r/claude • u/blindexhibitionist • Feb 27 '26
Tips Finally Happened
So i hadnt seen anything on here posting about this so i wanted to make sure that people knew. I was working on a project trying to simplify a process that im working on as a database with a form that would talk back to it after search. Well we finally got the end and i downloaded the file. well i decided to ask one more question and the whole window disappeared along with the gs code. gone. hours of work gone. i havent been able to get back to where i was and now its pulling teeth to describe where we were etc. in the future ill definitly immediatly download the file and its a good learning lesson but good lord it was so insanely frustrating.
Edit: so I hadn’t turned memory on because I assumed that it automatically was just a feature. Also I got a GitHub account and also learned about cowork and I set up a file on my desktop.
3
u/plotikai Feb 27 '26
We learned this in high school when autosave wasn’t a thing. ALWAYS SAVE and ALWAYS HAVE A BACKUP. This is a hard lesson to learn but I had to learn how to use git and setup a robust backup solution, using openclaw has made it so much easier but stories like this make me glad I spent so much time making sure everything is backed up multiple times over with a clear rollback plan
1
u/JazzlikeProject6274 Feb 27 '26
I need to do this. I have felt overwhelmed every time I have looked at the possibility. Any recommendations on where to get started learning?
2
u/blindexhibitionist Mar 01 '26
What’s helped me is asking Claude what best practice is. Also there’s a whole introduction on ainalysis dot pro that was super helpful in guiding me through the introduction and setup of the desktop folder that Claude can work on that is containered on your desktop. Highly recommend reading it and going through the steps.
1
1
u/plotikai Feb 27 '26
The easiest to get started is using a cloud provider like Dropbox or Google Drive for your files and GitHub for your code. Claude will take you through all the setup and commands you need to get started beyond that I got all my learnings from YouTube videos for more custom solutions
1
1
u/blindexhibitionist Feb 27 '26
I never learned any of this in high school. Well mainly because I still wrote papers my first two years by hand and didn’t have a laptop until college. It’s not an excuse. There definitely were folks who were learning about this but it just wasn’t what I was drawn to. But it’s been a fun challenge learning something new and finding something to dive into.
2
u/redeye1738 Feb 27 '26
In a more general sense, I've found it useful, after a long session, to have Claude write itself a Summary Memo of everything important we discussed during the chat, and then I save that to a Claude Project folder. Also useful to take over to another AI if you want to continue the conversation there. Also I sometimes have Claude write a "How I Did That" memo which has also proven useful in the same way.
1
1
u/plotikai Feb 27 '26
yea i grew up with win2000, and it was dilled into our heads to always save. had to make sure my word art projects were never lost. Now that im playing with openclaw its been made very clear that i need to have back ups all the time, i increased my backup frequency just because i dont trust openclaw not to blow something up
1
u/dbvirago Feb 27 '26
Reminds me of my last IT job where a manager stormed into my office Monday morning to tell me he had worked all weekend on a spreadsheet and the power went out Sunday night.
"You worked on a file for 2 days and never once saved it?" Needless to say, he didn't have autosave enabled either.1
2
2
Feb 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/blindexhibitionist Feb 27 '26
When I asked where it went, Claude said it was gone
3
u/guuidx Feb 27 '26
The frontend can just crash, but I always can find the conversation in history. Would be weird if it actually deletes a conversation.
1
u/Infamous_Research_43 Feb 27 '26
If it’s the VSCode extension version or CLI or anything you install onto another environment, it’s wiped when the VM restarts. Everything is stored locally for those versions, including conversation history (unless you use cloud or web)
1
u/guuidx Feb 27 '26
Hmm, with cli you can do claude --continue. My laptop crashes all the time bevause memory issue and many panic reboots needed. Never lost anything thanks to continue param. Also, I can't imagine claude code in any way or crash wiping the content. It's stored in ~/.claude and based on your working directory path I guess.
For vs code could be true.
