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1.9 First Exploration Exercises

This section provides hands-on exercises to build your fluency with Claude Code. You'll practice the exploration patterns you'll use throughout the program.

Exercise 1: Basic File Operations​

Start in the Emerald Grove Pet Clinic directory:

cd ~/projects/emerald-grove-pet-clinic-<first>-<last>
claude
note

Replace <first>-<last> with your actual first and last name (e.g., emerald-grove-pet-clinic-jane-doe).

1.1 Find a Specific File​

Ask Claude to locate the main application class:

Find the main Spring Boot application class in this project

What to observe: Claude uses the Glob tool to search for patterns like *Application.java and the Read tool to examine contents.

1.2 Read and Understand​

Ask Claude to explain what it found:

Read that file and explain what annotations are used and why

What to observe: Claude reads the file and provides contextual explanation based on its knowledge of Spring Boot.

Ask Claude to find related components:

Find all controller classes in this project

What to observe: Claude searches for files matching controller patterns and may use Grep to search for @Controller or @RestController annotations.

Exercise 2: Code Search Patterns​

2.1 Search by Content​

Find where a specific feature is implemented:

Where is the logic for listing all pets for an owner?

What to observe: Claude uses Grep to search for relevant terms, then reads promising files to understand the implementation.

2.2 Search by Pattern​

Find all database queries:

Find all repository interfaces and show me what queries they define

What to observe: Claude combines Glob (to find repository files) with Read (to examine their contents).

2.3 Trace a Request​

Follow a request through the system:

Trace what happens when a user visits /owners/1 in this application. What controller handles it? What service does it call? What repository fetches the data?

What to observe: Claude follows the code path, reading multiple files to build a complete picture.

Exercise 3: Using the Task Agent​

For complex explorations, Claude can spawn specialized sub-agents.

3.1 Comprehensive Codebase Analysis​

Use an exploration agent to create a comprehensive summary of the domain model in this application. Include all entities, their relationships, and key fields.

What to observe: Claude launches a Task agent with subagent_type: Explore that performs thorough analysis without cluttering your main conversation.

3.2 Find Integration Points​

Use an exploration agent to find all external integration points in this application - APIs it calls, databases it connects to, external services it uses.

3.3 Security Review​

Use an exploration agent to identify potential security considerations in this codebase. Look for authentication, authorization, input validation, and data handling patterns.

Exercise 4: Working with Tests​

4.1 Understand Test Coverage​

What is the test coverage strategy for this project? What types of tests exist and what do they cover?

4.2 Find Tests for a Feature​

Find all tests related to the Owner entity - unit tests, integration tests, and E2E tests

4.3 Run Tests​

Run the unit tests for the Owner-related functionality and show me the results

What to observe: Claude uses Bash to execute test commands and captures the output.

Exercise 5: Documentation and Context​

5.1 Synthesize Documentation​

Based on all the documentation in this project, what are the most important things a developer should know before making changes?

5.2 Find Undocumented Patterns​

What patterns or conventions does this codebase follow that aren't explicitly documented in CLAUDE.md?

5.3 Update Context​

If you were to add one section to the CLAUDE.md file to make it more helpful, what would it be and why?

Exercise 6: MCP and Skills in Action​

If you configured MCP servers and skills, try these:

6.1 Context7 Documentation Lookup​

Use Context7 to get the current documentation for Spring Data JPA repository query methods

6.2 Browser Automation (if app is running)​

Start the application first:

./mvnw spring-boot:run

Then in a new Claude session:

Use the agent-browser skill to navigate to http://localhost:8080, explore the navigation, and describe what pages are available

6.3 Database Exploration (if you configured a database MCP)​

If you've set up DBHub or another database MCP server:

Explore the database schema. What tables exist and how are they related?

Exercise 7: Putting It All Together​

The Integration Challenge​

Combine everything you've learned:

I want to understand how adding a new Visit works in this application.

1. Find the UI where users add visits
2. Trace the form submission to the controller
3. Follow the logic through the service layer
4. Show me how it's persisted to the database
5. Find the tests that verify this workflow

Give me a complete picture of this feature.

What to observe: Claude orchestrates multiple tools and potentially sub-agents to build a comprehensive answer.

Reflection​

After completing these exercises, you should be comfortable with:

SkillTools Used
Finding files by name or patternGlob
Searching file contentsGrep
Reading and understanding codeRead
Executing commandsBash
Complex multi-file explorationTask (Explore agent)
External documentation lookupContext7 MCP
Browser interactionagent-browser skill
Database explorationDatabase MCP (optional)

Common Patterns to Remember​

  1. Start broad, then narrow — Begin with pattern searches, then read specific files
  2. Use sub-agents for complex tasks — Keep your main context clean
  3. Verify with tests — Run relevant tests to confirm understanding
  4. Check documentation first — CLAUDE.md and docs/ often have answers

Next Steps​

Congratulations! You've completed the Introduction section. You now have:

  • Claude Code installed and configured
  • SDD workflow prompts available as slash commands
  • MCP servers and skills extending Claude's capabilities
  • The example repository forked and explored
  • Hands-on experience with Claude Code's exploration tools

You're ready to begin the Foundations Module, where you'll use these skills to build your first AI-generated feature from specification to completion.

Knowledge Check​

Question 1 of 5

First Exploration Exercises Knowledge Check

Q1. You want to find all REST endpoints in the Emerald Grove Pet Clinic without loading the results into your main conversation context. What is the best approach?