Anthropic Claude
Master Anthropic Claude end to end. 60 deep dives across 360 lessons covering the Claude 4.X model family (Opus 4.7, Sonnet 4.6, Haiku 4.5, version history, model selection), API fundamentals (Python and TypeScript SDKs, streaming, errors, request anatomy), prompt engineering (XML tags, system prompts, few-shot, chain-of-thought, role prompting), tool use (parallel tools, Computer Use, Web Fetch, Code Execution), extended context (200K to 1M windows, prompt caching, long-context patterns, memory feature, PDF handling, citations), vision & multimodal (image input, charts, screenshots, multi-image, video frames), agentic building (Claude Agent SDK, agent loops, MCP integration, sub-agents, agent evaluations, managed agents), Claude Code CLI (slash commands & skills, hooks, MCP servers, IDE integrations, settings), safety (Constitutional AI, refusals, jailbreak resistance, content filters, system cards, RSP), and production (pricing, batch API, rate limits, prompt caching strategies, latency optimisation, deployment patterns).
Anthropic Claude is a family of frontier large language models — Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku in the current Claude 4.X generation — and a growing surface of features around it: a 200K to 1M-token context window depending on tier, prompt caching, tool use and parallel tools, computer use, vision, PDF / document handling, citations, the Claude Agent SDK, the Claude Code CLI, the Model Context Protocol (MCP), the Batch API, and managed agents. Over the last two years Claude has stopped being a research demo and become an operating choice for product teams: every meaningful AI feature in a modern application now sits behind a model-selection decision, a prompt-engineering decision, a tool-use design decision, an evaluation decision, and a production-cost decision. Practitioners who understand the family and the surface ship better products faster, debug more cleanly, and waste less money on the gap between “works in a notebook” and “runs in production”.
This track is written for the practitioners building with Claude day to day: ML engineers, software engineers integrating LLM features, product managers shipping AI capabilities, prompt engineers, agent builders, T&S teams using Claude for moderation, RAI leads writing evaluations, security engineers reviewing LLM deployments, and platform leads choosing between model providers. Every topic explains the underlying capability or feature (drawing on Anthropic’s public documentation, system cards, the Anthropic SDK source, the canonical research the model is built on, and hard-won production experience), the practical pattern that operationalises it, and the failure modes that quietly trip teams up. The aim is that a reader can build with Claude credibly, defend the choice to a sceptical engineering review, and run the resulting system in production. This course content is independent educational material; Lilly Tech Systems is not affiliated with Anthropic, and Anthropic, Claude, and related marks are the property of their respective owners.
All Topics
60 Anthropic Claude topics organized into 10 categories. Each has 6 detailed lessons with frameworks, templates, and operational patterns.
Claude Model Family
Claude Model Family Overview
Get a working map of the Claude 4.X family. Learn the Opus / Sonnet / Haiku tiers, their canonical strengths, the pricing shape, and how Anthropic positions each tier against the rest.
6 LessonsClaude Opus 4.7 Deep Dive
Master Claude Opus 4.7 for frontier work. Learn the strengths (1M context, frontier reasoning), the cost profile, the latency profile, and the workloads where Opus is the right tool.
6 LessonsClaude Sonnet 4.6 Deep Dive
Master Claude Sonnet 4.6 as a production workhorse. Learn the price / quality / latency trade-off, the workloads Sonnet handles best, and the migration story from earlier Sonnet versions.
6 LessonsClaude Haiku 4.5 Deep Dive
Master Claude Haiku 4.5 for fast and cheap work. Learn the canonical workloads (real-time chat, classification, agent sub-tasks), latency targets, cost optimisation, and the quality ceiling.
6 LessonsModel Selection by Use Case
Pick the right Claude model per use case. Learn the decision framework (latency, cost, quality, context length), benchmark mapping, and the cascade pattern for cost-aware production.
6 LessonsClaude Version History & Migration
Trace Claude version history. Learn the lineage (Claude 1, 2, 2.1, 3 family, 3.5, 3.7, 4.X), capability evolution per generation, and the migration discipline as Anthropic deprecates older models.
6 LessonsClaude API Fundamentals
Claude API Getting Started
Stand up your first Claude API call. Learn account setup, API keys, the messages endpoint, the request shape, and the canonical Hello-World pattern in Python and TypeScript.
6 LessonsAnthropic Python SDK
Use the anthropic Python SDK well. Learn the client surface, sync vs async, common params, retries, error handling, and the idiomatic patterns for building production Python apps.
6 LessonsAnthropic TypeScript SDK
Use the @anthropic-ai/sdk TypeScript SDK well. Learn the client surface, types and inference, streaming, edge-runtime support, and the idiomatic patterns for Node and edge environments.
6 LessonsStreaming Responses
Stream Claude responses correctly. Learn the SSE event types, helpers in the Python and TS SDKs, partial-tool-use handling, abort-on-disconnect, and the UI pattern for token-by-token render.
6 LessonsError Handling & Retries
Handle Claude API errors well. Learn the error taxonomy (4xx vs 5xx vs overloaded), idempotent retries, exponential backoff, the Retry-After header, and the circuit-breaker pattern.