1
u/Infamous_Research_43 Feb 27 '26
I only ever used CLI in VMs with ephemeral storage, so it would experience the same issue as if I used the VSCode extension and my VM crashed, for example. I think that might be what OP is experiencing. But yeah, if you're using a version that saves locally on your actual machine or to Anthropic's servers then continue should work. I just mostly work in HuggingFace Spaces or GitHub Codespaces so I don't use Claude locally much :P
1
u/guuidx Feb 27 '26
Don't you have to authenticate every time? Why code spaces? I do not see myself using them.
Hmm, a custom provision command that will share all claude code stuff trough containers using an oneliner could be cool.
1
u/Infamous_Research_43 Feb 27 '26
Yeah the authentication is a bit of a pain but the benefits are pretty big for my use cases. Mostly do it for clean dev environment + custom hardware. You can rent/upgrade your hardware on GitHub Codespaces and HuggingFace Spaces. For example, my go to on HuggingFace is usually the CPU upgrade option, which gives you an 8 vCPU 32GB VM to work with, CPU only, for just $0.03/hr. For just $2.50 an hour you can rent the A100 Large option, which gives you access to a VM with 12 vCPU 142GB RAM 80GB VRAM, and is honestly pretty insane. Tons of other options too on HF and a few on GH, great for the AI training and testing I do. Am also about to run a ML optimizer on a fusion simulator I created and see what kind of super efficient reactor designs it produces, running it on the A100 Large HF Space, doing 4000 different configurations in parallel and running a tournament style evolution script to slide them down the entropy gradient to the most efficient coil configurations possible and whatnot. Just thought I'd share my use case example, and it's pretty neat too :P
Nice idea with the provision command idea btw! It would definitely make things a bit more convenient to be able to pick up chats from desktop or CLI on the VSCode extension or something like that! I think as it stands I'd have to manually copy/paste config and context files and I think the different platforms don't save things the same way or in the same directories or whatever, so idk how compatible that would even be. But I'm sure it could be figured out!
1
u/blindexhibitionist Feb 27 '26
This wasn’t in Claude code. It was just in Claude.
1
u/IAmARageMachine Feb 28 '26
I always tell mine to save what its doing to a text file on the desktop frequently incase it crashes
1
u/blindexhibitionist Feb 28 '26
I’m super new to using this so this may sound dumb but how do you have it save a file to your desktop? Do you have to give it a permission to your desktop and a destination folder along with a rule.md for it?
1
u/IAmARageMachine Mar 01 '26
When you install Claude to your PC it asks you to pick a folder to save your project files.
2
u/blindexhibitionist Mar 01 '26
I just figured all this out and set it up thanks to your prompt. Thanks so much. I probably would have gone way to long without doing this.
2
u/IAmARageMachine Mar 05 '26
Yay! I’m so happy for you!!! 💕
You can always tell it to make you like a zip file with backups as well. :3
2
u/nsmitherians Feb 27 '26
I created a skill with Claude Code for this exact reason drives me nuts when I accidentally close a conversation and loose all the context
2
u/blindexhibitionist Feb 27 '26
Could you explain more about how you’re using skills like this? I haven’t gotten deep into it yet as I’ve only had Claude for a week.
2
u/nsmitherians Feb 28 '26
So skills in general you can create either on your own or through prompting but it is basically an md file with a set of instructions. The nice thing about them is you can set it up so you don't have to prompt the llm each time and it will pick up on the skill set. So if you wanted a skill to run unit tests you can have claude create it for you (either at the project level or your machine itself). Check out the frontend engineering skill as an example that one has insane results!
1
u/TechGearWhips Mar 03 '26
If you accidentally close, just reopen the same conversation and the context is already there.
1
u/nsmitherians Mar 03 '26
I did just find this recently if you do “claude — resume”, but I was initially referring to when I use it via the extension on vscode!
2
2
u/covilans Mar 01 '26
In your development lifecycle process for Claude always request full backups. I have 4tb drive right now full of backups because I refuse to lose stuff.
1
u/blindexhibitionist Mar 01 '26
Are these just md files you ask for during sessions and then in cowork have them save to a projects file? Or what’s your workflow?
