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Getting Started

Now that you have Claude Code installed, let's set up your project and learn the basics of using Claude Code to enhance your development workflow.

Project Setup​

CLAUDE.md Configuration​

Create a CLAUDE.md file in your project root to help Claude understand your project:

# CLAUDE.md

## Project Overview
Brief description of your project, its purpose, and main technologies.

## Development Guidelines
- Coding standards and conventions
- File structure preferences
- Testing approaches

## Important Commands
- Build commands
- Test commands
- Development server commands

Claude Code automatically reads this file when it starts to provide project context.

Your First Session​

Claude Code provides two main ways to interact:

Interactive mode: Run claude to start a REPL session One-shot mode: Use claude -p "query" for quick commands

Interactive Mode​

Start Claude Code in your project directory:

cd your-project
claude

You'll see the Claude Code prompt, ready to assist with your development tasks.

One-shot Mode​

For quick queries without starting a full session:

claude -p "Show me the files in this directory"
claude -p "What kind of project is this?"

This mode is perfect for quick questions or when you need fast answers without entering an interactive session.

Quick Wins - Try These First​

Here are some simple requests to get you comfortable with Claude Code:

Understanding Your Project​

Show me the files in this directory

Claude Code will list your project files and explain what it found.

What kind of project is this?

Claude will analyze your project structure and tell you what type of application it is.

Explain what this project does

Based on your files and documentation, Claude will summarize the project's purpose.

Quick Analysis​

Show me the main entry point

Claude will identify and show you the primary file that starts your application.

What dependencies does this project have?

Claude will read your package.json, requirements.txt, or similar files and list dependencies.

How do I run this project?

Claude will look for scripts and documentation to tell you how to start the project.

Your First File Creation​

Let's create your first file with Claude Code:

Create a hello_world.txt file with a greeting message

Claude Code will create the file, show you what it wrote, and confirm the creation. This demonstrates Claude's ability to understand natural language and take real actions in your project.

Basic Commands​

File Operations​

# Read a file
read src/components/Button.js

# Edit a file
edit src/components/Button.js

# Create a new file
write src/components/NewComponent.js

Code Analysis​

# Analyze code structure
analyze this codebase

# Find specific patterns
find all React components

# Explain code
explain how authentication works

Development Tasks​

# Add new features
add a dark mode toggle to the app

# Fix bugs
fix the memory leak in the data fetcher

# Refactor code
refactor the user service to use TypeScript

# Write tests
write unit tests for the Button component

Natural Language Interface​

Claude Code understands natural language requests:

# Instead of complex git commands
"Create a commit with all the changes I made to the user authentication"

# Instead of manual file operations
"Update all components to use the new theme system"

# Instead of searching through documentation
"How do I set up database migrations in this project?"

Exploring the Mechanics​

Let's dive into experiments with Claude & Claude Code to understand their mechanics.