Claude From Zero

This course is part of Rust for Data Engineering Specialization

Instructors: Noah Gift

Access provided by Vellore Institute Of Technology

6 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

2 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

6 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

2 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Pick the right Claude surface for the task: when chat is enough, when a Project pays off, and when Claude Code is the only viable shape.
Author slash-command skills that wrap Rust binaries, then constrain parallel sub-agents with YAML contracts so review converges to passing.
Replace raw grep with pmat query enrichment flags and wire pmat comply into pre-commit so the gate runs every commit.

Skills you'll gain

Tools you'll learn

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

1 assignment

Taught in English

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This course is part of the Rust for Data Engineering Specialization

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Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
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There are 6 modules in this course

Software engineers learn to use Claude across its five working surfaces — claude.ai chat, Projects, Claude Code, Claude Chrome, and Claude Design — to write, review, and maintain production code. The course starts in the browser with chat and shows the three signals that you have outgrown it: copy-paste friction, multi-file change, and long-running tasks. You then move into Claude Code, the terminal agent, where you meet its tool surface (Read, Edit, Bash, Grep) and pin invariants in a project CLAUDE.md so every session starts with the same context. From there you build slash-command skills that wrap Rust binaries like cargo clippy, dispatch sub-agents in parallel with YAML-contract guardrails, and replace raw grep with pmat query enrichment flags (--churn, --faults, --coverage-gaps, -G). The course closes with pmat comply and pmat hooks wired into pre-commit, so failing code cannot land.

Covers five surfaces — claude.ai chat, Projects, Claude Code, Claude Chrome, Claude Design. Same model reasons across every surface; only the interaction shape changes. A chat turn is prompt in, response out, with a side artifact panel for code the model writes. A Project is a named workspace with pinned reference files so every chat inside it sees the same context.

What's included

3 videos3 readings

Covers install — one command puts the claude binary on PATH, no model weights download locally. Authentication trades an API key or console login for a persistent session on first run. Permission modes (default, acceptEdits, bypassPermissions, plan) trade autonomy for safety. claude.ai/code runs the same agent in a browser tab with no local install required, and shared sessions let work started in web continue in terminal and vice versa.

What's included

6 videos4 readings

6 videosTotal 22 minutes

2.1.1 Claude Code4 minutes
2.1.2 Claude Code Web4 minutes
2.1.3 Tool Surface: Read, Edit, Bash, Grep3 minutes
2.1.4 Claude MD Project Memory3 minutes
2.2.1 Demo Bootstrap Claude From Zero Repo3 minutes
2.2.2 Claude Chrome5 minutes

4 readingsTotal 4 minutes

Key Terms: Claude Code: The Terminal Agent1 minute
Reflection: Claude Code: The Terminal Agent1 minute
Key Terms: CLAUDE.md: Project Memory That Persists1 minute
Reflection: CLAUDE.md: Project Memory That Persists1 minute

Skills are versioned slash-command files Claude Code recognizes from .claude/commands. Each Markdown file becomes a command — type /name and the agent loads the prompt, then runs it. Frontmatter declares an allowed-tools list and a description; the body uses Bash blocks for read-only inspection and an Instructions section for what to change. Skills make recurring workflows discoverable and reproducible across the team.

What's included

5 videos4 readings

5 videosTotal 18 minutes

3.1.1 What a Skill Is3 minutes
3.1.2 Skill Anatomy3 minutes
3.1.3 Skills That Wrap a CLI3 minutes
3.2.1 Demo /lint Skill Runs clippy3 minutes
3.2.2 Claude Design7 minutes

4 readingsTotal 4 minutes

Key Terms: What a Skill Is1 minute
Reflection: What a Skill Is1 minute
Key Terms: A /lint Skill That Runs clippy1 minute
Reflection: A /lint Skill That Runs clippy1 minute

Claude Code's Agent tool spawns a fresh sub-agent in an isolated context to run a focused job, then returns a structured report. Use it to dispatch read-only reviews in parallel against a contract, keeping the main session lean. Sub-agents make complex tasks reliable: divide work, scope tools, then merge findings. This module covers when to delegate, how to write contracts the sub-agents must satisfy, and how parallel review increases coverage without explosion of complexity.

What's included

4 videos4 readings

4 videosTotal 12 minutes

4.1.1 The Agent Tool3 minutes
4.1.2 Parallel Dispatch3 minutes
4.1.3 Constraining Subagents With Contracts3 minutes
4.2.1 Demo Parallel Review Against Contract3 minutes

4 readingsTotal 4 minutes

Key Terms: The Agent Tool1 minute
Reflection: The Agent Tool1 minute
Key Terms: Parallel Review Against a Contract1 minute
Reflection: Parallel Review Against a Contract1 minute

Production code needs more than agents. This module locks the loop with pmat — a Rust CLI that replaces grep with ranked function queries by Technical Debt Grade, complexity, and coverage — plus contract gates that validate every change and sub-agent output. CLAUDE.md routes the agent to pmat for search, pmat hooks install enforces pre-commit gates, and YAML invariants pin sub-agent shapes. The full claude-from-zero repo demonstrates all four surfaces working as one cycle.

What's included

4 videos4 readings

4 videosTotal 13 minutes

5.1.1 Why grep Is Banned3 minutes
5.1.2 Enrichment Flags3 minutes
5.1.3 pmat comply and Hooks3 minutes
5.2.1 The claude-from-zero Repo End-to-End4 minutes

4 readingsTotal 4 minutes

Key Terms: Why grep Is Banned1 minute
Reflection: Why grep Is Banned1 minute
Key Terms: The claude-from-zero Repo End-to-End1 minute
Reflection: The claude-from-zero Repo End-to-End1 minute

Synthesize the full Claude stack — surfaces, tool surface, skills, sub-agents, and pmat contracts — into one repeatable, gated workflow you can take into your own repo.