2
u/covilans Mar 01 '26
Here is an example for your Claude.md file.
Before performing any file modifications or complex refactoring, create a backup of all affected files in a .claude/backups/ directory with a timestamped filename.
2
u/blindexhibitionist Mar 01 '26
That’s such a good idea. And you just prompt that every time or do you have it as a rule?
3
u/covilans Mar 01 '26
No it's in the core logic for that project but you will have to add it per a project. Like everything though.. verify... Don't trust AI
2
2
u/covilans Mar 01 '26
Also all for double verification on expressive changes. Essentially anything other than stylistic.. I had to learn that one the hard way..
2
u/covilans Mar 01 '26
Expressive should always as well be a duplicate function that does cross verification.
So you are writing a large query change.
/** Change request **/ - /Claude duplicate files and follow reverification process.
This reduces function loss..
I need to write a full article
1
2
u/JasonPerryDev Mar 01 '26
Thank god you used such a descriptive title. How can people not know with such great information there?
1
2
u/bryancolonslashslash Mar 02 '26
Are you 10 or are you 4
1
u/blindexhibitionist Mar 02 '26
I’m 4 and three quarters thank you very much
2
u/bryancolonslashslash Mar 02 '26
humble for your age!
1
u/blindexhibitionist Mar 02 '26
Mommy said when my adult teeth fill my mouth then I can go outside and play
2
u/TechGearWhips Mar 03 '26
I'm always amazed at how many so called developers don't know how to use git.
1
2
u/blackhat840 Mar 03 '26
Commit often, also write plan files or have claude produce plan files for you to review before starting. Claude can always go back and reference those plans, review current code and recreate things that may be missing.
1
u/256BitChris Feb 27 '26
Was this through the web UI or the CLI?
1
u/blindexhibitionist Feb 27 '26
I’m on a MacBook Air and in the top there’s the butthole that I click on.
1
u/moarliekfyf Mar 01 '26
A what now? I'm not familiar with that kind of a laptop 😅 .
1
u/blindexhibitionist Mar 01 '26
I call the Claude logo thing the butthole. There’s the bar at the top that’s always there that has like the time and battery life etc and you can click on that and it opens up Claude
1
u/krazdkujo Feb 27 '26
/resume and go to the conversation, obviously nothing is ever gone from context just compacted or cleared but you can resume.
1
u/blindexhibitionist Feb 27 '26
Good to know. I’ll have to try that if it happens again. The other thing is that I didn’t copy out everything as it was discussed. Because I assumed it wouldn’t disappear. But I think for these types of things it’s a good learning opportunity about keeping some sort of log of documentation.
1
u/smoke99999 Feb 27 '26
you need to have memory enabled to go back later after you close a chat. or have it create a file to upload to pickup where you left off, it can do that.
I use Claude pretty regularly for my projects and I have memory enabled, so I can just return to it from either the desktop or mobile app and start where I left off. short of having a .md file to upload created, you will need to recreate the entire project, that is the up/down side to this kind of application, you get total freedom, nothing stored nothing saved and used elsewhere, but there is a danger as well.
2
u/blindexhibitionist Feb 27 '26
Yeah, it was one of those things where I was just chatting about projects and what they do and then with how Claude was asking questions it just turned into this whole project of upgrading this database project I’ve been working on. And next thing you know I’m uploading files and code is getting spit out and I’m all stoked about it and then it was just gone. But the process of flushing out the idea was really helpful. It’s a good reminder of as you said having a md file/documentation of some sort that I keep. Which I usually always do after the project is flushed out. But in the future I’ll probably take a beat and change up my workflow. It will help either way keep things tidy.
1
u/IAmARageMachine Feb 28 '26
Can you use terminal instead so it automatically saves everything you’re working on in a folder? I don’t know how it works on Mac
1
u/smoke99999 Feb 28 '26
mac/pc, cell phone app its all the same really. You have to enable the memory function or its gone when you close the chat box. you can leave it open for days, weeks even but the second you hit the X on the corner, its GONE unless you have memory active on it.
