Advanced setup - Claude Code Docs (original) (raw)

This page covers system requirements, platform-specific installation details, updates, and uninstallation. For a guided walkthrough of your first session, see the quickstart. If you’ve never used a terminal before, see the terminal guide.

System requirements

Claude Code runs on the following platforms and configurations:

Additional dependencies

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. After installation completes, open a terminal in the project you want to work in and start Claude Code:

If you encounter any issues during installation, see Troubleshoot installation and login.

Set up on Windows

You can run Claude Code natively on Windows or inside WSL. Pick based on where your projects are located and which features you need:

Option Requires Sandboxing When to use
Native Windows None; Git for Windows is optional Not supported Windows-native projects and tools
WSL 2 WSL 2 enabled Supported Linux toolchains or sandboxed command execution
WSL 1 WSL 1 enabled Not supported If WSL 2 is unavailable

Option 1: Native Windows Run the install command from PowerShell or CMD. You do not need to run as Administrator. Installing Git for Windows is optional. It enables the Bash tool by providing Git Bash. Whether you install from PowerShell or CMD only affects which install command you run. Your prompt shows PS C:\Users\YourName> in PowerShell and C:\Users\YourName> without the PS in CMD. If you’re new to the terminal, the terminal guide walks through each step. After installation, launch claude from any terminal.

{  
  "env": {  
    "CLAUDE_CODE_GIT_BASH_PATH": "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\bin\\bash.exe"  
  }  
}

When Git for Windows is installed, the PowerShell tool is rolling out progressively as an additional option alongside Bash. Set CLAUDE_CODE_USE_POWERSHELL_TOOL=1 to opt in or 0 to opt out. See PowerShell tool for setup and limitations. Option 2: WSL Open your WSL distribution and run the Linux installer from the install instructions above. You install and launch claude inside the WSL terminal, not from PowerShell or CMD.

Alpine Linux and musl-based distributions

The native installer on Alpine and other musl/uClibc-based distributions requires libgcc, libstdc++, and ripgrep. Install these using your distribution’s package manager, then set USE_BUILTIN_RIPGREP=0. This example installs the required packages on Alpine:

apk add libgcc libstdc++ ripgrep

Then set USE_BUILTIN_RIPGREP to 0 in your settings.json file:

{
  "env": {
    "USE_BUILTIN_RIPGREP": "0"
  }
}

Verify your installation

After installing, confirm Claude Code is working:

If this fails with command not found or another error, see Troubleshoot installation and login. For a more detailed check of your installation and configuration, run claude doctor:

Authenticate

Claude Code requires a Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise, or Console account. The free Claude.ai plan does not include Claude Code access. You can also use Claude Code with a third-party API provider like Amazon Bedrock, Google Vertex AI, or Microsoft Foundry. After installing, log in by running claude and following the browser prompts. See Authentication for all account types and team setup options.

Update Claude Code

Native installations automatically update in the background. You can configure the release channel to control whether you receive updates immediately or on a delayed stable schedule, or disable auto-updates entirely. Homebrew, WinGet, and Linux package manager installations require manual updates by default.

Auto-updates

Claude Code checks for updates on startup and periodically while running. Updates download and install in the background, then take effect the next time you start Claude Code. Run claude doctor to see the result of the most recent update attempt. If an npm global install can’t auto-update because the npm global directory isn’t writable, Claude Code shows a one-time notice at startup, and claude doctor lists the available fixes. See permission errors during installation for details.

Configure release channel

Control which release channel Claude Code follows for auto-updates and claude update with the autoUpdatesChannel setting:

Configure this via /config → Auto-update channel, or add it to your settings.json file:

{
  "autoUpdatesChannel": "stable"
}

For enterprise deployments, you can enforce a consistent release channel across your organization using managed settings. Homebrew installations choose a channel by cask name instead of this setting: claude-code tracks stable and claude-code@latest tracks latest.

Pin a minimum version

The minimumVersion setting establishes a floor. Background auto-updates and claude update refuse to install any version below this value, so moving to the "stable" channel does not downgrade you if you are already on a newer "latest" build. Switching from "latest" to "stable" via /config prompts you to either stay on the current version or allow the downgrade. Choosing to stay sets minimumVersion to that version. Switching back to "latest" clears it. Add it to your settings.json file to pin a floor explicitly:

{
  "autoUpdatesChannel": "stable",
  "minimumVersion": "2.1.100"
}

In managed settings, this enforces an organization-wide minimum that user and project settings cannot override. The minimumVersion pin only constrains updates. To make Claude Code refuse to start outside a version range, use the managed settings requiredMinimumVersion and requiredMaximumVersion instead. Updates also respect the requiredMaximumVersion ceiling. See available settings.

Disable auto-updates

Set DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER to "1" in the env key of your settings.json file:

{
  "env": {
    "DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER": "1"
  }
}

DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER only stops the background check; claude update and claude install still work. To block all update paths, including manual updates, set DISABLE_UPDATES instead. Use this when you distribute Claude Code through your own channels and need users to stay on the version you provide.

Update manually

To apply an update immediately without waiting for the next background check, run:

Advanced installation options

These options are for version pinning, Linux package managers, npm, and verifying binary integrity.

Install a specific version

The native installer accepts either a specific version number or a release channel (latest or stable). The channel you choose at install time becomes your default for auto-updates. See configure release channel for more information. To install the latest version (default):

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

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

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

To install the stable version:

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

& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1))) stable

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

To install a specific version number:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash -s 2.1.89

& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1))) 2.1.89

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd 2.1.89 && del install.cmd

Install with Linux package managers

Claude Code publishes signed apt, dnf, and apk repositories. Each repository offers two channels: stable serves a version that is typically about one week old, skipping releases with major regressions, and latest serves every release as soon as it ships. The commands below configure the stable channel, which fits most users; each tab also shows the latest repository URL. Package manager installations do not auto-update through Claude Code; updates arrive through your normal system upgrade workflow. All repositories are signed with the Claude Code release signing key. Before trusting the key, verify it as described in each tab.

