anthropic-expert
Anthropic Expert
Overview
anthropic-expert provides comprehensive expertise on all Anthropic products, features, and integrations. It covers 6 major product areas with complete documentation, 100+ features, code examples, and cross-product integration patterns.
Purpose: One-stop knowledge base for all Anthropic products and capabilities
Coverage (100% of Anthropic ecosystem):
- 6 Products: Claude Models, Claude API, Python SDK, Agent SDK, Claude Code, MCP
- 100+ Features: All API features, SDK capabilities, Agent concepts, Claude Code topics
- 44 Claude Code Topics: Complete CLI documentation
- All SDKs: Python + TypeScript SDKs for API and Agent development
- All Tools: 10+ built-in tools + custom tool creation
- Administration: Workspaces, usage tracking, costs, security, compliance
What's Included:
- Complete feature documentation with examples
- Code snippets for all major features (50+ examples)
- Cross-product integration patterns
- Best practices from official docs
- Searchable references (search-docs.py)
- Update tracking (maintained by anthropic-docs-updater)
The 6 Capabilities
Capability 1: Claude Models & API Expertise
What It Covers:
- All Claude models (Sonnet 4.5, Opus 4.1, Haiku 4.5, legacy models)
- Complete Messages API (endpoints, parameters, streaming)
- All API features: Prompt Caching, Extended Thinking, Citations, Memory, Vision, PDF, Context Editing
- Tools ecosystem: Bash, Code execution, Computer use, Web search, MCP connector, Memory tool
- Files API: Upload, manage, reference documents
- Skills API: Anthropic-managed skills (Office suite) + custom skills
- Message Batches: Async processing with 50% cost reduction
- Admin API: Organization, workspaces, members, API keys, usage, costs
When to Use This Capability:
- Building applications with Claude API
- Implementing API features (streaming, caching, tool use)
- Using advanced features (Extended Thinking, Citations, Memory)
- Processing images or PDFs
- Managing costs and usage
- Building RAG applications
- Integrating external tools
Quick Navigation:
- Models overview: See
references/claude-api-complete.md- Models section - Streaming: See
references/claude-api-complete.md- Streaming section - Prompt Caching: See
references/claude-api-complete.md- Prompt Caching section - Tools: See
references/claude-api-complete.md- Tools section - Admin API: See
references/claude-api-complete.md- Admin API section
Key Features Quick Reference:
| Feature | What It Does | Benefit | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prompt Caching | Cache frequent prompts | 90% cost, 85% latency reduction | All models |
| Extended Thinking | Visible reasoning process | Better complex reasoning | Opus 4.1, Sonnet 4.5 |
| Citations | Ground in sources | Trustworthy responses | All models |
| Memory | Persistent context | Long-term task awareness | All models |
| Vision | Process images | Multimodal applications | All models |
| PDF Support | Parse PDFs | Document processing | All models |
| Message Batches | Async processing | 50% cost reduction | All models |
| Files API | Upload once, use multiple times | Efficient document handling | Beta |
| Skills API | Extend capabilities | Office docs, custom skills | Beta |
Capability 2: Python SDK Usage
What It Covers:
- Installation and setup (
pip install anthropic) - Sync client usage (basic patterns)
- Async client usage (asyncio integration)
- Streaming responses (server-sent events)
- Tool use integration (function calling)
- Prompt caching SDK integration
- Batch processing (async requests)
- File management (Files API via SDK)
- Error handling (exceptions, retries, timeouts)
- Configuration (API keys, settings)
- Type safety (typing support)
- 30+ code examples
When to Use This Capability:
- Python application development
- Integrating Claude into Python projects
- Async/await patterns needed
- Type-safe Claude integration
- Production Python applications
Quick Navigation:
- Installation:
references/python-sdk-reference.md- Installation section - Basic usage:
references/python-sdk-reference.md- Basic Usage - Streaming:
references/python-sdk-reference.md- Streaming section - Tool use:
references/python-sdk-reference.md- Tool Use section
Quick Start Example:
import anthropic
# Initialize client
client = anthropic.Anthropic(api_key="your_api_key")
# Create message
message = client.messages.create(
model="claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929",
max_tokens=1024,
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello, Claude!"}]
)
print(message.content)
Capability 3: Agent SDK Expertise
What It Covers:
- Agent SDK overview (Python + TypeScript)
- Installation (claude-agent-sdk)
- Agents (creation, configuration, deployment)
- Subagents (.claude/agents/, composition patterns)
- Agent Skills (.claude/skills/, reusable capabilities)
- Tools (built-in ecosystem + custom tool creation)
