Claude Code 2.1.85: My Python Project Setup After Six Months of Daily Use

Claude Code just hit v2.1.85 — it skipped 2.1.82 entirely and pushed three patch versions in roughly 24 hours before promoting 2.1.85 to latest . Whatever was getting fixed, it was getting fixed fast. I've been using Claude Code as my primary AI coding tool for Python projects for about six months now. The rapid patch cycle is a good moment to write up what I've actually learned — the setup that works, the patterns that save time, and the things that looked useful but weren't. This isn't a "Claude Code is amazing" post. It's the practical stuff I wish someone had written when I started. The thing most people skip: CLAUDE.md Claude Code reads a CLAUDE.md file at the root of your project before every session. Most tutorials mention it briefly and move on. It's actually the highest-leverage configuration you can do. Without it, Claude Code is making educated guesses about your project. With a good one, it knows exactly how to run your tests, what your linting setup is, which files to avoi