Complete Guide to Claude Code (2026)

Claude Code is Anthropic's tool for asking Claude to work directly on a software project. It can read the project's files, propose edits, run checks, and explain what it changed. That makes it an AI coding agent: software that can take a series of actions toward a goal, instead of only answering one question at a time.

The product began in a terminal (the text-only command window), which made early coverage sound much more technical than the tool now is. The easiest starting point in 2026 is the Claude Desktop app. You can open its Code tab, choose a folder, type a task in ordinary language, and inspect every proposed change without installing a command-line tool.

Claude Code	At a Glance
Easiest start	Claude Desktop Code tab
Terminal needed	No
Works on	macOS, Windows, Linux
Good first task	Explain or fix one known issue
Starting price	$17/mo annual or $20 monthly

How Claude Code Got Here

Anthropic introduced Claude Code on February 24, 2025, alongside Claude 3.7 Sonnet. The launch announcement called it a limited research preview and described it as a command-line tool for delegating engineering work from a terminal.

A terminal is the text-only window where a user types commands instead of clicking through menus. Claude Code's first home made sense for experienced developers because their tests and tools for tracking changes and publishing software already lived there. It also gave the product a reputation for being a power tool with a steep entrance.

The original idea was bigger than code completion. Earlier AI assistants mainly predicted the next line while someone typed. Claude Code could inspect several files, decide on a sequence of actions, make coordinated edits, run a test, read the failure, and try again.

Anthropic then carried that engine into a wider set of surfaces. Claude Code now has the original command-line interface (CLI), the Code tab in Claude Desktop, a browser version, editor integrations, mobile access, Dispatch for sending work from a phone, and connections to GitHub workflows. The platform guide lists the current routes into the same product.

That growth explains why people talk about Claude Code as more than a chatbot. You can begin a local task beside your files, send a longer job to the cloud, check it from another device, and review proposed changes on GitHub (the website where most teams store and share their code) before they join the main project. Developers call that last review step a pull request. The product moved from one terminal window into an ecosystem for handing work between places.

What Claude Code Is

Claude Code works on a repository, often shortened to repo. A repository is the project folder that holds the code, supporting files, and a record of previous changes. If you have a small website in one folder, that folder may be the repository you select.

You describe an outcome in a message. Claude Code reads relevant files, replies with an explanation or a plan, and can propose changes. For a request such as "the profile page shows an email where the display name should appear," it can locate the page, trace the data, change the responsible file, and run an existing check.

The word agent matters because Claude Code can choose and repeat actions. It might search the repository, open two related files, edit one, run a test, and inspect the result. You still set the task and decide how much permission it gets.

Claude Code is also different from an editor such as Cursor. Cursor surrounds you with a list of project files and offers suggestions while you type. Claude Code is built around a conversation and a task, although the desktop app now puts project files, command output, a running preview, and proposed changes around that conversation.

How I Use It

Claude Code is part of my daily stack. I keep it beside Cursor and use it as the control room for agent work. Cursor is where I make focused edits in place, while Claude Code gets the jobs that begin with an outcome and require several steps to finish.

A typical request names the visible problem and the boundary around it: "The profile page shows the email where it should show the display name. Find the cause, fix it, and run the existing profile tests. Leave the database exactly as it is." That boundary gives the agent room to investigate without handing it the whole property.

I always read every resulting change myself. An agent can move faster than a person and still misunderstand the request. The value comes from delegating the search and mechanical work while keeping the final judgement with the person who knows the project.

Start with the Desktop App

Anthropic's desktop quickstart now gives beginners the shortest route into Claude Code: "No terminal required." The app includes Claude Code, so you do not need Node.js (a developer runtime) and you do not need to install the CLI separately.

This route works on macOS, Windows, and Linux. You need a paid Claude plan that includes Claude Code and a project folder you are comfortable letting the app read. A suitable folder can be a class exercise, a personal website, or a copy of a small project whose result you can recognise.