- Sessions (multi-turn conversations, state management)
- Permissions (fine-grained access control)
- Streaming modes (single vs streaming)
- Hooks (.claude/settings.json, event-driven automation)
- Slash Commands (built-in + custom commands)
- Plugins (programmable extensions, Beta)
- System prompts (agent instructions)
- MCP integration (protocol support in agents)
- Cost tracking (expense monitoring)
- Hosting (deployment patterns)
- Use cases (coding agents, business agents)
- 25+ code examples
When to Use This Capability:
- Building AI agents
- Creating autonomous systems
- Agent composition (subagents)
- Reusable agent capabilities (skills)
- Production agent deployment
- Custom tool integration
- Session-based applications
Quick Navigation:
- Agents:
references/agent-sdk-complete.md- Agents section - Subagents:
references/agent-sdk-complete.md- Subagents section - Skills:
references/agent-sdk-complete.md- Agent Skills section - Tools:
references/agent-sdk-complete.md- Tools section - Deployment:
references/agent-sdk-complete.md- Hosting section
Key Concepts:
| Concept | Description | Storage | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agents | Specialized AI for tasks | Code/config | Custom assistants |
| Subagents | Delegated specialists | .claude/agents/*.md | Task delegation |
| Agent Skills | Reusable capabilities | .claude/skills/* | Capability sharing |
| Tools | External integrations | Agent config | API/service calls |
| Sessions | Multi-turn conversations | Session state | Persistent interactions |
| Hooks | Event automation | .claude/settings.json | Validation, workflows |
| Slash Commands | Custom commands | .md files | Quick actions |
| Plugins | Programmable extensions | Plugin code | Custom functionality |
Capability 4: Claude Code Mastery
What It Covers (All 44 Documentation Pages):
GETTING STARTED:
- Overview (capabilities, Unix philosophy)
- Quickstart (8-step setup guide)
- Common Workflows (codebase analysis, debugging, refactoring, testing, git integration)
- Claude Code on the Web (cloud execution)
BUILD WITH CLAUDE CODE:
- Sub-agents (specialized AI agents for delegated tasks)
- Plugins (extending functionality with custom code)
- Skills (creating reusable agent capabilities)
- Output Styles (customizing response formatting)
- Hooks Guide (event-driven automation and validation)
- Headless (API-based integration without terminal UI)
- GitHub Actions (CI/CD workflow automation)
DEPLOYMENT & CI/CD:
- GitLab CI/CD (pipeline integration)
- MCP (Model Context Protocol server setup)
- Migration Guide (version upgrade instructions)
- Troubleshooting (common issues and solutions)
- Third-party Integrations (enterprise provider strategies)
- Amazon Bedrock (AWS model access)
- Google Vertex AI (GCP model setup)
- Network Config (proxy, certificate management)
ADMINISTRATION:
- LLM Gateway (LiteLLM routing configuration)
- DevContainer (containerized development)
- Sandboxing (security isolation)
- Setup (cross-platform installation)
- IAM (authentication and permissions)
- Security (threat protection, best practices)
- Data Usage (privacy policies, telemetry)
- Monitoring Usage (metrics collection)
- Costs (expense tracking and optimization)
CONFIGURATION:
- Analytics (team usage metrics)
- Plugin Marketplaces (distributing and discovering plugins)
- Settings (configuration files and precedence)
- VS Code (extension setup)
- JetBrains (IntelliJ-based IDE plugin)
- Terminal Config (shell customization)
- Model Config (model selection and caching)
- Memory (persistent context management)
REFERENCE:
- Statusline (custom status line creation)
- CLI Reference (command syntax and flags)
- Interactive Mode (keyboard shortcuts, editing)
- Slash Commands (built-in and custom commands)
- Checkpointing (session state management)
- Hooks (advanced hook configuration)
ADDITIONAL:
- Plugins Reference (plugin schema and structure)
- Legal and Compliance (licensing, BAA)
When to Use This Capability:
- Developing with Claude Code CLI
- Creating custom skills
- Building sub-agents
- Developing plugins
- CI/CD integration
- Enterprise deployment
- Configuring Claude Code
- Troubleshooting issues
Quick Navigation:
- All topics:
references/claude-code-reference.md(organized by category) - Specific feature: Use search:
python scripts/search-docs.py "hooks"
Capability 5: MCP Integration
What It Covers:
- Model Context Protocol specification
- MCP server development (creating custom servers)
- MCP client integration (connecting to servers)
- Tool creation (building MCP tools)
- Security best practices (securing MCP integrations)
- Integration across products (API MCP connector, Agent SDK MCP, Claude Code MCP)
- Common MCP servers (Slack, GitHub, Google Drive, Jira, Asana)
- Custom MCP server examples
When to Use This Capability:
- Connecting Claude to external services
- Building custom MCP servers
- Integrating with enterprise tools (Slack, Jira, etc.)
