Claude Code for Beginners: Your First AI Coding Session

Welcome to AI-Powered Coding

If you’ve heard about Claude Code but never used it, this guide is for you. We’ll walk through everything from installation to completing your first AI-assisted coding task.

No prior AI tool experience required.

Step 1: Install Claude Code

Open your terminal and run one command:

macOS / Linux:

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

Windows PowerShell:

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

Installation takes about 30 seconds. Verify it worked:

claude --version

For detailed platform-specific instructions, see our full installation guide.

Step 2: Create an Account

You need an Anthropic account. The easiest path:

Visit claude.ai
Sign up for a free account or subscribe to Claude Pro ($20/mo) for full access
That’s it — your Claude Code is linked to the same account

Step 3: Start Your First Session

Navigate to any project (or create a new one):

mkdir my-first-project
cd my-first-project
claude

Claude Code launches and you’ll see a welcome prompt. You’re now in an interactive session.

Step 4: Try Your First Commands

Here are some beginner-friendly tasks to try:

Ask a Question

> What is the structure of this project?

Claude Code will analyze the directory and explain what it finds.

Create a File

> Create a simple Python script that prints "Hello, World!" and saves it as hello.py

Watch as Claude Code creates the file for you.

Build Something

> Create a simple HTML page with a dark theme that shows a countdown timer to midnight. Include CSS styling.

Claude Code will:

Plan the implementation
Create the HTML file
Add CSS styling
Explain what it did

Debug Code

If you have code with an error:

> I'm getting a TypeError in app.js line 42. Can you look at it and fix it?

Claude Code reads the file, identifies the issue, and fixes it.

Understanding Claude Code’s Output

When Claude Code works, you’ll see:

Thinking — It explains its approach
Tool calls — Reading files, searching code, running commands
Changes — The actual code modifications
Summary — What it did and any follow-up notes

You can approve or reject changes before they’re applied.

Best Practices for Beginners

1. Be Specific

Instead of “make it better,” try “add input validation to the email field in the signup form.”

2. Provide Context

Tell Claude Code what you’re building, what tech stack you’re using, and what the expected behavior is.

3. Start Small

Begin with small, focused tasks:

Fix a single bug
Write a single function
Add a feature to one file

As you get comfortable, tackle bigger tasks.

4. Review the Changes

Always review what Claude Code generates. It’s very capable, but you’re the developer — you own the code.

5. Use CLAUDE.md

Create a CLAUDE.md file in your project root:

# My Project

This is a beginner web app using:
- HTML, CSS, JavaScript
- No frameworks
- No build tools

Please keep code simple and well-commented.

This tells Claude Code to match your experience level.

Common Beginner Tasks

Here are ideas to practice with:

Task	Example Prompt
Create a project	”Initialize a new React app with TypeScript”
Write a function	”Write a function that validates email addresses”
Add styling	”Add dark mode support to the CSS”
Write tests	”Write unit tests for the utils.js file”
Fix bugs	”This function returns undefined, can you fix it?”
Documentation	”Add JSDoc comments to all functions in api.js”
Refactor	”Convert this callback-based code to async/await”

What If Something Goes Wrong?

Claude Code does something unexpected

Press Ctrl+C to cancel the current operation. You can undo changes with git:

git checkout .

Session feels stuck

Clear context and start fresh:

/clear

Used too many tokens

Check usage with:

/cost

Compress the conversation to save tokens:

/compact

Next Steps

Now that you’ve completed your first session:

Read Tips and Tricks — 10 techniques to level up
Explore What is Claude Code — Deep dive into features
Check Terminal Commands — Full command reference
Visit Claude.ai — Manage your account

Welcome to the future of coding. You’re going to love it.