CC4E #2: How the Guy Who Built It Actually Uses It
Author: Hannah Stulberg | Published: 2026-01-13
Based on Boris Cherny’s (creator of Claude Code) publicly shared workflow. His setup is “surprisingly vanilla” – the tool works well out of the box.
Core Workflow
1. The Three Modes
Cycle with Shift+Tab:
| Mode | When to use | Junior employee analogy |
|---|---|---|
| Plan mode | Big decisions, new tasks | “Outline the approach before starting” |
| Default mode | Executing the plan | “Sit side by side, review each change” |
| Accept edits | Simple mechanical tasks | “Just format the appendix, I trust you” |
- Match oversight to confidence. Flip between modes constantly during a single task
- Actually read the plan and give feedback – an unread plan gives false confidence
- Boris starts most sessions in plan mode, aligns on the plan, then switches to auto-accept
2. Parallel Sessions
- Each Claude Code instance is a separate “junior employee” focused on one task
- Mixing unrelated tasks in one session degrades quality (context contamination)
- Boris runs 5+ sessions simultaneously
- Setup: open separate terminal instances in your IDE
3. Session Management
- Without naming sessions, every new start is a blank slate
/renameto name sessions (e.g.,/rename Q1 Planning Meeting)- Resume via
/resume(browse),/resume [name](direct), orclaude --resume [name](terminal) - Pro tip: save the session name in the markdown file you’re working on
4. Background Agents
- Delegate related tasks to another Claude instance that runs independently
- You keep working; the background agent notifies when finished
- Check status with
/tasks - Sweet spot: tasks that need current session’s context but shouldn’t block you
- If the task is unrelated, open a separate terminal instead
Workspace Setup
- Split editor – markdown on left, preview on right, scrolling in tandem
- Clickable table of contents – ask Claude to add one for long documents
- Use an IDE – files, documents, and terminal in one window. Avoid third-party wrappers
- Install vscode-pdf – view PDFs directly in the editor
Model Choice
Boris uses Opus 4.5 with thinking for everything, even though it’s slower – you steer it less, so it’s almost always faster in the end. Better quality compounds: less correcting, less back-and-forth, better first drafts.