From a blank computer to a working Claude setup

Chat, Claude Code, and Cowork.

Claude is not one product. It comes in three surfaces, and the first thing to get right is which one a task belongs to. Chat is for talking, Claude Code is for building inside a project, Cowork is for getting multi-step work done across your files.

How it all connects

Once it is set up, the pieces stack into one system. Each layer sits on the one below it.

What to have ready.

Six steps, in order.

Most steps run in Terminal (Applications, Utilities, Terminal). Type a command, press Return, wait for it to finish, then do the next one. You do not need to be a programmer.

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

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

brew install --cask claude-code

brew install node

brew install git gh

gh auth login

claude doctor

Pick your route, then the shared steps.

Open PowerShell from the Start menu (it shows PS C:\ at the start of the line, not just C:\). The install commands are written for PowerShell.

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

wsl --install

CLAUDE.md: give Claude a memory.

The single most useful habit in the whole guide. Out of the box Claude is clever but forgetful. A CLAUDE.md file in your project folder is read at the start of every session: who you are, what you are working on, and the rules you care about.

# CLAUDE.md

## About me
I run a small creative business. I am not a developer.

## How to talk to me
Explain things plainly. No jargon without a short definition.

## Project rules
- Always ask before deleting files.
- Keep a running TODO at the top of NOTES.md.

A ready-to-edit CLAUDE.md, folder-setup scripts, and the prompt pack are in the starter files.

One folder, opened the same way every time

Keep everything for your work in one project folder, with CLAUDE.md at the top and a tidy, numbered set of subfolders below it. When you open this folder in VS Code and run Claude there, it always works inside it and reads your md files automatically. Same folder, same rules, every session, so you never have to re-explain yourself.

Two things make this work, and they belong in your CLAUDE.md: the hard rules Claude must always follow, and a short note on where your important files live (point to the folders above rather than pasting their contents). The setup script in the starter files creates this whole structure for you, adds a one-line README to each folder and a starter CLAUDE.md, and never overwrites anything you already have.

Run Claude Code inside VS Code.

You can run Claude Code in a plain terminal, but VS Code is where it really comes alive, and it is what I use for everything. You see files change as they happen, review edits as clear before-and-after diffs, and keep your whole project in front of you. It is free, and it is far more powerful than working in the app. This is the way to learn it.

claude

Where everything lives in the desktop app.

Once Claude is installed and you are signed in, here is the quick tour: where to find Connectors, Skills, your Project instructions, and where Cowork connects to a folder. The pins on the window match the panels beside it.