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Chapter 5: Claude Code: Your First General Agent

You know why AI-driven development matters—and that it's happening right now, in 2025. But understanding transformation and experiencing it are two different things.

This chapter introduces you to Claude Code—not just a coding tool, but a General Agent. What's a General Agent? An AI that can reason through problems, make plans, and take action across any domain. Calling Claude Code a "coding agent" is like calling a CEO an "email writer"—code is just how it controls your computer.

The goal is not to build a supercomputer, but to establish Claude Code as your collaborative thinking partner for everything—and to build Skills that can become products.

🎯 Before You Begin​

What You'll Learn​

By the end of this chapter, you'll have:

  • General Agents Explained — Understanding why Claude Code is fundamentally different from coding assistants: the OODA reasoning loop, the "Trojan Horse" insight, and code as a universal interface to any domain
  • Claude Code Installed & Working — Complete setup with two professional paths: Official Claude Max subscription (Lesson 2) OR Free Google Gemini backend (Lesson 3). Both teach identical Claude Code skills
  • Persistent Project Context — Creating CLAUDE.md files that eliminate repetitive context-sharing in every session
  • External Integration — MCP servers for safe access to external systems (web, APIs, docs) with practical Playwright and Context7 workflows
  • Token Optimization — Compiling MCP servers to Skills for 80-98% token reduction through code execution patterns and progressive disclosure
  • Subagent Orchestration — Recognizing when Claude automatically delegates to Explore agent (codebase search) or Plan mode (complex tasks) with hands-on exercises
  • Autonomous Expertise — Agent Skills with progressive disclosure pattern (metadata → full definition → supporting files) and autonomous discovery
  • Event-Driven Automation — Hooks for custom behaviors triggered by events (PreToolUse, PostToolUse, SessionStart) with hands-on SessionStart hook creation
  • Configuration Mastery — Settings hierarchy (User, Project, Local) and precedence rules for team collaboration and personal customization
  • Complete Extensibility — Discovering and using plugins from marketplaces, hands-on installation of Anthropic's official skills repository
  • From Skills to Business — Understanding how Skills become monetizable products, the Digital FTE model, four revenue approaches, and the path from expertise to enterprise