Claude Code out of the box is good. Claude Code with proper configuration is something else entirely.

Most developers drop Claude into a project and start prompting. It works, but it's like using Photoshop without any presets—functional, but inefficient. Every session starts from scratch. No institutional knowledge. No automated quality checks. No framework awareness.

One command fixes this:

npx create-claude-starter

The Problem

Without configuration, Claude Code:

• Doesn't know your stack's conventions
• Can't run automated security scans after edits
• Lacks framework-specific knowledge
• Burns tokens on context it should already have
• Makes you repeat the same instructions across sessions

Building a proper .claude/ directory from scratch takes hours. Most developers never bother.

What's Inside

Two tiers: core components that run by default, and examples you opt into.

Core (always enabled):

• 3 agents: security auditor, database architect, API builder
• 9 commands: /build-safe, /commit, /create-pr, /release, /sync-types, /db-migrate, /health-check, /enable-hook, /self-test

Examples (opt-in):

• 40+ skills across 12 categories: Next.js, React, Stripe, Supabase, D3, Aptos, Plaid
• 10 quality hooks: linting, security scans, architecture checks, accessibility audits
• 6 presets for common stacks

Copy what you need: cp -r examples/skills/stripe core/skills/.

Token Optimization

MCP integration cuts token usage by 98%—from 150K tokens down to 2K for equivalent operations.

The package also includes TOON (Token-Oriented Object Notation), which reduces token consumption by 30-60% for tabular data. Native Zig encoder/decoder binaries handle the conversion.

Hooks

TypeScript files that run after tool use. Disabled by default—enable what you want.

Example: after every Edit or Write operation, run a security scan:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PostToolUse": [{
      "matcher": "Edit|Write",
      "hooks": [{
        "type": "command",
        "command": "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR/.claude/examples/hooks/security_scan.ts"
      }]
    }]
  }
}

Available hooks include code quality checks, React-specific linting, bundle size monitoring, import organization, and accessibility audits.

Setup Options

Automated:

npx create-claude-starter

The wizard detects your framework and suggests relevant components.

Preset:

./setup.sh --preset web-saas

Six presets: minimal, web-saas, blockchain, mobile, data, enterprise.

Manual: Clone the repo, copy .claude/, configure by hand.

Skills

Framework-specific knowledge domains. When you mention "Stripe webhook" or "Next.js app router," the relevant skill activates automatically.

• Frontend: Next.js (8 skills), React (2)
• Payments: Stripe (5), Plaid (5)
• Backend: Supabase, Bun (5)
• Blockchain: Aptos (17), Shelby
• Mobile: Expo (4), iOS
• DevOps: GitHub Actions, Vercel deployment

Commands

Slash commands execute predefined workflows:

• /commit — Generates conventional commit messages from staged changes
• /create-pr — Auto-generates PR title/description, links issues, adds labels
• /release — Semantic versioning, changelog generation, GitHub releases
• /build-safe — Runs build with proper error handling
• /self-test — Validates your configuration