Installation & Setup
This chapter will guide you through the installation and initial configuration process for Claude Code.
Installing Claude Code
Prerequisites
- Node.js >= 18.x
- Valid Anthropic API key
Installation Steps
-
Get Claude Code
Visit the Claude Code website to get the latest version.
-
Set up API Key
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
-
Verify Installation
claude --version
Initial Configuration
Create CLAUDE.md File
Create a CLAUDE.md
file in your project root:
# CLAUDE.md
This is my project configuration file that Claude will automatically read.
## Common Commands
- npm run build: Build the project
- npm run test: Run tests
- npm run lint: Code linting
## Project Standards
- Use TypeScript
- Follow ESLint rules
- Prefer functional components
Configure Tool Permissions
On first run, Claude Code will request tool permissions. Recommended:
-
Always allow:
Read
- File readingWrite
- File writingBash(git *)
- Git commands
-
Use with caution:
Bash(rm *)
- Delete commandsBash(sudo *)
- Admin privileges
Environment Variables
Add to your .bashrc
or .zshrc
:
# Claude Code Configuration
export CLAUDE_CONFIG_PATH="$HOME/.claude"
export CLAUDE_DEFAULT_MODEL="claude-3-sonnet"
Verify Configuration
Run this command to verify your setup:
claude -p "Read the README.md file in current directory and summarize it"
If everything is working correctly, Claude Code will read and summarize your README file.
Common Issues
Q: API key not recognized
A: Ensure environment variables are set correctly, restart terminal and try again.
Q: Permission denied
A: Check file permissions, ensure Claude Code can access the target directory.
Q: Cannot connect to service
A: Check network connection and API service status.
Next: Basic Usage - Learn basic Claude Code operations.