This article examines how Claude Code constructs its system prompts by analyzing recently leaked source code. It highlights the dynamic nature of these prompts, which are built from various components based on conditional statements. The author also outlines additional elements that contribute to context, like tool definitions and conversation history.

The author developed a tool called cchistory to track changes in the system prompts and tool definitions of various Claude Code versions. By utilizing an earlier tool, claude-trace, he can log and analyze request-response pairs from Claude Code, which enhances understanding of its behavior and efficiency. The article details the process of recording interactions with the Claude Code and the insights gained from this introspection.

A collection of system prompts, messages, and developer notes is available for public access, encouraging contributions through pull requests. Users can also star the repository to track its history and updates.