Before granting write access, duplicate that folder with Finder on macOS or File Explorer on Windows and select the copy. If your website exists only inside a hosted service and you do not have its files, stop here and use that service's export or repository instructions first. Claude Code needs a folder or a connected project to inspect.

Install and Sign In

1. Download the Claude Desktop app for macOS, Windows, or Linux from Anthropic's desktop quickstart.
2. Install the app using the normal installer for your operating system.
3. Open Claude and sign in with the Anthropic account attached to your paid plan.
4. Click the Code tab at the top of the app.

The app also has Chat and Cowork tabs. The Chat tab handles general conversations without project files. Cowork is a separate agent workspace for broader computer tasks, while Code is the part that opens a software project and tracks proposed code changes.

Choose Where It Runs

Select Local for the simplest first session. Local means Claude works with files on your computer. Click Select folder, then choose the project folder you want it to read.

The other choices are Cloud and SSH. Cloud runs the session on Anthropic's infrastructure and can continue after you close the app. SSH connects to another computer, such as a server, and is an advanced route you can ignore during a first local trial.

Pick a Model and Task

A model is the underlying AI system that reads your request and produces the response. Leave the model picker on its existing selection for the first session. The default is chosen for your account, and changing models before you know what you need adds another decision without helping you learn the basic workflow.

Type one task whose result you can recognise. These four requests make useful first trials:

• "Explain what this small project does and name the main file."
• "Find one TODO comment, explain it, and propose a fix."
• "Change the heading on the home page from Welcome to My Portfolio."
• "Find why the contact form accepts an empty email address, then show me the proposed change."

The first example is read-only, so it helps you confirm that Claude opened the correct folder. The later examples ask for an edit you can see. Keep the first job small enough that you can tell whether the result matches the request.

Review the Diff

The Code tab begins in Manual mode by default. Manual mode means Claude waits for approval before applying a proposed file change. Anthropic's quickstart says the app shows a visual diff with Accept and Reject controls.

A diff is a before-and-after view of changed text. Added lines and removed lines are shown separately, so you can inspect what Claude wants to alter. Accept a change when it matches the request, or reject it and tell Claude what needs to be different.

Your files remain unchanged until you accept in Manual mode. That makes Manual a good first setting. You can learn how Claude reasons about the project while keeping a clear approval point between a suggestion and an edit.

Sessions, Permissions, and Diffs

A session is one conversation with Claude about one body of work. It keeps the messages, selected project, and proposed changes together. Starting a fresh session for a new job helps prevent old instructions from bleeding into unrelated work.

Permissions control which actions Claude can take without stopping. Manual asks before file edits and commands. Accept edits can apply file changes more freely, while Plan asks Claude to describe an approach without editing anything.

Mode	What Claude Does	Beginner Use
Manual	Waits for approval	Start here
Plan	Explains before editing	Use for bigger work
Accept edits	Applies file edits	Use after practice

The safe habit is easy to remember: read the request, read the file list, read the diff, and run the relevant check. Claude's summary is helpful, but the diff is the evidence of what changed. A successful test proves only that the tested behaviour passed.

Local, Cloud, or SSH

Local keeps the session beside the files and tools already installed on your computer. Choose it when the project needs your local database, private development settings, or software that exists only on that machine. Closing the app stops the local work.

Cloud sends the task to an Anthropic-managed environment. The desktop quickstart says these sessions continue even after the app closes. Cloud fits a longer job you want to check later, although you still need to review the returned changes before treating them as finished.

SSH stands for Secure Shell, a way to connect to another computer over a network. Claude Desktop can use SSH for a remote server or development machine. Leave this option alone until you already understand which remote machine you are opening and what the session can change there.

Environment	Where It Runs	Choose It When
Local	Your computer	You need local files and tools
Cloud	Anthropic infrastructure	The task should keep running
SSH	Another computer	You manage a remote machine

The CLI Path for Terminal Users

The terminal route remains useful for people who already work there. CLI means command-line interface, a program controlled by typed commands. Anthropic's setup documentation now points graphical-interface users to Desktop before listing the CLI installers.

