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Environment Setup

Installation and Authentication

Before installing Claude Code, ensure your development environment has Node.js version 18.0 or higher. The Node Package Manager, npm, which comes with Node.js, should be at least version 9.0.

You can check your versions by running node -v and npm -v in your terminal. Once you've confirmed the versions are sufficient, you can install the Claude Code package globally.

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

The -g flag installs the package globally, making the claude command available system-wide in your terminal. This tool is more than just a chatbot; it's an designed to interact directly with your codebase, execute commands, and manage complex workflows.

With the installation complete, the next step is authentication. The first time you run the claude command, it will prompt you to log in. This process opens a browser window directing you to the Anthropic Console.

After logging in to your Anthropic account, you'll be asked to authorize the CLI. This links your local machine to your account and grants it an to make requests. Be mindful that interactions with Claude Code consume tokens and will be billed to your account, so it's wise to monitor your usage in the console.

Permissions and Configuration

Claude Code needs permission to read files and execute shell commands to be effective. It's designed with security in mind and will always ask for your confirmation before performing potentially sensitive actions. You'll see prompts like Allow Claude to execute this command? with a clear outline of the command to be run. This gives you full control and oversight.

You can grant permissions for a single action, for the entire session, or indefinitely. For trusted, common commands, granting indefinite permission can streamline your workflow.

For persistent settings, Claude Code uses a configuration file named . This file lives in your home directory and allows you to customize the tool's behavior, such as setting default models or creating aliases for frequent commands. It’s a plain JSON file that you can edit directly.

{
  "model": "claude-3-5-sonnet-20240620",
  "aliases": {
    "fix": "Find any bugs in the last file I touched and fix them."
  }
}

This example configuration sets the default model to Claude 3.5 Sonnet and creates a handy alias. Running claude fix would then execute the longer, more descriptive prompt. Fine-tuning your .clauderc file is a great way to tailor Claude Code to your specific needs.