Make a disposable first version to get more from Claude Code
Trying to get the perfect code structure immediately can consume an hour of corrections before the feature has even run. A better first pass can be deliberately fast, rough, and probably wrong. Values can be placed directly in the code, can sit in one large file, and tests can be skipped so there is something usable within ten minutes.
This version is not meant to survive; its purpose is to reveal whether the requested feature is ly the desired feature. In this experience, using the result showed about half the time that the al request described the wrong thing. Deleting the entire first version and requesting a second one with those lessons usually produced a much closer result.
Two hundred discarded lines are cheaper than spending serious time building the wrong idea.
Key points
- Build only enough to try the feature, aiming for roughly ten minutes.
- Delay clean structure, tests, and reusable code during the disposable attempt.
- Use the running version to discover the difference between the request and the real need.
- Delete the first version completely, then request a new one using what was learned.
- Discarded code costs less than developing the wrong idea for too long.