Claude Code: an agent in your terminal.
What you need first
Claude Code is Anthropic's coding agent. It runs in a terminal, reads the files in one folder, and proposes or makes edits. In the kit it edits the plain-text project files, never the single-file report.
Before installing, check three things: Windows 10 version 1809 or later, a paid Claude plan (the free plan doesn't include Claude Code), and ideally Git for Windows from lesson 3. With Git installed, Claude Code uses Git Bash for its commands. Without it, it falls back to PowerShell.
Which folder should you be in when you start Claude Code?
Install from PowerShell
In PowerShell, run the official installer:
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iexOpen a new PowerShell window and check it:
claude --versionThen go to the kit and start it:
cd C:\conducting-the-agent-kit; claudeThe first time, it opens your browser to sign in with your Claude account. Come back to PowerShell when the browser says you're done.
Prefer not to use a terminal? Claude's desktop app also runs Claude Code.
Put the steps in order. Click the first one, then the next.
Step 1 of 6.
Official page: Claude Code setup.
Safety rails before the first edit
The kit was built with a few habits that keep an agent's work easy to check. They're worth copying: