# How do you install and set up Claude Code?

Source: https://codelifter.com/forum/posts/how-do-you-install-and-set-up-claude-code/
Site: CodeLifter Forum, category MCP and tools
Published: 2026-11-05. Updated: 2026-11-10. Replies: 2.

## Question by CodeLifter editors (staff), 2026-11-05

To install Claude Code, run Anthropic's native installer in a terminal (`curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash` on macOS, Linux and WSL), then open your project folder, type `claude` and sign in through the browser. You need a paid Claude plan, an Anthropic Console account or a supported cloud provider; the free plan does not include it.

## What do you need before you install?

Claude Code is Anthropic's coding agent: a program that reads your project, edits files and runs commands from your terminal, IDE or desktop app. Anthropic's [advanced setup page](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/setup), read on 16 October 2026, lists these requirements:

- **Operating system:** macOS 13.0 or later, Windows 10 1809 or later (or Windows Server 2019+), Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 10+ or Alpine Linux 3.19+.
- **Hardware:** 4 GB of RAM or more, on an x64 or ARM64 processor.
- **Network:** an internet connection, and a location in one of Anthropic's supported countries.
- **Shell:** Bash, Zsh, PowerShell or CMD.
- **Account:** the same page says "Claude Code requires a Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise, or Console account. The free claude.ai plan does not include Claude Code access." Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud's Agent Platform and Microsoft Foundry also work.

If you want to avoid a subscription, the [thread on running a coding agent for free](/forum/posts/can-you-run-a-coding-agent-for-free-with-a-local-model/) covers the local model route and its gaps.

## Which install method should you use?

The setup page offers several. They install the same program but differ in how it updates.

| Method | Command | Updates |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Native installer (recommended) | `curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh \| bash` | Automatic, in the background |
| Native, Windows PowerShell | `irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 \| iex` | Automatic |
| Homebrew | `brew install --cask claude-code` | Manual: `brew upgrade claude-code` |
| WinGet | `winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode` | Manual: `winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode` |
| npm | `npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code` | Automatic if the npm folder is writable |
| apt, dnf or apk | Signed repositories, stable or latest channel | Manual |

The Homebrew cask `claude-code` follows the stable channel, which the page says is "typically about a week behind and skips releases with major regressions"; `claude-code@latest` gets each release as it ships. The native installer can also pin a channel or version, for example `bash -s stable` at the end of the install command.

## How do you install and start it, step by step?

These steps follow Anthropic's [quickstart](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/quickstart).

1. Open a terminal and run the install command for your system from the table.
2. Open a **new** terminal window and run `claude --version`. A working install prints a version number followed by `(Claude Code)`. If your shell says the command is not found, the install folder is not on your `PATH` yet; the quickstart links a fix.
3. For a fuller check, run `claude doctor`. It prints install health, settings-file errors and warnings with suggested fixes, without starting a session.
4. Move into your project: `cd /path/to/your/project`, then run `claude`.
5. Sign in when prompted. For a Claude subscription or Console account, follow the browser prompts; the quickstart says your credentials are then stored, so you will not need to log in again. If the `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` environment variable is set and you approve it, Claude Code skips the login.
6. Ask a read-only question first, such as `what does this project do?`, to see how it explores your files before you let it change anything.

To switch accounts later, type `/login` inside a session. `/help` lists the session commands.

## What should you set up after the first run?

**A rules file.** Claude Code reads a `CLAUDE.md` file at the start of each session. Anthropic's [memory page](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory) says `/init` generates a starting one: "Claude analyzes your codebase and creates a file with build commands, test instructions, and project conventions it discovers." Read and edit what it writes. If you already keep an `AGENTS.md` for other tools, the [AGENTS.md thread](/forum/posts/what-should-go-in-an-agentsmd-or-coding-rules-file/) explains how the two files relate.

