1. The Agentic Loop
Introduction to domain 1: Agentic architecture and orchestration
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What is Claude?
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What is the agentic loop?
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Understanding the stop_reason field
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How to branch on tool_use
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How to append tool results to history
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How to continue the loop correctly
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Common mistake: Skipping history on tool results
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Common mistake: Ending the loop too early
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2. Hub-and-Spoke Model
Introduction to the hub-and-spoke model
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How communication flows in hub-and-spoke
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How a coordinator decomposes tasks
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How a coordinator invokes subagents
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How to pass context to a subagent
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How a coordinator aggregates results
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How a coordinator handles subagent errors
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Why subagents have no memory of the coordinator
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How to diagnose incomplete coordinator output
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Multi-agent workflows with Claude
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Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) with Claude
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3. Task Tool and Parallel Execution
Introduction to the task tool
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Why coordinators need task in allowedTools
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How to run subagents in parallel
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When to use sequential vs. parallel invocation
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What is the stakes-proportionate rule
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4. Programmatic Control and Hooks
What is a programmatic gate?
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Introduction to tool call interception hooks
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Introduction to PostToolUse hooks
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Why prompts alone cannot guarantee correctness
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5. Tool Descriptions
Introduction to domain 2: Tool design and MCP integration
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Why tool descriptions drive selection
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What vague descriptions look like
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How to diagnose tool misselection
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How to write a complete tool description
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Why the "vs similar tools" clause matters most
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Tool use in Claude
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Claude Vision and multimodal inputs
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6. Error Handling Patterns
How to handle transient failures
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How to handle validation failures
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How to handle business logic failures
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How to handle permission failures
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Access failure vs. valid empty result
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How to design distinguishable error responses
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7. MCP Configuration
What goes in project-level MCP config?
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What goes in user-level MCP config?
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How to diagnose missing MCP server access
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8. Tool Scoping and Agent Roles
Why too many tools hurt selection
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How many tools each agent should have
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How to scope tools to agent roles
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9. CLAUDE.md Hierarchy
Introduction to domain 3: Claude code configuration and workflows
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Introduction to the CLAUDE.md hierarchy
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What goes in project-level CLAUDE.md
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What goes in directory-level CLAUDE.md
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What goes in user-level CLAUDE.md
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How to diagnose ignored team conventions
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10. Agent Skills
CLAUDE.md vs agent skills: How loading differs
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Where universal standards belong
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Where task-specific workflows belong
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Introduction to skills
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Understanding how skills are created and work
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Picking the right tool: Skills compared to everything else
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Advanced skills: Configuration and scaling
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11. Path-Specific Rules and Context: Fork
What is context: Fork
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When to use context: Fork
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Introduction to path-specific rules
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Path-specific rules vs directory CLAUDE.md
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How path-specific rules affect the token budget
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12. CLI Flags and CI/CD
What the -p flag does
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How to run Claude code in CI/CD
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13. Match Criteria and Few-Shot Examples
Introduction to domain 4: Prompt engineering and structured output
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Why "only if you're confident" doesn't work
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How to write explicit match criteria
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How to define non-matches and edge cases
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When to reach for few-shot examples
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How many few-shot examples to include
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Why examples must show reasoning, not just answers
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How prompting really works in Claude
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14. JSON Schema and Structured Output
How tool_use with JSON schema prevents syntax errors
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Why schemas don't prevent fabricated data
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Why required fields cause empty-field fabrication
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How to use optional and nullable fields
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How to use enum values for ambiguity
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What is retry-with-error-feedback?
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15. API Selection and Cost vs. Latency
When to use the synchronous API
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When to use the batch API
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How to choose between cost and latency
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Claude models explained
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Prompt caching in Claude
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Unlocking Claude extended thinking
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16. Context Window Management
Introduction to domain 5: Context management and reliability
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How progressive summarization loses detail
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What is a case-facts block?
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What is the Lost in the Middle problem?
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How to place key findings at the top of context
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How structured tags improve reliability
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How to trim verbose tool results
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17. Escalation Triggers
When a direct human request is a valid trigger
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When an authority gap is a valid trigger
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When a verification flag is a valid trigger
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Why frustration alone is not a valid trigger
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Why complexity alone is not a valid trigger
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How to handle a frustrated customer with a simple issue
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When to escalate immediately without investigating
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18. Error Context and Common Mistakes
Structured error context in multi-agent systems
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Why alternative approaches matter most
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Common mistake: Waiting until retries are exhausted
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