Claude Code
Setup Guide

Claude Code is the foundation of everything I build. It's an AI coding agent from Anthropic that lives in your terminal. You talk to it in English. It writes code, debugs problems, ships features & manages entire projects.

I use it every single day for DMpro. My agent Jars is built on top of it. And when I say "no coding needed," I mean it. Claude Code writes the code. You just tell it what you want.

This guide gets you from zero to running in about 15 minutes. Let's go.

What Claude Code actually is

Claude Code is not a chat interface. It's not claude.ai. It's a command-line tool that can:

• Read & write files on your computer
• Execute commands in your terminal
• Understand entire codebases (not just one file)
• Build, test & debug software
• Handle multi-step projects from start to finish

Think of it like having a senior developer sitting at your computer, ready to build whatever you describe. Except this developer works 24/7, costs about $100/month & never complains.

Prerequisites

You need three things before we start:

1. A computer (Mac, Windows or Linux all work)
2. Node.js installed (free, takes 2 minutes)
3. An Anthropic account with billing set up

That's it. No programming knowledge. No special software. No CS degree.

Step 1: Install Node.js

Node.js is the runtime that Claude Code needs to run. Don't worry about what that means. Just install it.

Go to nodejs.org and download the LTS version. Run the installer. Click next a few times. Done.

To verify it worked, open your terminal (Terminal on Mac, Command Prompt on Windows) and type:

If you see version numbers, you're good. The exact numbers don't matter.

Step 2: Create your Anthropic account

Go to console.anthropic.com and sign up. You'll need to:

1. Create an account with email or Google
2. Add a payment method (credit card)
3. Add some credits ($20 to start is fine)

Claude Code charges based on usage. For most people building agents, it's about $100/month. Some months less, some more depending on how hard you push it.

The ROI is insane though. My agent generates more value in one morning briefing than the entire monthly cost.

Step 3: Install Claude Code

Open your terminal and run:

One command. That's the entire installation. The -g flag means it's installed globally so you can use it from anywhere.

Step 4: Authenticate

Now run Claude Code for the first time:

It'll open your browser and ask you to log in to your Anthropic account. Click approve. Done. You're authenticated.

Step 5: Your first conversation

Now you're in. Let's test it. Navigate to any folder on your computer and try something simple:

See what happened? You described what you wanted in plain English. Claude Code built it. It even asked if you need help with the next step.

This is how you build AI agents. Not by coding. By describing what you want.

Key commands you should know

Claude Code has a few useful commands built in:

• /help — See all available commands
• /clear — Clear the conversation & start fresh
• /cost — Check how much you've spent this session
• /compact — Summarize the conversation to save context

The most important one is /compact. When you're working on a big project, the conversation gets long. Compacting summarizes it so Claude Code stays focused without losing context.

Tips for getting the best results

Be specific about what you want

Bad: "Build me an email tool"

Good: "Build a Python script that connects to Gmail API, checks for unread emails from the last 24 hours, filters for emails from domains ending in @client.com, and sends a summary to my Slack channel #notifications"

Give it context about your project

Claude Code can read your entire project. If you're working in a folder with existing code, it understands what's there. Reference existing files. Say "update the config in agent.yaml" and it knows exactly what you mean.

Let it handle the technical details

You don't need to specify programming languages, frameworks or technical approaches. Just describe the outcome you want. Claude Code picks the best tools for the job.

Iterate conversationally

Built something and it's not quite right? Just tell Claude Code what to change. "Make the summary shorter" or "Add error handling for when Gmail is down." It's like giving feedback to an employee.

Common issues & fixes

"npm: command not found"

Node.js isn't installed properly. Go back to Step 1 and reinstall. On Mac, you might need to restart your terminal after installing.

"Permission denied" during install

On Mac/Linux, try: sudo npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

On Windows, run Command Prompt as Administrator.

"Authentication failed"

Make sure you have billing set up on your Anthropic account. Claude Code won't work without active billing even if you have free credits.

High usage costs

Use /cost to track spending. Use /compact regularly to keep conversations efficient. For big projects, break them into smaller tasks.

What to build next

Claude Code is your foundation. Now pair it with OpenClaw to turn it into a persistent AI agent that runs in the background.

Here's the natural progression:

Inside the AI Operators community, you get my exact Claude Code configs. The same ones I use for Jars. Plus templates, prompts & direct help when you get stuck.