Overview - Claude Code Docs
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Claude Code is an AI-powered coding assistant that helps you build features, fix bugs, and automate development tasks. It understands your entire codebase and can work across multiple files and tools to get things done.

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Get started

Claude Code runs on several surfaces: the terminal, IDE extensions, a desktop app, and the web. Choose one from the tabs below to get started. Most surfaces require a Claude subscription or Anthropic Console account. The Terminal CLI, VS Code, and JetBrains also support third-party providers.
The full-featured CLI for working with Claude Code directly in your terminal. Edit files, run commands, and manage your entire project from the command line.To install Claude Code, open a terminal and run the command for your system. If you haven’t used a terminal before, the terminal guide shows how to open one and paste the command.
macOS, Linux, WSL:
On Windows, your prompt shows PS C:\ when you’re in PowerShell and C:\ without the PS when you’re in CMD.Windows PowerShell:
Windows CMD:
The install command shows no progress while it downloads Claude Code. When the installer finishes, open a new terminal window and run claude --version. A working installation prints a version number. If your shell says claude isn’t found or isn’t recognized, the install directory isn’t on your PATH yet: see Fix your PATH.If you see The token '&&' is not a valid statement separator, you’re in PowerShell, not CMD. If you see 'irm' is not recognized as an internal or external command, you’re in CMD, not PowerShell.If the install command fails with syntax error near unexpected token '<', a 403, or any other error, see Troubleshoot installation to match the error to a fix and for alternative install methods.Git for Windows is recommended on native Windows so Claude Code can use the Bash tool. If Git for Windows is not installed, Claude Code uses PowerShell as the shell tool instead. WSL setups do not need Git for Windows.
Native installations automatically update in the background to keep you on the latest version.
You can also install with apt, dnf, or apk on Debian, Fedora, RHEL, and Alpine.Then start Claude Code in any project. Replace your-project with the path to a project directory on your machine:
Claude Code prompts you to log in on first use. If you’ve set the ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable and you approve the key when Claude Code asks whether to use it, Claude Code skips the login prompt. Continue with the Quickstart →
See advanced setup for installation options, manual updates, or uninstallation instructions. Visit installation troubleshooting if you hit issues.

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What you can do

Here are some of the ways you can use Claude Code:
Claude Code handles the tedious tasks that eat up your day: writing tests for untested code, fixing lint errors across a project, resolving merge conflicts, updating dependencies, and writing release notes.
Describe what you want in plain language. Claude Code plans the approach, writes the code across multiple files, and verifies it works.For bugs, paste an error message or describe the symptom. Claude Code traces the issue through your codebase, identifies the root cause, and implements a fix. See common workflows for more examples.
Claude Code works directly with git. It stages changes, writes commit messages, creates branches, and opens pull requests.
In CI, you can automate code review and issue triage with GitHub Actions or GitLab CI/CD.
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for connecting AI tools to external data sources. With MCP, Claude Code can read your design docs in Google Drive, update tickets in Jira, pull data from Slack, or use your own custom tooling. The MCP quickstart connects your first server end to end.
CLAUDE.md is a markdown file you add to your project root that Claude Code reads at the start of every session. Use it to set coding standards, architecture decisions, preferred libraries, and review checklists. If your repository already has an AGENTS.md for other coding agents, Claude Code can read that in place of a CLAUDE.md. Claude also builds auto memory as it works, saving learnings across sessions without you writing anything.Create skills to package repeatable workflows your team can share, like /review-pr or /deploy-staging.Hooks let you run shell commands before or after Claude Code actions, like auto-formatting after every file edit or running lint before a commit.
Spawn multiple Claude Code agents that work on different parts of a task simultaneously. A lead agent coordinates the work, assigns subtasks, and merges results.To run several full sessions in parallel and watch them from one screen, use background agents. For fully custom workflows, the Agent SDK lets you build your own agents powered by Claude Code’s tools and capabilities, with full control over orchestration, tool access, and permissions.
Claude Code is composable and follows the Unix philosophy. Pipe logs into it, run it in CI, or chain it with other tools:
See the CLI reference for the full set of commands and flags.
Run Claude on a schedule to automate work that repeats: morning PR reviews, overnight CI failure analysis, weekly dependency audits, or syncing docs after PRs merge.
  • Cloud scheduled tasks, formerly routines, run in the cloud, so they keep running even when your computer is off. They can also trigger on API calls or GitHub events. Create them from the web, the Desktop app, or by running /schedule in the CLI.
  • Desktop scheduled tasks run on your machine, with direct access to your local files and tools
  • /loop repeats a prompt within a CLI session for quick polling
Sessions aren’t tied to a single surface. Move work between them as your context changes:
  • Step away from your desk and keep working from your phone or any browser with Remote Control
  • Message Dispatch a task from your phone and open the Desktop session it creates
  • Start a long-running task on the web or the Claude mobile app, then pull it into your terminal with claude --teleport. Teleport requires a claude.ai subscription.
  • Run /desktop to continue your current terminal session in the Desktop app, where you can review diffs visually. The /desktop handoff requires a claude.ai subscription. Available on macOS and x64 Windows.
  • Route tasks from team chat: mention @Claude in Slack with a bug report and get a pull request back

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Use Claude Code everywhere

Each surface connects to the same underlying Claude Code engine, so your repo’s CLAUDE.md files, settings, and MCP servers work across all of them. Beyond the Terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, Desktop, and Web surfaces above, Claude Code integrates with CI/CD, chat, and browser workflows:

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Next steps

Once you’ve installed Claude Code, these guides help you go deeper.