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Setup

Everything you need to run the labs in this course, usually in 45–60 minutes. Account, operating-system, or corporate controls can take longer. Do this before Chapter 3. If a step fails, don't push through blind — use the linked official guidance and troubleshooting notes.

What you're setting up

  1. A terminal you're comfortable opening.
  2. Claude Code and an account that includes access.
  3. Git and a free GitHub account (one layer of your safety net and portfolio).
  4. Node.js LTS for the npx-based MCP labs in Chapter 8.
  5. A dedicated projects folder so the intended workspace is easy to identify.
  6. A local copy of this course and its synthetic starter project.

No install or paid access?

You can complete the course's Simulation Path in a browser from the supplied artifacts. It requires no Claude account, Git, Node.js, or terminal. The simulation is a real analysis and decision-making path, but it does not prove that you operated a live agent or integration.

1. Open your terminal

Mac: Press ++cmd+space++, type Terminal, press ++enter++. That window is your new office.

Windows: Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal. Claude Code supports native Windows, so WSL is optional. Use WSL 2 if you want a Linux toolchain or Claude Code's Bash sandbox; native Windows is the simpler start for Windows-native projects.

Type the command for your terminal and press ++enter++:

$ echo "I'm here"

Write-Output "I'm here"

If the terminal repeats it back, it is ready.

Use whatever you already run — iTerm2, Ghostty, PowerShell, Windows Terminal + WSL2, or a Linux shell. A standalone terminal makes the first sessions easier to follow, but native Windows and IDE integrations are supported.

2. Install Claude Code

The official setup guide recommends the native installer. Claude Code runs as a native binary; Node.js is not its runtime or a prerequisite for this installation.

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

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

Then verify the installation:

$ claude --version
$ claude doctor

npm is an alternative

If you manage tools through npm, npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code is still supported, but the current package requires Node.js 22 or later. The installed Claude Code binary does not use Node at runtime. Do not use sudo npm install -g.

Start Claude Code once to log in:

$ claude

Follow the browser prompt. Claude Code requires a Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise, or Console account; the free Claude.ai plan does not include Claude Code. Type /exit after you connect.

3. Install Node.js for Chapter 8

Chapter 8 uses npx to run some MCP servers, so install the current Node.js LTS release from nodejs.org. It is a lab dependency, not Claude Code's runtime.

$ node --version
$ npx --version

If you use a version manager, fnm install --lts, nvm install --lts, or the equivalent is fine.

4. Install Git and create a GitHub account

Git gives tracked project files recoverable checkpoints. It does not back up untracked or ignored files, undo changes in databases or remote services, or replace a real backup.

$ git --version

If that fails: on Mac, run xcode-select --install; on WSL/Linux, run sudo apt install git.

Then create a free account at github.com and set your identity:

$ git config --global user.name "Your Name"
$ git config --global user.email "you@example.com"

Authenticate before the first push. The GitHub CLI is the course's later workflow, so install it from the official gh instructions and run:

$ gh auth login
$ gh auth status

Choose HTTPS and follow the browser flow. If you cannot use gh, use GitHub's official HTTPS credential-manager or SSH-key guidance; do not put a personal access token directly in a remote URL or project file.

Watch: Git in one sitting

New to Git? Watch freeCodeCamp's Git and GitHub for Beginners — Crash Course (1 hr). You don't need all of it yet — the first 30 minutes covers everything Chapter 3 uses.

Plans and cost

Claude Code runs through an eligible subscription or API-backed Console account. Use /usage to watch plan allowance or API token use. Subscription users see plan usage, not a billable per-session charge. API dollar figures are local estimates; the Claude Console usage page is authoritative for billing. Chapter 11 covers budgeting in detail.

5. Create your projects folder

Give every agent session a home that is not your Desktop, Documents, or anything precious:

$ mkdir -p ~/builds
$ cd ~/builds

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path (Join-Path $HOME "builds")
Set-Location (Join-Path $HOME "builds")

Every lab starts from the builds folder in your home directory. A dedicated folder plus Git narrows the intended workspace and checkpoints tracked files; the folder is not an operating-system sandbox, and it does not make external actions or untracked/ignored state automatically reversible.

6. Get the course files

Choose Git clone if Git works on your machine. Choose Download ZIP if you cannot or do not want to use Git yet. Both routes produce a learn_ai folder inside builds.

Option A: clone with Git

$ cd ~/builds
$ git clone https://github.com/thetechhustle/learn_ai.git
$ cd learn_ai

Set-Location (Join-Path $HOME "builds")
git clone https://github.com/thetechhustle/learn_ai.git
Set-Location .\learn_ai

Option B: download a ZIP

  1. Open the course repository.
  2. Select Code, then Download ZIP.
  3. Use the commands for your operating system:

Safari may expand the download automatically. If ~/Downloads/learn_ai-main exists, run:

$ mv ~/Downloads/learn_ai-main ~/builds/learn_ai
$ cd ~/builds/learn_ai

If the .zip is still present, double-click it in Finder first.

$ cd ~/builds
$ unzip ~/Downloads/learn_ai-main.zip
$ mv learn_ai-main learn_ai
$ cd learn_ai

In WSL, a browser download may instead be under /mnt/c/Users/YOURNAME/Downloads; replace the ZIP path accordingly.

Set-Location (Join-Path $HOME "builds")
Expand-Archive -LiteralPath (Join-Path $HOME "Downloads\learn_ai-main.zip") -DestinationPath . -Force
Rename-Item -Path .\learn_ai-main -NewName learn_ai
Set-Location .\learn_ai

Prove you are at the repository root

Do not continue until the current folder contains both mkdocs.yml and starter/verify.js.

$ pwd
$ ls -l mkdocs.yml starter/verify.js
$ ls starter

The first ls command must print both named files.

Get-Location
Test-Path .\mkdocs.yml
Test-Path .\starter\verify.js
Get-ChildItem .\starter -Name

Both Test-Path commands must print True.

For a Git clone, git rev-parse --show-toplevel should also print a path ending in learn_ai. A ZIP has no Git history, so use the file checks instead.

Open the course and starter

If Visual Studio Code is installed, run code . at the repository root on any platform. Otherwise:

$ open starter/index.html
$ nano starter/index.html

In nano, edit the text, press ++ctrl+o++ then ++enter++ to save, and ++ctrl+x++ to exit.

$ xdg-open starter/index.html
$ nano starter/index.html

Use ++ctrl+o++, ++enter++, and ++ctrl+x++ to save and exit nano.

$ explorer.exe starter/index.html
$ nano starter/index.html

Use ++ctrl+o++, ++enter++, and ++ctrl+x++ to save and exit nano.

Invoke-Item .\starter\index.html
Start-Process notepad.exe .\starter\index.html

The browser should show the synthetic Build With AI Task Dashboard. Keep the editor and browser open, then continue to the Starter Project.

Verify the full setup

Run the block for your operating system. Every installed tool should answer without an error:

$ node --version
$ npx --version
$ git --version
$ gh auth status
$ claude --version
$ ls ~/builds/learn_ai/starter

node --version
npx --version
git --version
gh auth status
claude --version
Get-ChildItem (Join-Path $HOME "builds\learn_ai\starter") -Name

All green? You're ready. If a paid account or install is unavailable, use the Simulation Path instead of treating setup as failed. Head to Chapter 1 if you haven't read it, or straight to Chapter 3 to put the setup to work.

Troubleshooting

  • command not found: claude — run claude doctor if available, then use the official install troubleshooting guide. For an npm installation, confirm Node 22+ and that npm's global bin directory is on PATH.
  • Native Windows command differences — use the Windows PowerShell tabs in Setup and Chapter 3. They work in Windows PowerShell 5.1 and do not rely on Bash chaining. A lesson that requires Bash will say so explicitly; Git Bash or WSL 2 are optional, not silent prerequisites.
  • Corporate machine — do not bypass organizational controls. If installs, accounts, or payment are unavailable, complete the Simulation Path with the supplied synthetic artifacts.