Claude Code: Part 10 - Common Issues and Quick Fixes

The Problem

You've been using Claude Code for weeks. It works great most of the time, but you keep hitting the same frustrating issues: conversations get too long and Claude loses context, your CLAUDE.md rules conflict with each other, tokens run out faster than expected, and custom commands randomly stop working.

These aren't beginner problems - they're the issues experienced users face when pushing Claude Code to its limits.

Context Too Long

Problem: Claude says the conversation is too long or starts forgetting earlier context.

Quick fixes:

# Compress conversation history
/compact

# Start fresh but keep project context
/clear

# Check conversation size
/status

Prevention:

• Use /compact regularly instead of letting conversations grow endlessly
• Start new conversations for different topics
• Reference files instead of pasting large code blocks

Rules Conflicting

Problem: Multiple CLAUDE.md files causing confusion or contradictory behavior.

Debug hierarchy:

1. Folder-specific (./src/auth/CLAUDE.md) - highest priority
2. Local project (./CLAUDE.local.md)
3. Project (./CLAUDE.md)
4. Personal (~/.claude/CLAUDE.md) - lowest priority

Common conflicts:

# Project CLAUDE.md says:
- Use TypeScript strict mode

# Personal ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md says:
- Skip TypeScript for quick prototypes

Solution: Be more specific about when rules apply:

# In project CLAUDE.md:
- Use TypeScript strict mode for all production code
- Prototypes in /experiments/ can skip strict mode

Token-Saving Pro Tip

Problem: Hitting token limits too quickly, especially with large CLAUDE.md files.

Token wasters:

• Verbose CLAUDE.md files (keep under 100 lines each)
• Pasting entire files instead of referencing them
• Long conversations about multiple topics
• Detailed explanations in rules

Token savers:

❌ "When implementing authentication, always ensure you follow security best practices including input validation, proper error handling, secure token storage, and following our established patterns in the auth/ directory..."

✅ "Auth code: validate inputs, handle errors securely, follow auth/ patterns"

Script approach: Instead of asking Claude to read many files:

❌ "Look at all components and replace useState with our custom hook"

Ask Claude to create a script:

✅ "Create a script to replace useState with useCustomState across all components, run it, then delete the script"

This saves massive input tokens and is much faster.

Custom Commands Not Working

Problem: /my-command returns "command not found" or behaves unexpectedly.

Debug checklist:

1. Check filename: Must be exactly .claude/commands/my-command.md
2. Restart Claude: Commands load on startup
3. File format: Must contain instructions, not just command names

Common mistakes:

❌ Wrong format (just the command name):
/test-all

✅ Correct format (actual instructions):
Run comprehensive testing:
1. Run type checking
2. Run linter
3. Run tests
4. Report issues

File location issues:

• Commands must be in .claude/commands/ directory
• Use hyphens, not spaces: test-all.md not test all.md
• Check case sensitivity on your system

Performance Tips

Slow responses:

• Use /clear for new topics instead of continuing long conversations
• Reference specific files instead of asking Claude to "look at everything"
• Break complex requests into smaller, focused questions

Memory usage:

• Restart Claude sessions periodically
• Avoid keeping multiple long-running sessions open
• Use specific commands instead of general requests

Quick Diagnostics

# Check what's loaded
/help

# See conversation stats
/status

# Restart fresh
/clear

Getting Help

For persistent issues:

1. Check Claude Code documentation
2. Search GitHub issues
3. Include exact error messages and steps to reproduce

Most Claude Code issues have simple solutions - start with the basics before diving into complex debugging.

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Claude Code Blog Series

Previous: Part 9 - Complete Development Workflows Next: Part 11 - Troubleshooting and Recovery

Full Series:

1. Part 1 - Getting Started and Installation
2. Part 2 - CLAUDE.md Configuration Files
3. Part 3 - Conversation Management and Context
4. Part 4 - Slash Commands and Custom Commands
5. Part 5 - MCP Servers and Tool Integration
6. Part 6 - Subagents and Task Delegation
7. Part 7 - IDE Integration with VS Code and JetBrains
8. Part 8 - Hooks for Automated Quality Checks
9. Part 9 - Complete Development Workflows
10. Part 10 - Common Issues and Quick Fixes (this post)
11. Part 11 - Troubleshooting and Recovery