How to use Claude Code: install, login, and first coding task

Official install, browser login, then one reviewable change in your own repo. Free Claude.ai is not enough.

The first hour with Claude Code usually fails on the installer, the account tier, or a first task that never becomes a reviewable diff. Follow Anthropic’s docs to install and log in, then change one small thing in a repo you own.

The query is how to install and use Claude Code. This page follows the official install guide, the authentication page, and code.claude.com/docs/en/quickstart. The free Claude.ai plan does not include Claude Code. After the agent is running, a short huddle to review the diff can start on wbmeet; see how to create and join a room.

Check that you can run it

Official requirements: macOS 13.0+, Windows 10 1809+ or Windows Server 2019+, Ubuntu 20.04+ / Debian 10+ / Alpine 3.19+, 4 GB RAM, x64 or ARM64, internet, and an Anthropic-supported country. A desktop app exists; this page stays on the terminal CLI.

First hour: install, log in, change something you can review

1. 1

   Use the official native installer

   macOS, Linux, WSL: curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash. Windows PowerShell: irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex. A PS prompt is PowerShell; a bare C:\ prompt is CMD — use install.cmd there. Or brew install --cask claude-code / winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode. Native installs auto-update in the background; Homebrew and WinGet do not.

2. 2

   Verify, then open a session

   New terminal: claude --version should print something like 2.1.211 (Claude Code). If not, run claude doctor. On macOS/Linux the native launcher lives at ~/.local/bin/claude. command not found is almost always PATH; then use Anthropic’s Troubleshoot installation page.

3. 3

   Log in from the project directory

   cd into a repo you own and run claude. First launch opens a browser. With ANTHROPIC_API_KEY set, you only approve the key once. If the browser never opens, copy the login URL from the prompt. Success prints Login successful. Inside the session, /login switches accounts and /logout signs out.

4. 4

   Give it a reviewable first coding task

   Ask: “What does this project do, and where is the entry point?” Then: “Add a unit test for one untested helper, or add input validation to one public function. Show the diff and wait.” Anthropic’s quickstart uses the same two beats. Press Shift+Tab to cycle permission modes. Do not put secrets in the prompt.

# Official native install · as of 2026-09
# macOS / Linux / WSL
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
claude --version
cd /path/to/your/project
claude
# first task (inside the session)
# 1) what does this project do and where is the entry point?
# 2) add a unit test for one untested helper; show the diff first

Accounts, install channels, and traps

Anthropic quickstart: understand the codebase, then ask Claude Code to make a real edit. Commands and account tiers follow code.claude.com/docs.

Native install ≠ Homebrew auto-update

Native installs update in the background. The Homebrew claude-code cask tracks stable, typically about a week behind; upgrade with brew upgrade claude-code.

Native Windows ≠ WSL required

Install from PowerShell or CMD. Git for Windows is recommended so the Bash tool works; without it, Claude Code uses the PowerShell tool. Use WSL 2 when you need a Linux toolchain or sandboxing.

This page is not a meeting manual

It only covers the first Claude Code hour. For a short huddle with a board, use wbmeet or the note on when not to open another heavy meeting app.

Questions worth checking