A starter kit for Claude Code

A friendly on-ramp to Claude Code.

Install in five minutes. Build something real in fifteen. Four copy-paste projects that take you from zero to sixty — your first one-shot script to a background sync daemon Claude Desktop can query in plain English. No programming experience required.

Get started → First time? Read this

What is Claude Code?

Claude Code is a command-line tool. You open a terminal, cd into a folder, run claude, and then talk to Claude in plain English. Claude can read your files, run commands, write code, run tests, and iterate with you. It is interactive — like pair programming with someone who never gets tired.

You do not need to be a programmer to use it. You do need to be willing to read what it tells you and answer its questions.

Never used a terminal? Read BEGINNERS.md first — it covers terminals, file paths, env files, API keys, and how to iterate on a project. Plain English, no jargon.

Part 1

Install Claude Code

Pick your operating system. Either path takes about three minutes.

Option A — Homebrew (recommended)

Open Terminal (⌘ + Space, type "Terminal").
If you don't have Homebrew, install it from brew.sh.
Install Claude Code:
```
brew install --cask claude-code
```
Verify:
```
claude --version
```

Option B — Official installer

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

Close and reopen Terminal so your shell picks up the new command, then run claude --version.

The official installer works on Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, and most other major distros.

Open a terminal.

Paste:

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

If the installer mentions a PATH change, reload your shell:
```
source ~/.bashrc      # or ~/.zshrc if you use zsh
```
Verify:
```
claude --version
```

If claude isn't found: the installer likely placed it in ~/.local/bin. Make sure it's on your PATH:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Part 2

Sign in

The first time you run claude, it will prompt you to authenticate. Two choices:

Claude.ai account (subscription) — log in with your Anthropic account in the browser window that pops up. Easiest. If you have Claude Pro or Max, this is what you want.
API key (pay-as-you-go) — get a key from console.anthropic.com, then paste it when claude prompts. This bills usage to your Anthropic account.

What's an API key? A long random string that proves you're allowed to use the service. Treat it like a password. Full explanation in the beginner's guide.

Part 3

Your first session

Make a project folder (anywhere is fine):

mkdir -p ~/projects/hello-claude
cd ~/projects/hello-claude

Start Claude Code:
```
claude
```
Type your first prompt. Try:
Make a simple "Hello, world" Python script and run it.
Read each permission request before approving. While you're learning, default to "yes for this command only" rather than blanket approval.

That's it. You've used Claude Code.

Part 4

Day-to-day habits

A few habits that pay off over time:

One folder per project. Don't run claude in your home directory. Make a folder for each tool/idea and cd into it.
Use git from day one. Even for tiny projects: git init so you can undo Claude's changes with git diff and git restore.
Iterate in small steps. "Build me a finance app" is a worse prompt than "Set up the database schema first; we'll add the import script after."
Read the diffs. When Claude proposes changes, skim them. You'll learn fast and catch mistakes early.
Slash commands. Inside Claude Code, type /help for built-in commands like /clear, /model, /cost.

Part 5

Four projects, zero to sixty

Each project builds on the last. Project 1 is fifteen minutes with no setup. Project 4 is a weekend that leaves you with a real personal tool Claude Desktop can query in plain English.

Project 01 · 15 min

Folder Tidy

Your first real Claude Code session. One Python script that sorts a messy folder by file type. No APIs, no .env, no database. Feel the loop.

Open project →

Project 02 · 1 hour

Notes Search & Q&A

Index a folder of markdown notes into SQLite full-text search. Ask Claude questions about them inside the project folder. No separate API key required.

Open project →

Project 03 · an evening

Morning Briefing

One command: weather, top headlines, and (optionally) your unread email count. Meet .env files, app-specific passwords, and scheduled background runs.

Open project →

Project 04 · a weekend

Personal Money Dashboard

SimpleFIN sync daemon + SQLite + an MCP server. Claude Desktop answers "where did my money go in March?" from your real data. Includes the secret-handling safety hack.

Open project →

Part 6

When something goes wrong

Symptom	What to try
`claude: command not found`	The install directory isn't on your PATH. See the Linux troubleshooting note above.
Conversation feels stale	Type `/clear` to start a clean conversation in the same folder.
Don't like a change	`git diff` shows what changed; `git restore <file>` undoes it.
Costs feel high	`/cost` mid-session for usage. Use `/model` to switch to a cheaper model.
You're lost	Paste the error into Claude and ask "what does this mean and how do I fix it?" Genuinely effective.

Where to go next

Beginner's guide — terminals, paths, env files, API keys, and a workflow that works for non-coders.
Official docs — settings, hooks, MCP servers, sub-agents.
Pick a project above and just start. You learn this stuff by doing it, not by reading about it.

Happy building.