December 7, 2025 · development · ai · workflow · claude-code · cli · tools · resources

CLI AI Coding: A Vault of Valuable Things

This is a companion post to Developing intuition for CLI-based AI coding — that post is about the understanding; this one is about the tools.

Nano banana's take on this post — This is what nano-banana thought of this post

What this is

A curated list of repos, configs, and practices that have emerged from a group of people thinking hard about CLI-based AI coding. Not everything here will be right for you, but it’s all been road-tested by people doing real work.

Skills and Workflow Systems

Tool	What it does	Link
superpowers	Installable skills for Claude Code—TDD, debugging, planning, pressure tests	repo / blog
2389 Research skills	fresh-eyes-review, scenario-testing	repo
claude-commands	UserPromptSubmit hook for multi-step workflows	repo

Installing superpowers:

/plugin marketplace add obra/superpowers-marketplace
/plugin install superpowers@superpowers-marketplace

Memory and Context

Tool	What it does	Link
episodic-memory	Cross-session recall for Claude	repo
private-journal-mcp	Persistent journals with vector search	repo

File-based planning pattern

Not a repo—a pattern. Externalize state because context window is unreliable; files aren’t.

project/
├── prompt_plan.md      # Current plan, model reads but human controls
├── TODO.md             # Task list, can be auto-updated via hooks
├── .scratch/           # Disposable working space
└── CLAUDE.md           # Project-specific instructions

CLAUDE.md and Configuration

Example configs

Source	Notes	Link
obra/dotfiles	Well-structured with testing section	CLAUDE.md
harperreed/dotfiles	Thorough git/pre-commit guidance	CLAUDE.md
dbmcco/claude-workspace	Modular memory system with imports	repo
glimpser	AGENTS.md pattern	example / template

Settings and hooks

Source	What’s there	Link
ryankanno/dotfiles	ntfy.sh notifications setup	settings.json
harperreed/dotfiles	Commands and agents	commands / agents
detour1999/dotfiles	Commands collection	commands

Git and Parallel Work

Worktrees

Built into git—multiple checkouts from one clone. Essential for running multiple Claude instances.

Resource	Link
Spawn script	gist
Graphite rules	rules doc

git worktree add ../feature-branch feature-branch
git worktree list
git worktree remove ../feature-branch

Hooks and Guardrails

Pre-commit hooks (last line of defense)

Tool	Language	Link
pre-commit-hooks	General	repo
pre-commit-rust	Rust	repo
ruff-pre-commit	Python linting	repo
Test script example	—	gist

Claude Code hooks: docs — shell commands on events like tool calls or session starts.

MCP Servers

MCP	What it does	Link
mcp-obsidian	Obsidian vault access	repo
obsidian-mcp	Alternative Obsidian MCP	repo
vocalize-mcp	Voice integration	repo
StageWhisper	Voice to text via accessibility APIs	repo
zen-mcp-server	Multi-model access	repo
playwright-mcp	Browser testing	repo
mcp-language-server	LSP to MCP adapter	repo
ht-mcp	Terminal/screen control	repo

Agent Orchestration

Tool	What it does	Link
claude-squad	Multiple Claude instances coordination	repo
claude-swarm	Swarm-style agent coordination	repo
lace	Custom agentic coding tool, more hookable than CC	repo / prompts
issue-cards	Agent-friendly issue tracker with PM/dev roles	repo
botboard / 2389	Agent journaling, “social tokens”	site / research

Monitoring and Debugging

Tool	What it does	Link
cc-log-viewer	Web viewer for Claude Code logs	repo
ClaudeStatus	Terminal status line (prompt, todos, git)	repo
ccstatusline	Alternative status line	repo
node-traffic-logger	HTTP logging for transcript reconstruction	repo
ScreenshotForChat	Screenshot to clipboard in one key	repo

GitHub Actions and CI

Tool	What it does	Link
claude-code-action	Trigger Claude from GitHub issues/PRs	repo / example
github-tdd-template	TDD-focused GitHub template	repo
Codex setup script	Tool shims, uv, codebase hints	gist

Model Routing and Proxies

Tool	What it does	Link
claude-code-router	Route through OpenRouter for other models	repo
claude-code-proxy	Multi-model with judge voting	repo

Alternative Interfaces

Tool	What it does	Link
claude-code-webui	Web UI for Claude Code	repo
claude-code.nvim	Neovim integration	repo
Ghostty setup	AppleScript for Ghostty + neovim	gist

Mobile and Remote

The stack: tmux (persistence) + mosh (handles network changes) + Tailscale (VPN) + Termux (Android)

Voice Tool	What it does	Link
loq	Voice input	repo
whisper-to-input	API-based voice input	repo
dsnote	Local voice transcription	repo

Interesting Projects Built with These Tools

Project	What it is	Link
pgsqlite	Postgres wrapper on SQLite	repo
gruboros	RNN training project	repo
hyprmon	Hyprland monitor management TUI	repo
tiny-agent	Minimal agentic loop (~1KB)	repo
smallest-agent	Even smaller agent example	repo

Methodology Posts

Post	Link
Superpowers methodology (June 2025)	blog
System prompts comparison	blog
Anthropic’s internal usage	PDF

House Rules

Patterns that aren’t tools but are worth codifying:

Rule	Why
Plans in files, not in context	Context window forgets. Files don’t.
Shorter sessions, more often	Context rot is real. Clear early and often.
Guardrails in code, not in prompts	Instructions decay. Pre-commit hooks don’t.
Verify, don’t trust	Model speaks with same confidence right or wrong.
Expect shortcuts	Model will find the easy path. Design around it.
No mocks in tests	Or at least separate `TestsWithMocks/` and `TestsWithoutMocks/`
Give Claude access to the MCP while developing it	Makes dev go 5x faster.

Last updated: December 2025

Claude helped me write this post. A lot. But the thinking and tone are mine.

Originally published at dbmcco.github.io.

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