Classes 10–12 (A): Install the tools

All steps · (B) Get the code onto your computer →

Part of the task-app setup for Classes 10–12. Work through the parts in order, doing every step yourself; Start here has the worksheet, the screenshot log, how to ask Claude when you’re stuck, and the list of all parts.

Time: about 10–20 minutes (less if you already have most of the tools).

As of Oct 22, 2026 · Official docs: Git · Node.js · VS Code · Claude Code

You should already have a GitHub account, Git and Claude Code from earlier classes. If not, open the boxes below. Node.js and VS Code are probably new.

Go to github.com and click Sign up. Use an email address you check. See Putting Your Repository on GitHub.

Open a terminal (see Where to type commands), type this command, and press Enter:

git --version

git is the program, and the option --version asks it to print its version number and stop. Most programs understand --version, so it’s a quick way to check whether a program is installed. If you see a version number (such as git version 2.47.1), you’re set. If not:

The Terminal app is already on your Mac. When you run git --version without Git, macOS offers to install the Command Line Tools, which include Git. Click Install, wait, and run git --version again.

Download and install Git for Windows from gitforwindows.org. It also installs Git Bash, the terminal we use.

Install Git with your system’s package manager. On Ubuntu or Debian, type this in the Terminal app (it asks for your password):

sudo apt install git

sudo runs the command as the computer’s administrator (that’s why it asks for your password). apt is the program that installs software on Ubuntu and Debian, install tells it what to do, and git is what to install.

Details, including the Git settings to set once, are in Installing and Configuring Git.

In a terminal, type this command and press Enter:

claude --version

claude --version asks Claude Code for its version number. If you see one, you’re set. If you get “command not found” (the shell found no program named claude), install it:

In the Terminal app, type:

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

What the pieces mean:

  • curl downloads whatever is at a web address.
  • -fsSL is four options run together: -f fail if the download fails, -s silent (no progress bar), -S but still show errors, -L follow the address if the website redirects it.
  • https://claude.ai/install.sh is the address of Anthropic’s install script, a small program written in Bash.
  • | (the pipe) passes what curl downloaded straight to the next command, instead of showing it on the screen.
  • bash runs it. So: “download the installer and run it”.

This is the one command in this step that does not go in Git Bash. Open PowerShell (Start menu, type PowerShell, press Enter) and type:

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

This is the PowerShell version of the Mac and Linux command: irm (short for Invoke-RestMethod) downloads the installer from the web address, the pipe | passes it on, and iex (Invoke-Expression) runs it.

In the Terminal app, type:

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

curl downloads the installer from the web address (-fsSL makes it quiet, stop on errors, and follow redirects), the pipe | passes it on, and bash runs it. So: “download the installer and run it”. (The Mac tab explains each piece.)

Then close the terminal, open a new one, and type claude. Sign in with your Claude Pro account, not with an API key. Details and troubleshooting: Installing Claude Code.

A4. Node.js. The app is written in JavaScript, and Node.js runs JavaScript on your computer. Installing it also installs npm, the tool that downloads the app’s building blocks (packages). To check whether you have it, open a terminal (see Where to type commands), type this command, and press Enter:

node --version

If it prints v20 or a higher number (such as v24.10.0), skip to Step A5. If it prints “command not found”, or a lower number, install Node.js from its download page. Choose the LTS version (long-term support, the stable one):

Download the macOS Installer (.pkg), double-click it, and click through the installer.

Download the Windows Installer (.msi), double-click it, and click through the installer with its default choices.

The download page shows commands for installing Node.js on Linux (with a tool called nvm). Copy them into the Terminal app one at a time. Your system’s own package manager may offer only an old version of Node.js.

Then close the terminal and open a new one (a terminal that was already open doesn’t see the new program), and type these two commands, pressing Enter after each:

node --version
npm --version

node is Node.js and npm is its package manager; --version asks each one for its version number. Both should print one. More in Step 0: Install Node.js and npm.

A5. VS Code and the Claude Code extension. Download VS Code from code.visualstudio.com, then:

  1. Open the downloaded file, drag Visual Studio Code into your Applications folder, and open it from there (or press Cmd+Space and type Visual Studio Code).
  2. Open the Extensions view with Cmd+Shift+X.
  3. Nothing else to set up: VS Code’s terminal uses zsh, like the Terminal app.
  1. Run the downloaded installer and keep its default choices.
  2. Open the Extensions view with Ctrl+Shift+X.
  3. Make Git Bash VS Code’s terminal: open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P), type Terminal: Select Default Profile, press Enter, and choose Git Bash. Then open a new terminal (Terminal > New Terminal) and check that the label at the right of the terminal panel says bash.
  1. Download the .deb file (Ubuntu, Debian) or the .rpm file (Fedora, Red Hat) and open it with your software installer.
  2. Open the Extensions view with Ctrl+Shift+X.
  3. Nothing else to set up: VS Code’s terminal uses Bash.

Then, on every computer: in the Extensions view, search for Claude Code and install the one published by Anthropic. A Claude icon appears in VS Code; click it and sign in with your Claude account.

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