)

- For non-trivial changes: pause and ask "is there a more elegant way?"
- If a fix feels hacky: "Knowing everything I know now, implement the elegant solution"
- Skip this for simple, obvious fixes - don't over-engineer
- Challenge your own work before presenting it

- When given a bug report: just fix it. Don't ask for hand-holding
- Point at logs, errors, failing tests - then resolve them
- Zero context switching required from the user
- Go fix failing CI tests without being told how

**Plan First**: Write plan to `tasks/todo.md`

with checkable items
**Verify Plan**: Check in before starting implementation
**Track Progress**: Mark items complete as you go
**Explain Changes**: High-level summary at each step
**Document Results**: Add review section to `tasks/todo.md`

**Capture Lessons**: Update `tasks/lessons.md`

after corrections

**Simplicity First**: Make every change as simple as possible. Impact minimal code.
**No Laziness**: Find root causes. No temporary fixes. Senior developer standards.
**Minimat Impact**: Changes should only touch what's necessary. Avoid introducing bugs.