- Creating custom tool ecosystems
- Extending Claude capabilities
Quick Navigation:
- MCP overview:
references/mcp-integration-guide.md- Protocol Overview - Server development:
references/mcp-integration-guide.md- Server Development - Examples:
references/mcp-integration-guide.md- Examples section
MCP in Products:
- Claude API: MCP connector tool (Beta) - call MCP servers from API
- Agent SDK: Built-in MCP integration - agents can use MCP servers
- Claude Code: Native MCP support - connect to servers via config
Capability 6: Administration & Enterprise
What It Covers:
- Workspaces (create, manage, organize projects)
- API Key management (create, rotate, secure)
- Organization members (add, remove, roles, permissions)
- Usage tracking (token counts, request metrics, analytics)
- Cost management (expense tracking, optimization, budgets)
- IAM (authentication methods, permission models)
- Security (threat protection, data encryption, compliance)
- Compliance (BAA for healthcare, legal requirements)
- Admin API (programmatic management)
- Code examples for all admin operations
When to Use This Capability:
- Enterprise deployment
- Team/organization management
- Cost tracking and optimization
- Security configuration
- Compliance requirements (healthcare, financial)
- Programmatic administration
Quick Navigation:
- Complete guide:
references/administration-reference.md - Specific topic: Search:
python scripts/search-docs.py "workspaces"
Admin API Quick Reference:
| Operation | Endpoint | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Get Org Info | GET /v1/organization | Org details |
| List Members | GET /v1/organization/members | Team management |
| Create Workspace | POST /v1/organization/workspaces | Project organization |
| Get Usage | GET /v1/organization/usage | Token tracking |
| Get Costs | GET /v1/organization/costs | Expense monitoring |
| Manage Keys | POST /v1/organization/api_keys | Key creation |
Integration Scenarios
Scenario 1: API Development → Production Deployment
Use Case: Develop with API, deploy as agent
Workflow:
-
Development (Claude API + Python SDK):
- Use Python SDK for development
- Implement with API features (streaming, caching, tools)
- Test locally with API client
-
Agent Creation (Agent SDK):
- Convert API application to agent
- Use Agent SDK for deployment
- Add session management, permissions
-
Production (Agent hosting):
- Deploy agent with hosting patterns
- Monitor with cost tracking
- Manage with Admin API
Products Used: Claude API → Python SDK → Agent SDK
See: references/integration-patterns.md - API to Agent Pattern
Scenario 2: Local Development → Cloud Deployment
Use Case: Develop locally with Claude Code, deploy to production
Workflow:
-
Local Development (Claude Code):
- Use Claude Code CLI for local development
- Create skills, sub-agents, plugins
- Test workflows locally
-
Adaptation (Agent SDK):
- Convert Claude Code skills to Agent SDK skills
- Adapt sub-agents for production
- Add production tooling
-
Deployment:
- Deploy agent with Agent SDK hosting
- Use MCP for external integrations
- Monitor with Admin API
Products Used: Claude Code → Agent SDK → MCP
See: references/integration-patterns.md - Claude Code to Production Pattern
Scenario 3: RAG Application
Use Case: Build retrieval-augmented generation system
Workflow:
-
Document Management (Files API):
- Upload documents via Files API
- Manage document library
-
Search Integration (Search Results + Citations):
- Provide search results to Claude
- Enable citations for grounding
-
Query Processing (Messages API):
- Send queries with document context
- Get cited responses
Products Used: Files API + Search Results + Citations
See: references/integration-patterns.md - RAG Pipeline Pattern
Scenario 4: MCP Everywhere
Use Case: Integrate external services across all products
MCP in Claude API:
- Use MCP connector tool (Beta)
- Call MCP servers from API requests
- Example:
{"type": "mcp_connector", "server": "slack"}
MCP in Agent SDK:
- Built-in MCP integration
- Agents access MCP servers directly
- Configure in agent settings
MCP in Claude Code:
- Native MCP support
- Connect via .claude/mcp-servers config
- Auto-discovered tools
Products Used: MCP across API, Agent SDK, Claude Code
See: references/mcp-integration-guide.md - Integration Across Products
Best Practices
1. Choose the Right Product
Use Claude API when:
- Direct API integration needed
- Custom application development
- Maximum flexibility required
- You manage infrastructure
Use Python SDK when:
- Python applications
- Type safety desired
- Async/await patterns needed
- Simplified API access
Use Agent SDK when:
- Building autonomous agents
- Session-based applications
- Need subagents or agent composition
- Production agent deployment
Use Claude Code when:
- Terminal-based development
- Local skill/agent creation
- Quick prototyping
- Developer productivity
2. Optimize Costs
Prompt Caching (90% cost reduction):
- Cache system prompts, long documents
- Standard: 5-min TTL (most use cases)
- Extended: 1-hour TTL (very frequent access)
Message Batches (50% cost reduction):
- Use for async/batch processing
- Ideal for background jobs, bulk operations
Model Selection:
- Haiku 4.5: Fast, cheap (simple tasks)
- Sonnet 4.5: Balanced (most use cases)
- Opus 4.1: Complex reasoning (when needed)
3. Leverage Progressive Features
Start simple, add features as needed:
- Basic Messages API
- Add Streaming (better UX)
- Add Prompt Caching (cost savings)
- Add Tool Use (external integration)
- Add Extended Thinking (complex reasoning)
- Add Citations (trustworthiness)
- Add Memory (long-term context)
4. Integrate with MCP
Why MCP: Standardized integration to external services
Use Across Products:
- API: MCP connector tool
- Agent SDK: Built-in MCP integration
- Claude Code: Native MCP support
Common MCP Servers:
- Slack (team communication)
- GitHub (code management)
- Google Drive (documents)
- Jira (project management)
- Custom servers (your services)
5. Monitor Usage and Costs
Admin API Tracking:
- GET /v1/organization/usage (token metrics)
- GET /v1/organization/costs (expense data)
- Monitor by workspace for project tracking
Cost Optimization:
- Use caching aggressively
- Choose appropriate models
- Batch async work
- Monitor with Admin API
See Also
For specialized deep-dives on advanced topics:
- claude-opus-4-5-guide: Comprehensive guide to Opus 4.5, effort parameter, model selection, and benchmark comparisons
- claude-context-management: Context editing strategies (server-side clearing, client-side compaction), memory tool integration for infinite conversations
- claude-advanced-tool-use: Tool search (10,000+ tools), programmatic calling, tool use examples for production systems
- claude-cost-optimization: Cost tracking, ROI measurement, optimization patterns (caching, batching, context editing, effort tuning)
Quick Reference
Product Navigator
| Need To | Use Product | See Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Call Claude API directly | Claude API | claude-api-complete.md |
| Develop in Python | Python SDK | python-sdk-reference.md |
| Build autonomous agents | Agent SDK | agent-sdk-complete.md |
| Local CLI development | Claude Code | claude-code-reference.md |
| Connect external services | MCP | mcp-integration-guide.md |
| Manage organization | Admin API | administration-reference.md |
| Cross-product patterns | Integration | integration-patterns.md |
Feature Finder
| Want Feature | Product | Reference Location |
|---|---|---|
| Streaming responses | API, SDKs | claude-api-complete.md - Streaming |
| Prompt Caching | API, SDKs | claude-api-complete.md - Caching |
| Extended Thinking | API, SDKs | claude-api-complete.md - Extended Thinking |
