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AI Coding Tools

Installation

Getting Claude Code set up on your computer

Written by 15 min read1 activity
Sprout, your presenter

Sprout presents

One install command, one version check, and a troubleshooting section for when your computer has opinions. I find this genuinely exciting.One install command, one version check, and a troubleshooting section for when your computer has opinions. I find this genuinely exciting.

Sprout pulls one cord on a wooden crate that pops open to reveal a neatly packed toolkit
One command unpacks everything Claude Code needs

Time to get Claude Code on your computer. It's ONE command, and we'll go through every step together. By the end you'll be ready to start using your AI programming assistant.

What You'll Need#

  • A supported computer. macOS 13 or newer, Windows 10 (version 1809) or newer, or a recent Linux such as Ubuntu 20.04 or Debian 10 and up.
  • A terminal. Every computer already has one. The box below shows you how to open it.
  • A Claude account that includes Claude Code. That means a Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise or Console account. The free claude.ai plan doesn't include Claude Code.

You do not need to install Node.js or anything else first. The recommended installer brings along everything Claude Code needs.

Step 1. Run the Installer#

The way Anthropic recommends installing Claude Code is the native installer. Pick the command for your system, paste it into your terminal and press Enter.

On Mac, Linux or WSL.

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

On Windows PowerShell.

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

On Windows Command Prompt (CMD).

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

Looks like gibberish, right? Here's the Mac and Linux one piece by piece.

  • curl - A tool that downloads stuff from the internet.
  • -fsSL - Options that tell curl to keep quiet, follow redirects, and stop if anything goes sideways.
  • https://claude.ai/install.sh - Anthropic's official install script.
  • | bash - Hands the downloaded script over to your terminal to run.

Step 2. Verify Claude Code is Installed#

Close your terminal, open a new terminal window, and type this.

claude --version

See a version number? Congrats, Claude Code is installed and ready to roll!

Want a fuller health check of your install and settings? Run this.

claude doctor

Step 3. Sign In#

The first time you run claude, it opens your web browser so you can log in to your Claude account. Follow the prompts there, then come back to the terminal. Next lesson walks you through that first launch.

Other Ways to Install#

Sprout listens to a retro computer with a brass stethoscope and gives a thumbs up
A quick checkup confirms the install is healthy

Stick with the native installer unless you've got a real reason not to. These alternatives are official too.

  • Homebrew (Mac). brew install --cask claude-code. Homebrew installs don't update themselves, so run brew upgrade claude-code every so often.
  • WinGet (Windows). winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode. Update it with winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode.
  • npm. npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code. This one needs Node.js 22 or later installed first.

Troubleshooting Common Problems#

Sometimes your computer has other plans. Here's how to handle the usual suspects.

"command not found: claude"#

Close your terminal completely and open a fresh one. The terminal needs a restart before it notices new programs.

Still saying "command not found"? Then the folder Claude Code got installed into isn't on your PATH yet (PATH is the list of places your terminal checks for programs). Anthropic's installation troubleshooting guide shows how to fix it for your system.

The Install Command Fails#

If you get an error like "syntax error near unexpected token", a 403, or some other curl error, look up the exact message in Anthropic's installation troubleshooting guide. It matches each error to a fix.

What Just Happened?#

That one install command did a bunch of work behind the scenes.

  1. Your terminal downloaded Anthropic's install script
  2. The script downloaded the Claude Code program built for your computer
  3. It put the program in a folder inside your home directory
  4. It made claude available as a command you can type anywhere

And you pulled all that off with a single line of text. That's the power of the terminal (pretty cool for a black box with blinking text)!

TL;DR#

  • The recommended way to install Claude Code is one command, Anthropic's native installer
  • You don't need Node.js for the native installer (npm is an alternative that needs Node.js 22 or later)
  • Check it worked with claude --version, and run claude doctor for a deeper check
  • If claude isn't found, open a new terminal window first

What's Next?#

Claude Code is installed! Next lesson you'll fire it up for the first time and have your first conversation with your new AI programming assistant...

This lesson ends with a short activity.