Claude 5's 1M context window changes prompting strategies for Python developers

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A developer shares insights from six months of using Claude 5 with its 1 million token context window for Python development. The key change is the ability to submit entire codebases for analysis instead of slicing code into smaller chunks. This enables more complex queries, such as tracing data flows across multiple files or identifying all call sites for a function. Developers must craft specific, structured prompts to receive actionable output rather than general summaries. The model's capacity shifts the focus from fitting code to designing effective prompts for practical code review and refactoring tasks.

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