Claude Code installation and usage tutorial

Claude Code is a powerful AI programming assistant that allows you to program collaboratively with AI directly in the terminal. This tutorial will guide you through the installation and configuration process.

📋 System Requirements

Supported operating systems: macOS 10.15+, Ubuntu 20.04+/Debian 10+ or Windows 10+ (with WSL or Git for Windows)

Hardware: 4GB+ RAM

Software: Git (required for Windows installation), Node.js 18+ (required for NPM installation only)

Network: Network connections in Anthropic supported countries

🚀 Install Claude Code

Native installation is the most recommended installation method and offers several advantages:

a self-contained executable file

No Node.js dependency

Improved auto-updater stability

If you have an existing installation of Claude Code, use claude install to migrate to a native binary installation.

Windows system installation steps:

Step 1: Install Git For Windows

Installing Claude Code natively on Windows requires Git Bash

Git For Windows download address: https://git-scm.com/install/windows
Download the corresponding version of the system and install it with the default options. Verify the installation command:

Step 2: Install Claude Code

Then open PowerShell or CMD terminal and run the following installation command

Windows PowerShell installation command:

Windows CMD installation command:

Step 3: Add PATH environment variable

The directory where the Claude executable file is located needs to be added to the system PATH, otherwise PowerShell currently cannot recognize the claude command. Reference path:

C:\Users\your-username\.local\bin

Please add it through the following steps: Open system properties → Environment variables → Edit user PATH → New → Add the Claude installation path above.

After completion, restart the PowerShell terminal or computer

macOS/Linux system installation steps:

macOS, Linux, WSL installation instructions:

Homebrew (macOS, Linux) installation command:

💡 Tip: If you have installed Node.js 18.0 or higher, you can also use NPM to install it

NPM installation instructions:

Finally, enter the command in the new terminal to verify whether the installation is successful:

⚙️ Configure and start using

You need to prepare two important configuration items:

Configuration items	Description	Obtain method
ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN	API authentication token	After registration, click `Add Token` on the `API Tokens` page to obtain it (starting with `sk-`)
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL	API service address	Use `__P0__` (same as the main site address)

📝 Recommended settings when creating a token:
Name: Name it whatever you want
Quota: Set to unlimited quota
Grouping: User grouping or Default grouping
Other options: keep default settings

Then create or modify the `settings.json` configuration file. The configuration file is located at:

• Windows: C:\Users\user folder\ .claude\settings.json
• Mac: ~/.claude/settings.json or .claude/settings.json
• Linux: ~/.claude/settings.json

Write the following configuration information, replace ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN with your API token, ANTHROPIC_MODEL can be replaced with other model IDs you need

Ubuntu/macOS can directly create or modify vim `settings.json` files through vi or vim commands.

Enter Claude in your project directory to start and run Claude Code:

First run configuration

Once launched, you will see the following configuration steps:

Select Theme → Select your favorite theme + Press Enter

Safety Instructions → Confirm safety instructions + press Enter

Terminal Configuration → Use default configuration + press Enter

Working Directory Trust → Trust current directory + press Enter

✨ **Congratulations! ** Now you can start coding with your AI programming partner!

❓ FAQ

A: This indicates that Claude Code did not detect the environment variable. Please check:

Are ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN and ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL set correctly?

Whether the environment variable value is correct (the token starts with sk-)

If a permanent configuration is used, whether the terminal is restarted

Q: PowerShell cannot install scripts and encounter execution policy errors?

A: Run as administrator option Start PowerShell and run this line: Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

Q: Why is the "offline" status displayed?

A: Claude Code determines the network status by connecting to Google. Displaying "offline" does not affect normal use, it just indicates that you cannot connect to Google.

Q: Why does Fetch fail when browsing the web?

A: Claude Code needs to call the Claude service for security check before accessing the web page. You need:

Maintain a stable international internet connection

Use global proxies when necessary

Q: The request always shows "fetch failed"?

A: The problem may be caused by the network environment. Solution:

Try using a proxy tool

Q: How to handle API errors?

A: It may be caused by the instability of the forwarding agent. Suggestions:

Exit Claude Code (Ctrl+C)

Rerun the claude command

If the problem persists, please try again later

A: Try clearing the cookies on this site and logging in again.

Claude Code official document

Node.js official website

💡 Tip: If you encounter other problems, please check the official documentation or contact technical support.

Claude Code Installation and Usage Guide

Claude Code installation and usage tutorial#

📋 System Requirements#

🚀 Install Claude Code#

Step 1: Install Git For Windows#

Step 2: Install Claude Code#

Step 3: Add PATH environment variable#

⚙️ Configure and start using#

Then create or modify the settings.json configuration file. The configuration file is located at:#

Ubuntu/macOS can directly create or modify vim settings.json files through vi or vim commands.#

Enter Claude in your project directory to start and run Claude Code:#

First run configuration#

❓ FAQ#

Q: Encountered "Invalid API Key · Please run /login" error?#

Q: PowerShell cannot install scripts and encounter execution policy errors?#

Q: Why is the "offline" status displayed?#

Q: Why does Fetch fail when browsing the web?#

Q: The request always shows "fetch failed"?#

Q: How to handle API errors?#

Q: Web page login error?#

🔗 Related links#