The official CLI options include a curl installer on macOS and Linux, a Homebrew cask on macOS, and WinGet on Windows. Node.js is no longer a prerequisite for the recommended native install. Follow the operating-system instructions on Anthropic's live setup page because installer details can change.

• curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash is the native macOS and Linux installer.
• brew install --cask claude-code installs the stable Homebrew cask on macOS.
• winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode installs the Windows package with WinGet.

After installation, open a terminal in an existing project folder and run claude. That opens an interactive session using the repository in that folder. The CLI is a secondary starting path here because a command typed in the wrong folder can point the agent at the wrong files.

Terminal users can move an active CLI session into the app with /desktop. Anthropic says the command saves the session, opens it in Claude Desktop, and exits the CLI on supported subscription accounts. This is handy when a task begins in text and grows into a diff you would rather review visually.

What Claude Code Does Well

Claude Code is strongest when one outcome touches several related files. A login change may involve a page, a validation rule, a test, and a type definition. The agent can trace those connections and propose a coordinated set of edits instead of treating every file as a separate conversation.

It can also run the checks already defined by the project. A test is a repeatable check that confirms one piece of behaviour. A build turns the project into the form it needs for release. Claude can run both, read failures, and revise its work.

The command output and the diff provide useful proof; the agent's confidence is only a claim.

Claude Code is also good at investigation work. You can ask where a value comes from, which file owns a button, or why a test fails. Beginning with a read-only explanation is often the best way to learn an unfamiliar repository before asking for a change.

Longer tasks work best when the outcome and boundaries are visible. Name the broken behaviour, the result you expect, the check that should pass, and anything Claude must leave alone. That gives the agent a finish line without handing it permission to redesign the surrounding project.

Where Claude Code Needs Supervision

Claude Code can misunderstand a vague request and make a polished change to the wrong part of a project. It may also find an existing pattern that should not be copied. Give it a small first job, inspect the changed file list, and stop the session when the work moves outside the stated boundary.

A large diff takes time to review even when Claude produced it quickly. Desktop makes the review easier to see, but it does not make a broad change safer by itself. Ask for separate, reviewable steps when one task mixes a database change, user-interface work, and deployment configuration.

Claude Code also lacks Cursor's inline Tab completions. It will not quietly suggest the next few lines while you type in Desktop. The Code tab works through explicit conversations and proposed edits, which suits delegation better than moment-to-moment typing help.

Paid plans have usage limits, and activity across Claude's web, desktop, mobile, and Claude Code surfaces draws from the same plan pool. A long coding session can therefore affect how much Claude you have available elsewhere. Check the usage display before starting work that cannot pause.

Models and Pricing

Claude Code lets you choose among model families. The model is the AI doing the reasoning, reading, and writing. Anthropic's model configuration page, checked July 28, 2026, describes Sonnet for daily coding, Opus for complex reasoning, Haiku for simpler work, and Fable 5 for the hardest long-running tasks.

Model Family	Plain-Language Fit
Haiku	Fast, simple jobs
Sonnet	Daily coding
Opus	Complex reasoning
Fable	Longest, hardest tasks

Availability can depend on the plan, organization settings, and provider. The beginner path is to keep the selected default and learn the workflow first. Move to another family when the current model is too slow, too costly for the allowance, or unable to reason through a difficult task.

The Claude pricing page, lists Pro at $17 per month with an annual subscription, with $200 billed up front, or $20 month to month. Pro includes Claude Code, Cowork, and Design.

Current Max pricing starts at $100 per month. It lets you choose 5x or 20x more usage than Pro, and Anthropic lists higher output limits for all tasks. Both Max options are billed monthly, so the annual Pro discount does not describe the Max purchase.

