Quickstart - Claude Code Docs (original) (raw)

This quickstart guide will have you using AI-powered coding assistance in a few minutes. By the end, you’ll understand how to use Claude Code for common development tasks.

Before you begin

Make sure you have:

Step 1: Install Claude Code

To install Claude Code, use one of the following methods:

macOS, Linux, WSL:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

Windows PowerShell:

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Windows CMD:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

If you see The token '&&' is not a valid statement separator, you’re in PowerShell, not CMD. If you see 'irm' is not recognized as an internal or external command, you’re in CMD, not PowerShell. Your prompt shows PS C:\ when you’re in PowerShell and C:\ without the PS when you’re in CMD.Git for Windows is recommended on native Windows so Claude Code can use the Bash tool. If Git for Windows is not installed, Claude Code uses PowerShell as the shell tool instead. WSL setups do not need Git for Windows.

brew install --cask claude-code

Homebrew offers two casks. claude-code tracks the stable release channel, which is typically about a week behind and skips releases with major regressions. claude-code@latest tracks the latest channel and receives new versions as soon as they ship.

winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

You can also install with apt, dnf, or apk on Debian, Fedora, RHEL, and Alpine.

Step 2: Log in to your account

Claude Code requires an account to use. Start an interactive session with the claude command and you’ll be prompted to log in on first use:

For Claude subscription or Console accounts, follow the prompts to complete authentication in your browser. To switch accounts later or re-authenticate, type /login inside the running session:

You can log in using any of these account types:

Once logged in, your credentials are stored and you won’t need to log in again.

Step 3: Start your first session

Open your terminal in any project directory and start Claude Code:

cd /path/to/your/project
claude

You’ll see the Claude Code prompt with the version, current model, and working directory shown above it. Type /help for available commands or /resume to continue a previous conversation.

Step 4: Ask your first question

Let’s start with understanding your codebase. Try one of these commands:

what does this project do?

Claude will analyze your files and provide a summary. You can also ask more specific questions:

what technologies does this project use?

where is the main entry point?

explain the folder structure

You can also ask Claude about its own capabilities:

how do I create custom skills in Claude Code?

can Claude Code work with Docker?

Step 5: Make your first code change

Now let’s make Claude Code do some actual coding. Try a simple task:

add a hello world function to the main file

Claude Code will:

  1. Find the appropriate file
  2. Show you the proposed changes
  3. Ask for your approval
  4. Make the edit

Step 6: Use Git with Claude Code

Claude Code makes Git operations conversational:

what files have I changed?

commit my changes with a descriptive message

You can also prompt for more complex Git operations:

create a new branch called feature/quickstart

show me the last 5 commits

help me resolve merge conflicts

Step 7: Fix a bug or add a feature

Claude is proficient at debugging and feature implementation. Describe what you want in natural language:

add input validation to the user registration form

Or fix existing issues:

there's a bug where users can submit empty forms - fix it

Claude Code will:

Step 8: Test out other common workflows

There are a number of ways to work with Claude: Refactor code

refactor the authentication module to use async/await instead of callbacks

Write tests

write unit tests for the calculator functions

Update documentation

update the README with installation instructions

Code review

review my changes and suggest improvements

Essential commands

Here are the most important commands for daily use. Shell commands run from your terminal to start or resume Claude Code. Session commands run inside Claude Code after it starts. Shell commands

Command What it does Example
claude Start interactive mode claude
claude "task" Run a one-time task claude "fix the build error"
claude -p "query" Run one-off query, then exit claude -p "explain this function"
claude -c Continue most recent conversation in current directory claude -c
claude -r Resume a previous conversation claude -r

Session commands

Command What it does Example
/clear Clear conversation history /clear
/help Show available commands /help
/exit or Ctrl+D Exit Claude Code /exit

See the CLI reference for the complete list of shell commands and the commands reference for the complete list of session commands.

Pro tips for beginners

For more, see best practices and common workflows.

What’s next?

Now that you’ve learned the basics, explore more advanced features:

Getting help