6 LessonsRequest Anatomy
Understand the anatomy of a Claude request. Learn the model / messages / system / params split, content-block types, message roles, multi-turn structure, and request-shape validation.
6 LessonsPrompt Engineering for Claude
Prompting Claude: Principles
Learn the principles that make Claude prompts work. Be clear and direct, provide context, use examples, ask Claude to think step-by-step, and iterate against an eval set.
6 LessonsXML Tag Structuring
Use XML tags to structure Claude prompts. Learn why Claude responds well to tags, the canonical tags (
System Prompts
Write system prompts that hold. Learn the system-vs-user split, what belongs in each, persona and behaviour setting, the cacheable-system pattern, and the eval discipline for system prompts.
6 LessonsFew-Shot & In-Context Learning
Use few-shot examples with Claude. Learn example selection, ordering, formatting, the diminishing-returns curve, the link to prompt caching, and the swap-to-fine-tune decision.
6 LessonsChain-of-Thought with Claude
Use chain-of-thought prompting with Claude. Learn the <thinking> tag pattern, when CoT helps and when it does not, latency / cost trade-offs, and the link to extended-thinking modes.
6 LessonsRole Prompting & Personas
Use role and persona prompting deliberately. Learn the “you are an X expert” pattern, when it helps, the trade-off vs explicit instructions, and the failure modes (hallucinated authority).
6 LessonsTool Use & Function Calling
Tool Use Overview
Master Claude tool use end to end. Learn the request / response loop, tool_use and tool_result content blocks, error handling, and the model-decides-when-to-call-tools framing.
6 LessonsDefining Tools
Define tools Claude actually picks. Learn the tools array shape, JSON Schema for input, name and description discipline, and the linting practice that prevents flaky tool selection.
6 LessonsParallel Tool Use
Run tools in parallel with Claude. Learn the parallel-tool-call pattern, when Claude emits parallel calls, latency wins, ordering / dependency handling, and the SDK helpers.
6 LessonsComputer Use
Build with Computer Use, where Claude controls a virtual desktop. Learn the screen / mouse / keyboard tools, the agent loop, sandboxing, and the safety considerations specific to computer use.
6 LessonsWeb Fetch Tool
Use the Anthropic-hosted web fetch tool. Learn how it works, the rate-limit and content-handling behaviour, when to use it vs custom retrieval, and the safety / privacy fine print.
6 LessonsCode Execution Tool
Use the Anthropic-hosted code execution tool. Learn the sandboxed Python environment, supported libraries, file I/O, latency, and the trade-off vs running your own sandbox.
6 LessonsExtended Context & Memory
Claude Context Windows
Use Claude's context windows well. Learn the 200K standard window, the 1M extended window on Opus 4.7, output-token limits, and the cost / quality / latency curve at long context.
6 LessonsPrompt Caching
Use prompt caching to reduce cost and latency. Learn the cache_control marker, the 5-minute TTL, cost savings (write 1.25x, read 0.1x), what to cache, and the eval-then-deploy discipline.
6 LessonsLong Context Patterns
Design for long context with Claude. Learn document chunking decisions, summary cascades, RAG-vs-long-context, citation-backed answering, and the eval pattern at long input.
6 LessonsMemory Feature
Use Claude's memory feature. Learn the architecture (file-based, persisted across sessions), what to store (user, project, feedback, reference), what NOT to store, and the privacy posture.
6 LessonsPDF & Document Handling
Send PDFs and documents to Claude. Learn the document content-block, page-range selectors, large-PDF handling, OCR-quality considerations, and the trade-off vs pre-processing to text.
6 LessonsCitations Feature
Use the citations feature for grounded answers. Learn the citation content-block, automatic vs requested citations, span-level vs document-level, and the eval discipline for citation faithfulness.
6 LessonsVision & Multimodal
Claude Vision Overview
Understand Claude's vision capability. Learn supported modalities (image, PDF, screenshots), accepted formats, image-token cost shape, and the canonical vision use cases.
6 LessonsImage Input Methods
Send images to Claude correctly. Learn the base64 vs URL methods, MIME types, sizing strategies, multi-image messages, the order-and-instruction pattern, and SDK helpers.
6 LessonsChart & Diagram Analysis
Use Claude to analyse charts and diagrams. Learn the prompting pattern, accuracy expectations on numeric extraction, common failure modes, and the eval set you should keep alongside.
6 LessonsScreenshot & UI Understanding
Use Claude on screenshots. Learn UI-element identification, accessibility-style descriptions, the link to Computer Use, and the structured-extraction pattern for UI testing and QA.
6 LessonsMulti-Image Reasoning
Reason across multiple images with Claude. Learn comparison patterns, before/after analysis, sequence reasoning, the per-image-token cost discipline, and the failure modes at long sequences.
6 LessonsVideo Frame Analysis
Analyse video with Claude via frame sampling. Learn frame-extraction strategies, sampling cadence, the cost profile, and the trade-off vs purpose-built video models.
