How to Set Up Claude Code (2026 Step-by-Step Guide)

Claude Code is a terminal-based AI coding assistant that can read your codebase, run commands, fix bugs, and automate development tasks.

This guide shows you exactly how to install it and start using it in real projects.

What is Claude Code?

Claude Code is a CLI tool that lets you interact with AI directly from your terminal.

Instead of copying code from a chatbot, you can run commands like:

claude "fix all TypeScript errors"

It will:

Scan your project
Edit files
Run commands
Suggest improvements

1. Prerequisites

Make sure your system is ready:

Node.js: version 18+ (recommended 22 LTS)
npm or pnpm
Git installed
A Claude (Anthropic) account

Check your versions:

node -v
npm -v
git --version

2. Install Claude Code

Install globally using npm:

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

After installation, verify:

claude --version

3. Login / Authentication

Run:

claude

This will:

Open your browser
Ask you to log in
Connect your terminal to your account

Once done, you're ready to use Claude in any project.

4. Initialize in a Project

Go to your project:

cd my-project
git init

Claude works best inside a Git repository.

5. First Real Commands (Start Here)

Fix bugs

claude "fix errors in this project"

Explain code

claude "explain this codebase"

Refactor

claude "convert this project to TypeScript"

Run tests and fix

claude "run tests and fix failures"

6. Best Practices (Important)

1. Be specific

Bad:

claude "fix code"

Good:

claude "fix authentication bug in login.ts"

2. Use Git commits

Claude may change many files. Always run:

git status
git diff

Before committing.

3. Protect sensitive files

Create .claudeignore:

.env
node_modules
dist

4. Use read-only mode

If you only want analysis:

claude --read-only "review this codebase"

7. Real Workflow Example

Here’s how you can actually use Claude daily:

# Start project
git init

# Ask Claude to set up structure
claude "create a Next.js app with authentication"

# Fix issues
claude "fix build errors"

# Improve UI
claude "refactor UI using Tailwind CSS"

# Final check
claude "optimize performance and clean code"

8. Useful Resources

Final Thoughts

Claude Code changes how you build software.

Instead of:

Writing everything manually You:
Describe what you want
Let AI execute it

The terminal becomes your AI-powered development environment.