Stage 2 · Lesson 1 of 6
Installing and starting Claude Code
with the native installer from the official setup page: a one-line script on macOS, Linux and (Windows Subsystem for Linux), a PowerShell command on Windows, or Homebrew and WinGet if you prefer. The native install updates itself; Homebrew and WinGet installs need upgrading by hand.
Then open a terminal in your project's root folder and run claude. You log in on first use. Starting in the root matters because Claude Code reads the files from that folder and the folders above it, and works within that directory.
Try a harmless first request such as "explain how this project is structured" and watch which files it reads.
Common trapstarting it from your home folder, where it cannot see your project and could reach files you never meant to share.
A question to check yourself, an AI practice session and 1 cheat sheet entry come when you add the roadmap to your account. Add it
Resources for this stage
Start with
- CourseFreeClaude Code 101
Anthropic · Beginner
The installation, first prompt and CLAUDE.md lessons match this stage