Recipes

Real-world setups, ready to copy-paste. The right instinct: pick the mode first, the model second.

Plow through repetitive work

auto mode: the agent executes without commentary. For scaffolding, renames, batch fixes.

export MINI_CLAUDE_MODEL=mistral:7b
export MINI_CLAUDE_MODE=auto
mini-claude

Stay in a git repo to get auto-commit and /undo.

Work in an unfamiliar codebase

explain mode: codes and justifies each non-trivial decision in two sentences. Great for understanding as you go.

export MINI_CLAUDE_MODEL=qwen3:8b
export MINI_CLAUDE_MODE=explain
mini-claude

Learn without it coding for you

guided mode: refuses to write code, asks the question that unblocks you. Perfect for studying or mentoring a junior.

export MINI_CLAUDE_MODE=guided
mini-claude

Code review

review mode: reads what it needs, flags the 3-4 things that matter, not the nitpicks. Low temperature for predictable critique.

export MINI_CLAUDE_MODEL=qwen3:8b
export MINI_CLAUDE_MODE=review
export MINI_CLAUDE_TEMPERATURE=0.2
mini-claude

Multi-machine setup

Run Ollama on a beefy desktop, drive it from your laptop:

# On the GPU machine
OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0 ollama serve

# On the laptop
export MINI_CLAUDE_URL=http://desktop.local:11434
mini-claude

Quick aliases

# ~/.zshrc
alias mc="mini-claude"
alias mc-learn="MINI_CLAUDE_MODE=guided mini-claude"
alias mc-review="MINI_CLAUDE_MODE=review MINI_CLAUDE_TEMPERATURE=0.2 mini-claude"