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Claude Code

Install & Set Up Claude Code

Claude Code is an AI assistant you talk to in plain English to build and edit projects on your computer — no coding required. This guide gets it installed and running in about 20–30 minutes. You only do this once.

New to Claude Code? Watch this first

This 3-minute video walks you through installing VS Code and Claude Code from a blank computer — made for people who have never opened a terminal.

What to watch this for

Watch it for one thing: how to install VS Code and Claude Code. In the video he then builds a brand-new app — that's just to show the assistant in action. You don't have to build anything; once you're installed (the steps below), you can point Claude Code at any folder.

Want a slower look? These are optional:

Where you'll run it

You'll run Claude Code inside a free editor called VS Code. We recommend it for getting started:

  • VS Code (recommended). You can see your files, watch changes happen, and run commands — all in one window. It's the easiest setup to get help with if you ever get stuck.
  • The command line. Claude Code also runs straight in a terminal — the same assistant without the visual window. It works, but it's less friendly if you're not used to typing commands. VS Code uses this underneath anyway.
  • The Claude desktop app. Fine for chatting, but for actually building and editing files on your computer, VS Code is the smoother path.

Bottom line: install VS Code and use Claude Code inside it. The steps below assume that.

Install in 4 steps

Do them in order. You install three free tools, then start Claude in a folder.

Step 1 — Install VS Code

Your workspace. Download from code.visualstudio.com and install it like any normal app (Mac or Windows).

Step 2 — Install Node.js

Runs quietly in the background — Claude Code is installed through it. Download the LTS version (the one labeled "LTS," not "Current") from nodejs.org.

Step 3 — Install Claude Code

Open VS Code, then from the top menu choose Terminal > New Terminal. In the panel that opens at the bottom, type this and press Enter:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

When it finishes, type claude and press Enter — it walks you through signing in. You need a paid Claude plan (Pro or Max). Official guide: claude.com/claude-code.

Step 4 — Open a folder and start Claude

In VS Code: File > Open Folder, then pick any project folder (or make a new empty one to experiment in). Open a terminal (Terminal > New Terminal) and type claude to start the assistant inside that folder. That's it — you're running Claude Code. Just tell it what you want, in plain English.

Windows note

Everything above works on Windows. If you ever need to run terminal commands yourself and something behaves oddly, install Git Bash (it comes with "Git for Windows") and use that terminal instead.

Getting help

When anything is unclear or something breaks, just describe it to Claude in plain English. It can read your files, explain what's happening, and fix it.

Help on the exact screen you're looking at

Some steps happen in your web browser (like signing up for an account somewhere). For those, add the Claude browser extension:

  1. Open the Chrome Web Store and search for Claude.
  2. Add the extension to Chrome.
  3. When you're stuck on a page, open Claude and ask — it can see the screen you're on and walk you through it.

These guides are built around Claude. Other AI tools may be able to help, but we don't provide instructions or support for them. To keep things simple and fully supported, use Claude.

Next, if you have a FlipAnywhere site
Set up & publish your website
Now that Claude Code is installed, this guide shows you how to edit and publish your lead-capture website yourself.
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