12. Safe Refactoring of Legacy Code (Characterize, Change, Verify)

In Episode 12 of Beyond Prompting, we tackle one of the most high-stakes tasks in software engineering: letting an AI agent refactor an existing codebase. Author Sho Shimoda breaks down why asking Claude to "modernize this module" in one giant prompt usually results in hundreds of changed lines, broken production, and hours spent untangling regressions. In this episode, we cover:

The "Big-Bang" Trap: Why a single commit touching twelve files leaves you with twelve suspects when tests go red, and why working in small, single-purpose steps makes debugging instant.

Characterization Tests First: How to lock down the current behavior of legacy code by generating tests before refactoring, creating a behavioral safety net when no specification exists.

The 4-Step Refactoring Loop: Forcing Claude into a disciplined cycle—list distinct changes smallest first, execute one change, verify against characterization tests, and commit before moving to the next.

Reviewing Agent Diffs: How to review AI-generated code for subtle failure modes (like changed return contracts or deleted code paths) and using /code-review as a mechanical first pass.

Checkpoint Rewinds: Using Esc Esc or /rewind to instantly restore conversation and file state to an earlier checkpoint when an exploration fails.

(Note for listeners: This episode covers Chapter 12 of Sho Shimoda's book RUNNING CLAUDE: The Operator’s Guide to Chat, Cowork and Claude Code, available on Amazon as the successor book to Master Claude: Chat, Cowork and Code).

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Episoder(35)

20. Teams, Sessions and Worktrees (Four Ways to Run AI Work in Parallel)

In Episode 20 of Beyond Prompting, author Sho Shimoda clarifies how to run multiple AI tasks concurrently without getting tangled in state or disk conflicts. While Chapter 19 focused on subagents, Cha...

16 Okt 35min

19. Preventing Context Pollution with Subagents (Delegating Heavy Lifting)

In Episode 19 of Beyond Prompting, author Sho Shimoda explores how to manage complex, search-heavy engineering tasks without cluttering your main conversation window using Subagents. When an agent rea...

14 Okt 52min

18. Packaging and Distributing Workflows (Plugins and Marketplaces)

In Episode 18 of Beyond Prompting, author Sho Shimoda explores how to bundle your team's custom skills, commands, subagents, hooks, and MCP server configurations into a single, installable unit using ...

12 Okt 29min

17. Connecting Systems with MCP (The Stateless Wire Protocol)

In Episode 17 of Beyond Prompting, author Sho Shimoda breaks down the Model Context Protocol (MCP)—the open standard that connects Claude Code to external systems like ticket trackers, wikis, and data...

11 Okt 47min

16. Packaging Standard Operating Procedures (Agent Skills)

In Episode 16 of Beyond Prompting, author Sho Shimoda breaks down how to turn your team's recurring instructions and workflows into executable Agent Skills. Rather than re-explaining multi-step proced...

9 Okt 50min

15. Prompt Caching and Durable State (The Economics of Context and Memory)

In Episode 15 of Beyond Prompting, author Sho Shimoda breaks down prompt caching—the single largest cost lever in the Claude Code ecosystem—and demonstrates how to manage long-term project memory. We ...

5 Okt 48min

14. Memory, Compaction and Checkpoints (Managing Context in Long Sessions)

In Episode 14 of Beyond Prompting, author Sho Shimoda breaks down how to manage context budgets and session state when conversations run long. We examine the three core mechanisms that control what Cl...

4 Okt 45min

13. Curing AI Amnesia (CLAUDE.md and Rules)

In Episode 13 of Beyond Prompting, author Sho Shimoda breaks down how to configure persistent repository instructions using CLAUDE.md and rule files. Rather than treating CLAUDE.md as a generic style ...

30 Sep 46min