Course Lessons
Welcome & Orientation Starter
Welcome to AI Like a Pro✓
Claude Chat — Stop Wasting Prompts Starter
Why Your Prompts Aren't Working (And It's Not Your Fault)✓ The Context-First Formula✓ The Knowledge Base Method — Load a Client Once, Use Forever✓ Context Engineering — How to Give Claude What It Actually Needs✓
Building Your AI Knowledge Base Intermediate
What Is a Skill — And Why You Want 10 of Them✓ Build Your Client Knowledge Base — Step by Step✓ Create Your First Skill — No Coding Required✓ Using Your Skills for Real HivePowered Work✓
Claude Code — Power User Track Advanced
Claude Code vs Claude Chat — Which One Do You Need?✓ Installation and Your First Session✓ CLAUDE.md — Your AI Handbook (Write Once, Read Forever)✓ Skills, Hooks, and MCP — The Power User Toolkit✓ Advanced Claude Techniques — Memory, Context, and Long Tasks✓ What's New in Claude Code (Updated March 2026)✓ How to Organize Your Claude Projects✓
OpenClaw + Working Smart with AI Bonus
OpenClaw — Know It, Don't Fear It (Yet)✓ Filtering the Hype — What AI Actually Does Well✓
The HivePowered AI Sidekick Workflow Adv. Intermediate
How Prime Works — The 3-Layer AI System✓ Your Daily AI Workflow as a HivePowered Sidekick✓ The Do's and Don'ts of Using AI at Work✓ Your Toolstack + AI — Notion, Slack, and GHL with Claude✓
Advanced Claude Code Advanced
Getting Started with Agentic Workflows✓ Master the Core: 95 Percent of Claude Code in One Lesson✓ Building Websites That Sell✓ Building High-Value Agentic Workflows✓ Recent Claude Code Features: What Changed and How to Use It✓ Skills, Hooks, and Permissions Deep Dive✓ Memory 2.0: Teaching Claude to Actually Remember✓ Claude Code as Your Executive Assistant✓ Automate Social Media with Claude Code✓ Claude Code + Google Tools + RAG✓ Hosting and Monitoring AI Agents✓ Claude Code for n8n Users✓ Build and Sell Part 1: Business Model and Pricing✓ Build and Sell Part 2: Technical Workflow and Delivery✓ Claude Code vs n8n and Building Agent Teams✓
Quick Reference
⚡ Cheat Sheet 📐 Prompt Formula 📋 CLAUDE.md Guide
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Lesson 11 of 37  —  Module 3: Claude Code -- Power User Track 30%
Module 3: Claude Code -- Power User Track  Advanced

Installation and Your First Session

Get Claude Code installed and run your first session. Covers system requirements, all four installation paths, storage planning, and your first commands.

Before you start

You need three things:

  1. A computer running Windows 10 (64-bit) or later, macOS 13 (Ventura) or later, or Ubuntu 20.04+
  2. A paid Claude account (Pro, Max, Teams, Enterprise, or an Anthropic API key) -- free accounts do not include Claude Code
  3. About 15-20 minutes

Windows users: You also need Git for Windows installed before Claude Code will work. Download and run the installer with default settings.

System requirements

Requirement Minimum Notes
OS Windows 10 (64-bit), macOS 13+, Ubuntu 20.04+ Latest version recommended
Storage -- Claude Code app ~500 MB One-time install
Storage -- working space 2 GB free 5 GB+ recommended for serious use
RAM 4 GB 8 GB recommended for large codebases
Internet Required Cloud-based, no local processing
Account Paid Claude plan Free tier not included

How your storage needs grow over time:

The Claude Code app itself takes about 500 MB. But as you build out your setup, that grows:

  • The app (~500 MB): This is your starting point. Fixed cost, one-time.
  • Skills (~50-200 MB): Skills are custom AI behaviors stored as markdown files. You might start with none and build up dozens over time -- each skill tells Claude how to handle specific tasks (code reviews, writing styles, client workflows).
  • CLAUDE.md files (~1 KB each): One per project, lightweight individually, but they multiply as you work on more projects.
  • Memory files (~5-50 MB): Claude stores cross-session memory in ~/.claude/projects/. Grows as you add more projects and Claude learns your preferences.
  • Working files (varies): The actual codebases and files you edit. These are your own projects, separate from Claude Code itself.

