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10 Claude Cheat Codes
That Actually Work

I tested every viral Claude cheat code. Most of them don’t work. These 10 do — and they completely change the answers you get out of Claude.

The “10,000 viral Claude prompts” lists you’ve been saving on Instagram aren’t going to make you better at AI. Most of them don’t even work. The people making real progress with Claude aren’t hoarding screenshots — they learned a small handful of frameworks they can apply to anything. These 10 are the foundation. The first 5 are brand new.

Code 01

Interview Me

Type “interview me” before any big task and Claude asks you questions first instead of diving in and guessing. You get a way better answer without having to write a perfect prompt.

Try: “Interview me before we start. Ask me everything you need to write my landing page, then write it.”

Code 02

Socratic

Type “teach me this using the Socratic method” and instead of handing you answers, Claude teaches you by asking you questions. Anthropic literally built a whole Learning mode around this, because it’s how you actually retain information.

Try: “Teach me how compound interest works using the Socratic method.”

Code 03

Ultrathink

This one only works in Claude Code. Type the word ultrathink anywhere in your prompt and Claude’s thinking budget jumps to about eight times the normal amount before it answers — so you get its deepest reasoning on hard problems.

Try: “ultrathink — design the database for this app and flag every tradeoff.”

Code 04

Second Order

Add “second order” before a decision and Claude tells you what happens next, and then what happens after that — the downstream effects most people miss.

Try: “Second order — if I cut my prices to get more customers, what could go wrong later?”

Code 05

Inversion

Instead of asking Claude how to make something work, this flips it. Claude maps out every way it could fail, so you walk away with a checklist of exactly what to avoid.

Try: “Invert this — I want a successful product launch. List every way it could fail.”

Code 06

ELI5

Stands for “Explain Like I’m 5.” Add this to any prompt and Claude breaks down even the most complex topic in the simplest possible terms. Use it on tax law, contracts, medical results, financial reports — anything you’ve been too embarrassed to ask about.

Try: “ELI5 — what does this clause in my lease mean? [paste clause]”

Code 07

Pre-Mortem

Drop this in front of any plan or idea and Claude pretends the project already failed six months from now — then works backward to tell you exactly why. It surfaces every blind spot before you waste real time and money.

Try: “Pre-mortem this. I’m planning to launch a paid newsletter for [audience]. Pretend it’s 6 months from now and the launch failed. Why?”

Code 08

Steelman

Tell Claude to “steelman the other side” and it argues the strongest possible version of the opposing view. It’s brutal for spotting where your own thinking is actually weak. Way more useful than asking it to agree with you.

Try: “Steelman the case against me quitting my job to start this business.”

Code 09

Red Team

Add “red team this” before any plan, pitch, or decision and Claude attacks it from every angle a critic would. It’s like having a board of skeptics review your work in 30 seconds. Find the holes before someone else does.

Try: “Red team this pitch deck. Where would an investor poke holes? [paste deck or describe it]”

Code 10

First Principles

Add “break this down from first principles” before your prompt and Claude stops giving you generic advice. It rebuilds the answer from scratch based on what’s actually true, not what everyone else says. This is the one Elon Musk talks about constantly. It’s how you get original thinking instead of recycled internet answers.

Try: “Break down from first principles — should I really need a college degree to get hired in marketing in 2026?”

Stack Them

These work even better combined. Try: “Pre-mortem this, then steelman the strongest counter to my plan, then give me the 3 changes I should make.” Mix and match based on what you need to figure out.

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