Guide

Claude Code Setup

Claude Code is a command-line tool that lets developers use Claude AI directly inside the terminal. It can read your codebase, write code, run commands, and help with development tasks — all through natural language.

Prerequisites

macOS or Linux

Claude Code runs on macOS and Linux. Windows users need WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux).

Node.js 18+

You need Node.js version 18 or newer. Check with: node --version

Anthropic API key or Claude Max plan

You need an API key from console.anthropic.com or an active Claude Max subscription.

Installation Steps

1

Install Node.js (if needed)

If you don't have Node.js 18+, install it via Homebrew:

brew install node
2

Install Claude Code globally

Use npm to install the CLI tool:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
3

Navigate to your project

Open your terminal and cd into the project directory:

cd ~/path/to/your/project
4

Start Claude Code

Launch the interactive session:

claude
5

Authenticate

On first run, Claude Code will ask you to sign in. Follow the browser prompt to authenticate with your Anthropic account.

Troubleshooting

Tips for Using Claude Code

  • Start every session by telling Claude what you want to accomplish — not how to do it
  • Let Claude Code read your project files before asking it to make changes
  • Use /help inside a session to see available commands
  • If Claude makes a mistake, tell it what went wrong — it learns within the conversation
  • Save useful commands and workflows in your project README or CLAUDE.md