Claude Code + SuperClaude: Workflows That Actually Save Time

I don’t ask Claude to “build the app.” I ask it to do the high‑leverage, low‑joy work so I can keep my head in the architecture: scaffolding, migrations, refactors, performance hunts, and safety checks. SuperClaude turns those into repeatable workflows you can run and re‑run without fear.

This is the playbook I actually use—commands, configs, and the guardrails that save hours without creating a black box.

The philosophy: fewer keystrokes, more certainty

Good AI workflows shouldn’t surprise your teammates or break CI. The litmus test:

• Re‑runnable: If you run the command twice, the second run should be a no‑op.
• Diffable: Every change is visible in a PR; no hidden state.
• Test‑aware: Where risk is high, tests appear with the code.
• Convention‑first: Output matches your existing patterns (naming, lint, types).

SuperClaude encodes those expectations with personas, quality gates, and wave orchestration.

My SuperClaude base config

# ~/.claude/superclaude/config.yml
personas:
  default: architect
  frontend: frontend
  backend: backend

quality_gates:
  typescript_check: true
  lint_validation: true
  test_coverage: 75
  forbid_todo: true

wave_orchestration:
  auto_delegation: true
  complexity_threshold: 0.6
  max_concurrent: 5
  commit_granularity: feature

conventions:
  component_style: tailwind
  test_runner: vitest
  e2e: playwright
  api_validation: zod
  env_management: dotenv

This tells SuperClaude how “opinionated” to be. The higher the quality gates, the more often the agent will pause and ask for confirmation or produce tests.

Workflow 1: Component scaffolds you won’t have to re‑do

Slash command:

/component Button --style tailwind --tests --a11y

What it does (and why it saves time):

1. Creates src/components/Button/Button.tsx with typed props and variants.
2. Generates Button.test.tsx (RTL + happy/error states) and Button.stories.tsx.
3. Emits index.ts barrel, updates central src/components/index.ts if you have one.
4. Lints, typechecks, and runs tests before offering the diff.

Example output (trimmed to key parts):

// src/components/Button/Button.tsx
import { cva, type VariantProps } from 'class-variance-authority'
import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'

const button = cva('inline-flex items-center rounded-md font-medium focus:outline-none focus:ring-2', {
  variants: {
    variant: {
      primary: 'bg-blue-600 text-white hover:bg-blue-700',
      ghost: 'bg-transparent text-gray-900 hover:bg-gray-100 dark:text-gray-100 dark:hover:bg-gray-800',
    },
    size: {
      sm: 'px-2.5 py-1.5 text-sm',
      md: 'px-3 py-2 text-sm',
      lg: 'px-4 py-2.5 text-base',
    },
  },
  defaultVariants: { variant: 'primary', size: 'md' },
})

export interface ButtonProps extends React.ButtonHTMLAttributes<HTMLButtonElement>, VariantProps<typeof button> {}
export function Button({ className, variant, size, ...props }: ButtonProps) {
  return <button className={cn(button({ variant, size }), className)} {...props} />
}

Pitfalls avoided:

• It won’t create duplicate exports; it checks existing indices.
• It matches your ESLint/Prettier configs.
• It uses your cn/CVA stack if present; otherwise, it falls back cleanly.

Workflow 2: State management migration without the big‑bang rewrite

Command:

/migrate redux zustand --slices auth,cart,ui --keep-actions --pr

The migration plan the agent generates (and executes if approved):

1. Inventory: where Redux is imported, slice shapes, thunk usage, selectors.
2. Adapter layer: create Zustand stores that mirror slice state and actions.
3. Incremental switch: component by component, replace useSelector with store hooks.
4. Tests: Snapshot a few critical selectors; ensure behavior parity.
5. Cleanup: remove unused reducers/middleware, strip Redux devtools.

Example adapter snippet:

// src/store/auth.ts
import { create } from 'zustand'

type State = { user: { id: string; email: string } | null; token?: string }
type Actions = { login: (user: State['user'], token?: string) => void; logout: () => void }

export const useAuth = create<State & Actions>((set) => ({
  user: null,
  login: (user, token) => set({ user, token }),
  logout: () => set({ user: null, token: undefined }),
}))

Safety rails:

• The agent groups commits per slice so you can revert in isolation.
• It inserts TODO comments only behind a --allow-todo flag; otherwise, it files issues.
• It leaves the Redux store in place until the last consumer moves.

Workflow 3: Performance audits that land as green PRs

Command:

/optimize bundle --metrics lighthouse --target LCP,TBT

What you get:

• A baseline Lighthouse report committed to docs/perf/DATE.md.
• An optimization plan ranked by ROI (code split routes X/Y, convert unoptimized images A/B, lazy‑load charts).
• A PR with atomic commits and a follow‑up report re‑run showing deltas.

Representative change:

// Before: dashboard imports the heavy chart lib at module scope
import Chart from 'super-charts'

// After: lazy import with SSR guard
const Chart = dynamic(() => import('super-charts'), { ssr: false, loading: () => <Spinner /> })

Guardrails:

• It won’t ship ssr: false on pages that render above the fold without a placeholder.
• It refuses to inline large images; it switches to next/image or a CDN URL.

Wave orchestration: getting the order right

“Waves” are staged passes: analyze → plan → refactor → validate. For complex changes, the tool proposes waves and pauses between them.

Example for a design‑system adoption:

1. Inventory usage of Tailwind utilities and bespoke CSS modules.
2. Introduce primitives (Button, Input, Card) with CVA and tokens.
3. Replace instances in low‑risk pages; run visual tests.
4. Roll through critical flows; measure regressions.

The orchestration prevents giant diffs that are hard to review and even harder to roll back.

Personas: targeted competence on demand

• Architect: cares about boundaries, types, and interfaces.
• Frontend: optimizes a11y, focus rings, keyboard traps.
• Backend: trims allocations, standardizes error envelopes, adds Zod validation.
• Performance: chases LCP/INP; caches right, not just hard.

Select with flags or set per‑project defaults in the config.

MCP integration: tools, not magic

The agent is strongest when it can look things up and run checks. Useful servers:

• Context7 for docs lookup (framework APIs)
• Sequential for deep analysis
• Playwright for smoke testing

Hook them in your Claude config and they’ll light up for relevant commands.

Keeping humans in the loop

• Always request a plan before execution on wide‑ranging changes.
• Ask for a commit breakdown ahead of time; review sequence matters.
• Expect the agent to write tests when it modifies behavior. If it can’t, it should file an issue with a failing reproduction you can complete.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Letting unstaged changes confuse the agent: commit or stash before large runs.
• Accepting API schema guesses: provide types or a schema file; the agent will respect them.
• Allowing hidden TODOs to creep in: fail builds on TODO( unless a flag explicitly allows.

A practical checklist

• [ ] Base config with personas, gates, and conventions checked into the repo
• [ ] Slash commands /component, /migrate, /optimize (documented for the team)
• [ ] CI jobs for typecheck, lint, unit, and a quick e2e smoke
• [ ] Playwright smoke script for top 3 flows
• [ ] A “no hidden TODOs” rule or bot

Conclusion

SuperClaude + Claude Code shines when you treat it like power tooling, not an autopilot. Keep changes reviewable, tests close to code, and conventions explicit. Start with scaffolds, add migrations, then tackle performance. Over time you’ll build a personal automation layer that feels like you—but faster and more consistent on the work you used to dread.