6 LessonsAgentic & Building with Claude
Claude Agent SDK
Build agents with the Claude Agent SDK. Learn the SDK surface, the agent loop, tool wiring, MCP integration, sub-agents, and the migration story from a hand-rolled tool-use loop.
6 LessonsAgent Loops & Patterns
Master agent-loop patterns. Learn the canonical loops (think-act-observe, plan-execute-reflect, ReAct), termination conditions, error recovery, and the loop-budget discipline.
6 LessonsMCP Integration
Integrate MCP servers with Claude. Learn the Model Context Protocol, server discovery, tool / resource / prompt primitives, MCP in Claude Code and Claude Agent SDK, and security.
6 LessonsSub-Agents Pattern
Use sub-agents to scale work without inflating context. Learn the orchestrator-worker pattern, sub-agent spec, parallel sub-agents, result aggregation, and the cost / context trade-off.
6 LessonsAgent Evaluations
Evaluate Claude agents credibly. Learn task-based evals (SWE-bench, METR), success metrics, partial-credit scoring, regression suites, and the link to production monitoring.
6 LessonsManaged Agents (Anthropic-Hosted)
Use Anthropic-hosted managed agents. Learn the offering, sandboxing, persistent state, scheduling, and the trade-off vs running your own infrastructure.
6 LessonsClaude Code CLI
Claude Code CLI Overview
Master Claude Code, Anthropic's official CLI. Learn what it is, how it differs from chat clients, the surface (terminal, IDE, web), and the canonical workflows.
6 LessonsSlash Commands & Skills
Use slash commands and skills in Claude Code. Learn the built-ins, custom skills, the Skill tool, when to invoke a skill vs handle inline, and the discoverability discipline.
6 LessonsClaude Code Hooks
Configure Claude Code hooks. Learn the hook events, settings.json wiring, pre-tool / post-tool / submit hooks, common patterns (lint on edit, block on test fail), and debugging.
6 LessonsMCP Servers in Claude Code
Wire MCP servers into Claude Code. Learn the configuration, the canonical servers (filesystem, GitHub, search, custom internal), connector vs local servers, and the deferred-tools mechanic.
6 LessonsClaude Code IDE Integrations
Use Claude Code in your IDE. Learn the VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, terminal-vs-IDE workflow, keybindings, and the team-rollout pattern for IDE-based usage.
6 LessonsSettings & Configuration
Configure Claude Code well. Learn the settings hierarchy (user, project, local), permissions, env vars, model overrides, hooks, the share-with-team pattern, and configuration linting.
6 LessonsSafety, Constitutional AI & Guardrails
Constitutional AI: Claude's Approach
Understand Constitutional AI as Claude's safety scaffolding. Learn the principles, RLAIF, the constitution evolution, and how it shapes Claude's everyday behaviour and refusals.
6 LessonsClaude Refusals & Behaviour
Reason about Claude refusals. Learn what triggers a refusal, the difference between refusal and partial answer, system-prompt patterns that adjust posture, and the refusal eval discipline.
6 LessonsJailbreak Resistance
Reason about Claude jailbreak resistance. Learn the canonical attack categories, Anthropic's research and mitigations, the role of system prompts, and the defensive-engineering pattern.
6 LessonsContent Filters & Output Safety
Layer content filters on top of Claude. Learn the built-in safety, third-party classifier integration (Llama Guard / OpenAI moderation), output-side filtering, and the cost / latency profile.
6 LessonsClaude System Cards
Read Claude system cards as a working document. Learn the canonical sections (capabilities, evaluations, safety, deployment), what to take and what to caveat, and how to compare across releases.
6 LessonsAnthropic Responsible Scaling Policy
Read Anthropic's Responsible Scaling Policy as a builder. Learn ASL levels, capability thresholds, evals-based commitments, and what RSP commitments mean for your roadmap.
6 LessonsProduction, Pricing & Optimization
Claude Pricing & Tiers
Model Claude cost honestly. Learn the input / output / cache pricing structure, tier differences across Opus / Sonnet / Haiku, batch and cache discounts, and the per-feature cost effects.
6 LessonsBatch API
Use the Claude Batch API for cost-sensitive non-realtime work. Learn the submit / poll / retrieve flow, the 50% discount, the SLA window, batch-size limits, and the workloads that fit.
6 LessonsRate Limits & Quotas
Operate within Claude rate limits. Learn the RPM / TPM / OPM dimensions, tier ladders, how to read 429 responses, the request-quota vs token-quota distinction, and capacity planning.
6 LessonsPrompt Caching Strategies
Adopt prompt caching strategies that actually save money. Learn cache-block placement, hit-rate measurement, the 5-min TTL operational pattern, and the cache-vs-fine-tune decision.
6 LessonsLatency Optimization
Reduce Claude latency in production. Learn the latency components, streaming, prompt-caching effects, model-tier downshift, prompt slimming, parallel-tool-call leverage, and SLA setting.
6 LessonsProduction Deployment Patterns
Deploy Claude to production. Learn the canonical patterns (proxy layer, fallback chains, key rotation, observability, eval CI), gradual rollout, and the on-call runbook for the LLM layer.
6 Lessons
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