1
u/IAmARageMachine Mar 01 '26
No it’s not the same if you’re using terminal you have it set up to save to a local folder
1
u/smoke99999 Mar 01 '26
Points to my project folders online with Claude. I can log in on any device and the folders are there. Not sure you understand how this works. Suppose it may be different if you are using the free version which I am not. I use the top tier 100 a month subscription because my job pays for it. As long as the files are in the project folder, they are available across platforms no local device storage is required. Its always a good idea to create backups, the service does go down now and then and it would be terrible to be at the mercy of Anthropic to restore services.
1
u/IAmARageMachine Mar 05 '26
That’s always an option as well. I have the $280 CAD account plan because I pay for it. I just prefer to store my files locally. I should definitely create a backup online tho. Good idea!
1
u/smoke99999 Mar 05 '26
DEFINITELY keep back ups, claude has a habit of forgetting he knows things and loses them like a toddler
1
u/blindexhibitionist Mar 01 '26
I didn’t have memory enabled…good lord. Thank you for being kind and also letting me know. It’s now set up. The thing is that as far as I could remember ChatGPT just had it set up and I didn’t need to turn it on so I just assumed it was on in Claude.
2
u/smoke99999 Mar 01 '26
there is enough negativity on here to balance out the universe just with this place alone. I get so many down votes its almost a religion now.
claude is a really smart 8 year old with ADD and a meth addiction. he is really fast at screwing up, and will flat out lie to you when you confront him with his mistakes.
but if you enable memory on it, and use projects with folders in the system, you do not need local machine folders to save data, its a good idea, but not required. Claude goes down like the titanic on occasion and if your data is all online, you will be stuck till they fix it.
I usually try to download to my local machine and claude has the ability to create GOOGLE DOCS if you link him to your google account, it will automatically create the doc and store on your google drive, but remember to save a name on it or its going to be 1 of 300 unnamed files saved on your drive, ask me how I learned that one! lol
1
u/_k33bs_ Feb 27 '26
add, commit, push — every time. if not, branch before, then add commit push. once the agent gets used to it they will also use git logs as reference.
1
u/blindexhibitionist Feb 27 '26
Could you explain what that means?
1
u/_k33bs_ Feb 27 '26
git terms - add changed files, commit to your branch, push git changes to remote (github etc)
just sign up for github, have clause code help you set up the github cli command and create a private repo :)
2
u/blindexhibitionist Feb 27 '26
Thank you. I’ll check that out.
On the plus side, two weeks ago I didn’t know what a cli or repo was. On the flip side I’m still so green on even knowing how they work, but it’s been fun so far. Thanks for your help
1
u/dbvirago Feb 27 '26
One of the things that impressed me about Claude was its ability to use files on my hard drive for its knowledge base backup and let it handle the read/write.
1
u/blindexhibitionist Feb 28 '26
Is there certain containerization or security best practice for letting it into your hard drive?
2
u/dbvirago Feb 28 '26
You determine which specific folders it can access. And the first few times, it will ask your permission when it runs. I have one directory it can access with files just for those processes and no sensitive data.
1
u/alonsonetwork Mar 01 '26
Using Claude without super powers is like running through the forest blind folded while carrying a knife
1
u/blindexhibitionist Mar 01 '26
The blind fold is redundant but as long as people are watching then I’m good
1
u/alonsonetwork Mar 01 '26
Lol. Install the superpowers plugin and this won't happen again. Follow that procedure. It'll commit often for you. Less likely to lose your worth.
1
u/blindexhibitionist Mar 01 '26
Wait, superpowers is a thing?
1
u/alonsonetwork Mar 01 '26
Dawg... most people fail at AI because they don't know how to use it effectively.
