Claude Code Beginner tutorial

Beginner · step 1 of 7

What Claude Code is (and isn't)

Claude Code is Anthropic’s coding agent. It runs in your terminal (and in IDEs and on the web), reads your project, edits files and runs commands with your approval. It is included in the Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise plans, not Free, and shares your Claude usage limits, which reset on a 5-hour window plus weekly limits (claude.com/pricing).

Good for:

• Fixing bugs with a failing test first
• Explaining an unfamiliar codebase
• Multi-file refactors you review as a diff

Not good for:

• Approving commands you haven’t read
• Repos with secrets in plain files
• Huge jobs right before a limit resets

Why this step matters: Knowing what it is good and bad at stops you using it for jobs where it will fail quietly.

Beginner · step 2 of 7

Get the official app

1. Install Node.js 22 or newer.
2. Run npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code (no sudo), per Anthropic’s docs.
3. In your project folder, run claude and sign in with your Claude account.
4. Only install from npm’s official package name above or Anthropic’s docs at code.claude.com.

Why this step matters: Copycat apps and unofficial installers are common; starting from the official source protects your account and data.

Beginner · step 3 of 7

Your first useful prompt

Give it a situation, a task and the format you want. Try this:

Read this repository and explain, in 10 bullets, what it does, how to run it, and where the tests live.
Don’t change any files yet.

Then ask one follow-up that narrows it down.

A good result: output in the format you asked for, built only on what you gave it. If it drifts into generic advice, add the situation sentence again.

Why this step matters: A prompt with situation, task and format gets a usable answer first time, so you learn what the tool can actually do.

Beginner · step 4 of 7

Check the answer

1. Ask for the source of any fact you'll reuse.
2. Open the link and find the exact sentence (Ctrl+F).
3. If you can't find it, treat the claim as unverified.
4. For files, check two page or row references yourself.

Before you answer: separate what you checked from what you're assuming. Write "unknown" instead of guessing. Give a link for every number.

Why this step matters: Chatbots state wrong facts in the same confident tone as right ones. Checking is the only way to tell them apart.

Beginner · step 5 of 7

Privacy basics

• Don't paste passwords, ID numbers, card numbers or other people's private details.
• Assume the company can read and keep your chats unless its official policy says otherwise.
• For health, money or legal decisions, confirm with a professional or an official source.
• Keep secrets in environment variables or a secrets manager, never in files Claude Code reads into chat.
• Review every command before you approve it, especially anything that deletes, pushes or deploys.
• Use your employer’s approved plan for company code.

Why this step matters: Anything you paste may be stored and read. Deciding what never goes in is easier than undoing a leak.

Beginner · step 6 of 7

What it costs

• Not included in Claude Free.
• Pro: $20/month, or $17/month billed yearly ($200).
• Max: from $100/month. Ultra: $200/month.
• Team and Enterprise plans include it too.

Claude Code shares your plan’s usage limits: a 5-hour window and weekly limits (claude.com/pricing, checked Oct 30, 2026).

Full details: Claude Code step-by-step tutorial.

Why this step matters: Paying for features you don't use is the most common waste. Knowing the limits first tells you if the free tier is enough.

Beginner · step 7 of 7

Your first week

1. Day 1: three real tasks from your week.
2. Day 3: compare its results with what you'd have done yourself.
3. Day 7: decide if it's worth paying, based on what you actually used.

Why this step matters: A week of real tasks gives you evidence for whether it saves time, instead of a first impression.