Claude Code Tips (dx plugin) (Claude Skill) — Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

45 documented tips with concrete shell/code samples
dx plugin: pre-baked status line, model swap, sub-agent helpers
Container recipe for running Claude Code in isolation
'Minion' pattern — delegate to cheaper models for grunt work
Highly active community feedback

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

claude-code-tips-skill.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude-code-tips-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/ykdojo/claude-code-tips",
        "~/.claude/skills/claude-code-tips"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude-code-tips-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/ykdojo/claude-code-tips",
        "~/.claude/skills/claude-code-tips"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude-code-tips-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/ykdojo/claude-code-tips",
        "~/.claude/skills/claude-code-tips"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude-code-tips-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/ykdojo/claude-code-tips",
        "~/.claude/skills/claude-code-tips"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "claude-code-tips-skill",
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/ykdojo/claude-code-tips",
        "~/.claude/skills/claude-code-tips"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "claude-code-tips-skill": {
      "command": {
        "path": "git",
        "args": [
          "clone",
          "https://github.com/ykdojo/claude-code-tips",
          "~/.claude/skills/claude-code-tips"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add claude-code-tips-skill -- git clone https://github.com/ykdojo/claude-code-tips ~/.claude/skills/claude-code-tips

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use Claude Code Tips (dx plugin)

Delegate code-search to Gemini CLI to save Claude context

👤 Claude Code power users ⏱ ~15 min intermediate

When to use: Your Claude context is precious; grep across 10k files isn't.

Prerequisites

Server/skill installed and authenticated — See repo README

Flow

Install dx

Install the dx plugin from claude-code-tips.✓ Copied

→ dx commands available
Delegate

Use dx minion gemini to grep for callers of parseConfig and feed me only the file:line hits.✓ Copied

→ Compact list of hits, big context saved

Outcome: Claude focuses on reasoning; minion handles bulk text ops.

Pitfalls

The minion model still costs API money. Use it for context savings, not free lunch. — The minion model still costs API money. Use it for context savings, not free lunch.

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: See provider docs for rate limits
Tokens per call: Varies by tool
Monetary: See repo README for pricing details
Tip: Cache tool results and avoid repeated identical calls.

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: Use environment variables; never commit secrets

Data egress: Tool calls go to the provider's API as documented

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

dx not found

After install, restart your shell or source ~/.claude/dx.zsh.

Verify: which dx

minion provider missing

Install gemini-cli (or alt) separately and set GEMINI_API_KEY.

Verify: gemini --version

Alternatives

Claude Code Tips (dx plugin) vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
obra/superpowers	You want a deeper skill library	More opinionated

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills