Just implemented Boris Cherny's (engineer behind Claude Code) CLAUDE.md workflow in my project. Game changer.

Key rules that made the biggest difference:

1. Plan Mode Default — enter plan mode for any task with 3+ steps. If something goes sideways, STOP and re-plan instead of pushing forward.

2. Self-Improvement Loop — after ANY correction, CC updates tasks/lessons.md with the pattern. It stops making the same mistake twice.

3. Verification Before Done — never mark complete without proving it works. "Would a staff engineer approve this?"

6. Autonomous Bug Fixing — when given a bug report, just fix it. Don't ask for hand-holding. Zero context switching from the user.

Before this, CC would ask permission for everything and repeat mistakes across sessions. Now it plans first, fixes autonomously, and learns from corrections.

The CLAUDE.md file persists across sessions — it's basically giving CC a working memory and engineering standards in one file.