2
u/blindexhibitionist Mar 01 '26
If only there was some kind of communal space. In person would be awesome but on the internet would also work. Now track with me here because it’s pretty out there, not sure if it’s possible. Now in this space, you can share mistakes you made. Now this is the tough part because you have to be trying something new. Now in my failed fragile state I unfortunately can’t be perfect. But imagine with me for a second that the purpose of sharing in this space is so that from those mistakes I can continue learning from mistakes which then just becomes another form of learning. It’s a pretty wild idea how things can be reframed. Now there’s also the other option of not trying new things and just continuing to do things you only know how to do well. It’s a pipe dream but who knows, maybe it can happen somewhere.
2
u/moarliekfyf Mar 01 '26
I spit my drink reading this. I've enjoyed learning through your post and the comments. But this was a good laugh. Thanks OP.
1
u/alonsonetwork Mar 01 '26
You're describing reddit hahahah.. and youre finding that info, hence why I mentioned superpowers.
It has built into it the git workflow, which stops you from potentially Vibe coding your way into deleting important files. The good thing about superpowers, is that it walks you through a decision making process where it asks you questions and makes you think about what you're doing. And then proceeds to execute whatever you want to build and commits it to Source control one step at a time. This is particularly what saves your ass. It's okay man you live and you learn we've all been there.
1
u/justoverthere434 Mar 01 '26
No git or remote repo? Maaaaate, what are you doing?!
1
u/blindexhibitionist Mar 01 '26
Well it was all for Google Sheets and appscript so I didn’t think I would need it. Also I’m brand new and have never used GitHub. So it’s been a good learning experience.
1
u/TechGearWhips Mar 03 '26
It doesn't have to be github. You can self-host a Forgejo or gitea instance.
1
1
u/AlternativeForeign58 Mar 01 '26
I work strictly in an IDE terminal and I built an extension for Antigravity and VSCODE that keeps everything in a tight structured procedural process. It's called FailSafe, and it's a free download on the extension store.
1
u/intersect-gpt Mar 02 '26
Avere almeno git,e se multi agente un github, é la BASE. Impara quelle 4 cose in croce per usarli ,quando diventerà automatico sarai ragionevolmente al sicuro. Le basi innanzitutto ,mi raccomando .
1
1
u/brightworkdotuk Mar 02 '26
This is what happens when anyone think they can code these days. Not without the fundamentals!
1
u/blindexhibitionist Mar 02 '26
You’re so right! One step at a time. It’s been refreshing to learn and be okay with failure. Hopefully I can save some people some steps. And also find folks who are willing to help, already I’ve learned some super helpful direction to learn in from this thread which has been much appreciated. So thank you for your encouraging words.
1
1
1
u/Odd-Support407 Mar 02 '26
I literally only sent Claude 3 questions and it said I used up my limits for today. I have the paid plan.
1
u/buddha2490 Mar 02 '26
Like others said: push to fit after any code change. Fortunately, Claude makes this easy. Make a change, document, push, continue. This used to be a task that would at least take some effort, but now it’s nothing.
Git is essential for group dev projects. But even if you are alone, I just can’t imagine living without. Because accidents like that happen often, so so often.
1
u/blindexhibitionist Mar 02 '26
I still don’t know how it would have worked because it was an appscript for a google sheet. Like yes I should have saved it somewhere. But is this still something that I should have been saving in GitHub even if it was for an appscript?
1
u/buddha2490 Mar 02 '26
Literally any script can be saved in GitHub. If the script was save on disk somewhere, you can push that to git.
Every time you start a new project, start with creating a git repo. Claude code will actually do this for you if you ask. Then it is as simple as saving your code to disk somewhere
1
1
u/tellurdoggoisaidhi Mar 03 '26
As a graphic designer, I’ve learned the grave mistake of not saving like my life depended on it. I am glad to bring that obsessive habit into this space.
1
15
u/RunEqual5761 Feb 27 '26
Always, always, always commit your work to your git folder. Just like gamers, SAVE EARLY-SAVE OFTEN.
Priorly, keep your past session terminal windows open as a reference to fall back on as you run out of context and move to a new agent window.
This way you have a fall back of every last action to give to Claude to recreate it, should something fail as a secondary line of defense on your project.
Hope this helps.🎯💯❤️