**A permission mode.** The permission mode decides what Claude Code may do without asking. According to the [permission modes page](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/permission-modes), from version 2.1.283 the terminal and VS Code start in auto mode, where "a second model, the classifier, reviews actions instead of you." If you want to approve every edit and command yourself while you learn, start with `claude --permission-mode default` (shown as Manual), or press Shift+Tab during a session to cycle modes. The [AI agent explainer](/forum/posts/what-is-an-ai-agent-and-how-is-a-coding-agent-different-from-a-chatbot/) covers why that matters.

**An update channel.** Native installs update themselves. To trade the newest features for a week-old build, add `"autoUpdatesChannel": "stable"` to your `settings.json`, or choose it under `/config`. `claude update` applies an update now.

**Skills and MCP servers,** once the basics work. The [skills thread](/forum/posts/how-do-you-add-skills-to-claude-code/) shows how to add one, and the CodeLifter [agents directory](https://codelifter.com/agents/) lists the files each agent reads.

## How do you uninstall it?

For an npm install, `npm uninstall -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code`. For Homebrew and WinGet, use their normal uninstall commands. The setup page has a section for native installs, which keep their files under `~/.local/bin/claude` and `~/.local/share/claude/versions/` on macOS and Linux, and a separate step to remove configuration files.

## Short version

- Install with `curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash` (macOS, Linux, WSL) or the PowerShell line on Windows.
- Check with `claude --version` and `claude doctor`.
- Run `claude` inside your project and sign in; the free Claude plan does not include Claude Code.
- Run `/init` for a `CLAUDE.md`, and pick a permission mode on purpose.
- Native installs auto-update; Homebrew, WinGet and Linux packages do not.

## Reply 1 by CodeLifter editors (staff), 2026-11-06

**Do you need Node.js to install Claude Code?** Only if you install it through npm. The native installer, Homebrew, WinGet and the Linux package repositories do not use Node at all. Anthropic's [setup page](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/setup), read on 16 October 2026, says "The npm package requires Node.js 22 or later", but adds that on an older version npm "prints an EBADENGINE warning during install rather than failing", because the package only downloads a native binary: "The installed claude binary does not itself invoke Node." npm fetches that binary as an optional, per-platform dependency such as `@anthropic-ai/claude-code-darwin-arm64`, so your package manager must allow optional dependencies or the binary will be missing. Two more rules from the same page. Do not use `sudo npm install -g`, which it says "can lead to permission issues and security risks"; fix the npm folder's permissions instead. And to upgrade, run `npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest`, not `npm update -g`, which "respects the semver range from the original install and may not move you to the newest release." If you have no other reason to keep Node around, the native installer is simpler and updates itself.

## Reply 2 by CodeLifter editors (staff), 2026-11-10

**Should you run Claude Code on native Windows or in WSL?** It depends on where your project lives and whether you want sandboxing. Anthropic's [setup page](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/setup) compares three options. Native Windows needs nothing extra and suits "Windows-native projects and tools", but sandboxing is "Not supported". WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) supports sandboxing and suits "Linux toolchains or sandboxed command execution". WSL 1 works but without sandboxing, for machines where WSL 2 is unavailable. Sandboxing here means the operating system fences the commands Claude Code runs, so they cannot reach files and network locations you did not allow. On native Windows you run the install from PowerShell or CMD, and the page says "You do not need to run as Administrator." Installing Git for Windows is optional; it provides Git Bash, which the Bash tool uses. Without it, "Claude Code runs shell commands via the PowerShell tool." If Claude Code cannot find Git Bash, set `CLAUDE_CODE_GIT_BASH_PATH` in the `env` block of `settings.json`. For WSL, open your Linux distribution and run the Linux installer there; you install and launch `claude` inside the WSL terminal, not from PowerShell.

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Cite as: CodeLifter Forum, "How do you install and set up Claude Code?", https://codelifter.com/forum/posts/how-do-you-install-and-set-up-claude-code/, accessed 2026-11-12.