The Lab · helpful diagrams

Helpful Diagrams

Interactive illustrations of the machinery behind this work. Pick a topic across the top; click any box to learn what it is and why it matters. Built to actually teach, not to decorate.

The agent loop

One message from you can spin this cycle many times before Claude answers. Tap a stage.

1Your prompt2Assemble the request3The model responds4Tools run5Results feed back6Turn endsCLAUDECODEagent loop

What shapes every request

Assembled fresh each turn (step 2). This is the scaffolding around the raw model.

The tools

What Claude can actually do to your machine and the world, each gated by permissions.

Extension & control

How you bend Claude Code to your machine, your rules, and your workflow.

Under the hood

The mechanics of the context window that decide cost, speed, and how long a session can run.

A working model of Claude Code, the agent this whole site was built with. Every box is clickable; nothing here is filler.