Setting Up Claude Code
Installing Claude Code takes a few minutes. The habits you form in your first session — where you start it, what state your code is in, what you ask first — last much longer, so set them up on purpose.
The rule
Start in the project root, on a clean commit, with a question.
- Install. Use the method the official Claude Code documentation lists for your operating system, usually a one-line installer or a package manager. Install steps change over time, so follow the current page rather than an old blog post, then confirm the install worked.
- Sign in. The first launch walks you through logging in, either with a Claude subscription account or with an API account that is billed per use. Some companies connect it through their cloud provider instead.
- Start in the project root. The folder where you run
claudebecomes its workspace: it works on that folder and everything inside it. - Start clean. Commit or stash your own work first, so every change Claude makes shows up as its own clear diff that you can review or throw away.
- Start with a question. Make your first prompt read-only: ask for a tour. You learn the project, and you learn how accurately Claude reads it before you let it change anything.
# after installing with the method the official docs give for your system
claude --version # prints the installed version
cd ~/code/tiffin
git status # want: "nothing to commit, working tree clean"
claude # the first launch walks you through signing inIf something seems broken, the /doctor command inside a session checks the installation and reports problems, and /help lists what else is available.
The shortcut
Run a three-word pre-flight check before every session: folder, git, question. Am I in the right folder? Is git clean? Is my first message a question rather than an edit?
Folder
pwdprints~/code/tiffin. Starting in your home folder instead would make every project you own part of Claude's workspace.
The trap is launching from the wrong place, such as a parent folder or your home directory. The workspace becomes huge, searches slow down, and edits can land in the wrong project.
Drills
Answer fast — trust the rule.
Where should you run claude to work on the tiffin app?
Why make a commit before your first agent session?
Which is the best first prompt in a project you have never seen?
Something seems wrong with your Claude Code installation. Which built-in command checks it?
Remember
- Start in the project root, on a clean commit, with a question.
- Shortcut: folder, git, question — before every session.
- Trap: launching from a parent or home folder gives the agent far more than the task needs.