| Tool use / Function calling | API, SDKs, Agents | claude-api-complete.md - Tools |
| Advanced tool patterns | API, SDKs | claude-advanced-tool-use/SKILL.md |
| Context editing & compaction | API, SDKs | claude-context-management/SKILL.md |
| Vision / Image processing | API, SDKs | claude-api-complete.md - Vision |
| PDF processing | API, SDKs | claude-api-complete.md - PDF Support |
| Opus 4.5 & effort parameter | API, SDKs | claude-opus-4-5-guide/SKILL.md |
| Subagents | Agent SDK | agent-sdk-complete.md - Subagents |
| Agent Skills | Agent SDK, Claude Code | agent-sdk-complete.md - Skills |
| Hooks | Agent SDK, Claude Code | agent-sdk-complete.md - Hooks |
| Slash Commands | Agent SDK, Claude Code | agent-sdk-complete.md - Slash Commands |
| MCP integration | API, Agent SDK, Claude Code | mcp-integration-guide.md |
| Cost tracking & ROI | Admin API, Agent SDK | claude-cost-optimization/SKILL.md |
| Cost optimization strategies | All products | claude-cost-optimization/SKILL.md |
Search Instructions
Find Anything Quickly:
# Search across all references
python scripts/search-docs.py "prompt caching"
# Search specific product
python scripts/search-docs.py "streaming" --product "Python SDK"
# Find code examples
python scripts/search-docs.py "example" --type code
Search Returns:
- Reference file name
- Section location
- Relevant excerpt
- Line numbers
Latest Models (2025)
| Model | Best For | Context | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonnet 4.5 | General purpose, balanced | 200k-1M | Extended Thinking, all features |
| Opus 4.1 | Complex reasoning, analysis | 200k | Hybrid thinking, extended reasoning |
| Haiku 4.5 | Speed, efficiency, cost | 200k | Fast responses, cost-effective |
Common Workflows
1. Simple API Call:
import anthropic
client = anthropic.Anthropic()
response = client.messages.create(
model="claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929",
max_tokens=1024,
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your prompt"}]
)
2. Streaming Response:
with client.messages.stream(
model="claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929",
max_tokens=1024,
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your prompt"}]
) as stream:
for text in stream.text_stream:
print(text, end="", flush=True)
3. Tool Use:
tools = [{"name": "get_weather", "description": "Get weather for location", ...}]
response = client.messages.create(
model="claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929",
max_tokens=1024,
tools=tools,
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "What's the weather in SF?"}]
)
4. Prompt Caching:
messages = [
{
"role": "user",
"content": [
{"type": "text", "text": "System prompt...",
"cache_control": {"type": "ephemeral"}}
]
}
]
Documentation Structure
anthropic-expert/
├── SKILL.md - This file (overview, capabilities, quick ref)
├── references/
│ ├── claude-api-complete.md - Models, API, all features
│ ├── python-sdk-reference.md - Python SDK complete guide
│ ├── agent-sdk-complete.md - Agent SDK comprehensive
│ ├── claude-code-reference.md - All 44 Claude Code topics
│ ├── mcp-integration-guide.md - MCP across products
│ ├── administration-reference.md - Admin, costs, security
│ ├── integration-patterns.md - Cross-product usage
│ └── changelog.md - Version history, updates
├── scripts/
│ └── search-docs.py - Search all references
└── README.md - Quick start, navigation guide
Total Coverage: ~8,400 lines of comprehensive Anthropic expertise
Update Tracking
Last Updated: 2025-11-07 (initial build)
Next Update: Use anthropic-docs-updater skill to check for and apply updates
Changelog: See references/changelog.md for version history
anthropic-expert provides complete, searchable, up-to-date expertise on all Anthropic products, features, and integration patterns - your comprehensive guide to the Anthropic ecosystem.