Practical guidance: Start with 500 MB for the app. Budget 5-10 GB total free space if you plan to use Claude Code seriously across multiple projects with a full skill library.

Which installation path is right for you?

I want... Best option
Simplest setup, already using VS Code Option 1: VS Code Extension
Visual interface, no terminal Option 2: Desktop App
Full power, comfortable in a terminal Option 3: Command Line (CLI)
No installation, just try it on a GitHub repo Option 4: Web App (cloud only)

Option 1: VS Code Extension

If you use VS Code already, this is the fastest path.

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Press Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+X (Mac) to open Extensions
  3. Search for Claude Code
  4. Click Install on the extension by Anthropic (verified publisher, 2M+ installs)
  5. A Claude Code panel appears in your sidebar
  6. Click Sign in and authenticate with your Claude account

The extension bundles the full CLI. Open the VS Code integrated terminal and type claude to access all CLI features including slash commands and hooks.

Option 2: Desktop App

Best if you want a visual interface without using a terminal.

Mac installation

  1. Go to claude.ai/download
  2. Click Download for Mac and open the .dmg file
  3. Drag the Claude app into your Applications folder
  4. Open Claude from Applications
  5. If macOS blocks it: go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Open Anyway
  6. Sign in with your Claude account
  7. Click the Code tab at the top of the app

Windows installation

  1. Go to claude.ai/download
  2. Click Download for Windows and run the .exe installer
  3. Click through the defaults (no special settings needed)
  4. Find Claude in your Start Menu and open it
  5. Sign in with your Claude account
  6. Click the Code tab at the top of the app

The Desktop App auto-updates in the background -- you always have the latest version without doing anything.

Linux users: The Desktop App is not available on Linux. Use Option 3 (CLI) instead.

Option 3: Command Line (CLI)

The CLI gives you full access to every Claude Code feature. If you are comfortable in a terminal, this is the recommended path.

Mac / Linux / WSL:

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

Windows PowerShell:

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

After installation: open a new terminal window, cd into your project folder, and run claude. You will be prompted to sign in on first use.

Verify the install worked:

claude --version
claude doctor

Note: The old npm install method (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code) still exists but is deprecated. Use the native install above for automatic updates and better performance.

Option 4: Web App (no installation)

Go to claude.ai/code in your browser. No download needed.

Can do: Read and edit files in GitHub repos, run long tasks on Anthropic cloud infrastructure, work on repos you have not cloned locally, access from the Claude iOS app.

Cannot do: Access files on your local computer, run commands on your machine, use locally installed MCP servers or skills.

Use this to try Claude Code before committing to an installation, or when working from a device that is not your main machine.

Your first session

Once installed, navigate to a project folder and open Claude Code. For the CLI: cd your-project && claude. For the app: use the file picker or drag a folder in.

Try these to get oriented:

What to try What it does
Ask: what files are here? See your project structure
Ask: explain this codebase Get a high-level summary
Ask: read [filename] and tell me what it does Analyze a specific file
Shift+Tab Cycle through modes: Normal > Auto-Accept > Plan Mode
/help See all available slash commands
/compact Free up context window space when conversations get long
Ctrl+C Cancel the current action

Plan Mode is worth knowing from day one: press Shift+Tab twice to enter it. Claude reads your files and outlines exactly what it plans to do -- but makes zero changes until you approve. Use it any time you are unsure what Claude might touch.

Troubleshooting

command not found: claude
Open a new terminal window. The installer adds Claude to your PATH, but the current session does not see it until you restart.

Mac: Claude cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified
System Settings > Privacy & Security > Open Anyway.

Windows: Claude Code opens then immediately closes
Install Git for Windows (git-scm.com/downloads/win). Claude Code uses Git Bash internally and will fail silently without it.

Authentication failed or login loop
Clear your browser cookies for claude.ai and try again. If you are using an API key: set the environment variable ANTHROPIC_API_KEY to your key value.

Slow responses
Claude Code connects to Anthropic cloud. Speed depends on your internet connection and current server load. There is no local processing option.

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