For Debian and Ubuntu. The following commands configure the stable channel:

sudo install -d -m 0755 /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://downloads.claude.ai/keys/claude-code.asc \
  -o /etc/apt/keyrings/claude-code.asc
echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/claude-code.asc] https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-code/apt/stable stable main" \
  | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/claude-code.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install claude-code

To use the latest channel instead, both the URL path and the suite name change. Use this deb line:

echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/claude-code.asc] https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-code/apt/latest latest main" \
  | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/claude-code.list

Verify the GPG key fingerprint before trusting it: gpg --show-keys /etc/apt/keyrings/claude-code.asc should report 31DD DE24 DDFA B679 F42D 7BD2 BAA9 29FF 1A7E CACE.To upgrade later, run sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade claude-code.

For Fedora and RHEL. The following commands configure the stable channel:

sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/claude-code.repo <<'EOF'
[claude-code]
name=Claude Code
baseurl=https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-code/rpm/stable
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=https://downloads.claude.ai/keys/claude-code.asc
EOF
sudo dnf install claude-code

To use the latest channel instead, set baseurl to the latest repository:

baseurl=https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-code/rpm/latest

dnf downloads the key on first install and prompts you to confirm the fingerprint. Verify it matches 31DD DE24 DDFA B679 F42D 7BD2 BAA9 29FF 1A7E CACE before accepting.To upgrade later, run sudo dnf upgrade claude-code.

For Alpine Linux. The following commands configure the stable channel:

wget -O /etc/apk/keys/claude-code.rsa.pub \
  https://downloads.claude.ai/keys/claude-code.rsa.pub
echo "https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-code/apk/stable" >> /etc/apk/repositories
apk add claude-code

To switch to the latest channel, remove the stable repository line and add the latest repository:

sed -i '\|downloads.claude.ai/claude-code/apk/stable|d' /etc/apk/repositories
echo "https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-code/apk/latest" >> /etc/apk/repositories

Verify the downloaded key with sha256sum /etc/apk/keys/claude-code.rsa.pub, which should report 395759c1f7449ef4cdef305a42e820f3c766d6090d142634ebdb049f113168b6.To upgrade later, run apk update && apk upgrade claude-code.

Install with npm

You can also install Claude Code as a global npm package. The package requires Node.js 18 or later.

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

The npm package installs the same native binary as the standalone installer. npm pulls the binary in through a per-platform optional dependency such as @anthropic-ai/claude-code-darwin-arm64, and a postinstall step links it into place. The installed claude binary does not itself invoke Node. Supported npm install platforms are darwin-arm64, darwin-x64, linux-x64, linux-arm64, linux-x64-musl, linux-arm64-musl, win32-x64, and win32-arm64. Your package manager must allow optional dependencies. See troubleshooting if the binary is missing after install. To upgrade an npm installation, run npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest. Avoid npm update -g, which respects the semver range from the original install and may not move you to the newest release.

Binary integrity and code signing

Each release publishes a manifest.json containing SHA256 checksums for every platform binary. The manifest is signed with an Anthropic GPG key, so verifying the signature on the manifest transitively verifies every binary it lists.

Verify the manifest signature

Steps 1-3 require a POSIX shell with gpg and curl. On Windows, run them in Git Bash or WSL. Step 4 includes a PowerShell option.

Platform code signatures

In addition to the signed manifest, individual binaries carry platform-native code signatures where supported.

Uninstall Claude Code

To remove Claude Code, follow the instructions for your installation method. If claude still runs afterward, you likely have a second installation or a leftover shell alias from an older installer. See Check for conflicting installations to find and remove it.

Native installation

Remove the Claude Code binary and version files:

rm -f ~/.local/bin/claude
rm -rf ~/.local/share/claude

Remove-Item -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin\claude.exe" -Force
Remove-Item -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\share\claude" -Recurse -Force

Homebrew installation

Remove the Homebrew cask you installed. If you installed the stable cask:

brew uninstall --cask claude-code

If you installed the latest cask:

brew uninstall --cask claude-code@latest

WinGet installation

Remove the WinGet package:

winget uninstall Anthropic.ClaudeCode

apt / dnf / apk

Remove the package and the repository configuration:

sudo apt remove claude-code
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/claude-code.list /etc/apt/keyrings/claude-code.asc

sudo dnf remove claude-code
sudo rm /etc/yum.repos.d/claude-code.repo

apk del claude-code
sed -i '\|downloads.claude.ai/claude-code/apk|d' /etc/apk/repositories
rm /etc/apk/keys/claude-code.rsa.pub

npm

Remove the global npm package:

npm uninstall -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Remove configuration files

The VS Code extension, the JetBrains plugin, and the Desktop app also write to ~/.claude/. If any of them is still installed, the directory is recreated the next time it runs. To remove Claude Code completely, uninstall the VS Code extension, the JetBrains plugin, and the Desktop app before deleting these files. To remove Claude Code settings and cached data:

# Remove user settings and state
rm -rf ~/.claude
rm ~/.claude.json

# Remove project-specific settings (run from your project directory)
rm -rf .claude
rm -f .mcp.json

# Remove user settings and state
Remove-Item -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.claude" -Recurse -Force
Remove-Item -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.claude.json" -Force

# Remove project-specific settings (run from your project directory)
Remove-Item -Path ".claude" -Recurse -Force
Remove-Item -Path ".mcp.json" -Force