Plan	Verified Price	What Changes
Pro annual	$17/mo, $200 up front	Claude Code included
Pro monthly	$20/mo	Claude Code included
Max	From $100/mo	5x or 20x Pro usage

My take: Pro is the sensible first paid plan for learning the product. Move to Max after real sessions show that the Pro limits interrupt useful work. Paying for theoretical capacity before you know your own pattern is an expensive way to avoid one small experiment.

Code Review

Code review means inspecting a proposed change before it joins the main version of a project. Claude Desktop can show the current diff and offers a Review code action. Anthropic says that review focuses on issues such as definite logic errors, compile errors, security problems, and obvious bugs.

Claude Code also connects to GitHub, the service many teams use to store repositories and discuss proposed changes. A pull request, usually shortened to PR, is GitHub's review page for a set of changes. Claude can help create a PR, monitor checks, and surface failures from the desktop session.

Experienced teams also use Claude Code through local review commands and managed GitHub review tools. Those routes have their own setup and cost questions, so the AI code review hub covers them in more detail. A beginner can start with the desktop diff and a second read before accepting.

The Claude Code Ecosystem

Claude Code now follows a task across several surfaces. The terminal remains useful for scripting and automation. Desktop adds visual review and session management. The web runs work in an Anthropic-managed environment, while mobile access and Dispatch let you send or monitor tasks away from the computer.

Surface	What It Adds	Best First Use
Desktop	Visual diffs and sessions	Beginner local task
CLI	Terminal workflow	Existing terminal users
Web	Cloud task handoff	GitHub-connected work
Mobile and Dispatch	Remote task access	Check long-running work
GitHub	PR and check handoff	Review before merging

The first session does not need every available surface. Desktop is enough for the first local session, and its Cloud option covers the first background task. Add the terminal, GitHub, or Dispatch route when your existing work already has a reason to move there.

Compare Claude Code

The AI coding tools comparisons separate Claude Code's task-first workflow from the tools around it:

• Cursor vs Claude Code compares editor-first work with task delegation.
• Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot compares an agent with inline editor help.
• Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex compares two delegated-agent workflows.
• Claude Code vs OpenCode compares commercial and open-source terminal agents.

The Verdict

Claude Code is the strongest first choice when you want to hand an AI a complete coding task and keep a clear review step before its changes become yours. Start in Claude Desktop, use Local and Manual mode, choose one project you understand, and accept only the diff you can explain.

Pro is enough for the first serious trial. Move to Max after the usage limits interrupt work you have already proved valuable. Add the CLI when the terminal is already part of your routine, because the graphical route now teaches the same core product with far less setup friction.

FAQ

Do I need the terminal to use Claude Code?

No, you can use Claude Code without opening the terminal. The Claude Desktop app includes Claude Code in its Code tab, and Anthropic's desktop quickstart says no terminal is required. Install the app, sign in, choose a folder, and review changes with the visual diff.

How much does Claude Code cost?

Claude Code is included in every paid Claude plan. Pro costs $17 per month with an annual subscription, with $200 billed up front, or $20 when billed monthly. Max starts at $100 per month and offers a choice of 5x or 20x more usage than Pro, plus higher output limits.

Is Claude Code included in Claude Pro?

Yes, Claude Pro includes Claude Code, Cowork, and Design. The same subscription works across Claude's web, desktop, and mobile apps, while your plan usage is shared across those surfaces.

What is a diff?

A diff is a before-and-after view of changed text. Claude Desktop shows each proposed file change and gives you Accept and Reject controls in Manual mode, so you can decide what reaches your files.

Can Claude Code work while the app is closed?

Yes, when you choose a Cloud session. Anthropic says cloud sessions continue on its infrastructure after you close the desktop app, and you can return later to review or redirect the work.

Which model should a beginner pick?

Start with the model already selected in the desktop app. A model is the AI system doing the reading and writing, and the default is chosen for your account. Change it only when you have a clear reason, such as moving a difficult task from the Sonnet family to the Opus family.

Claude Code vs Cursor: which should you use?

Start with Claude Code Desktop when you want to describe a whole task and review the finished changes in one place. Use Cursor when you want suggestions while typing inside a VS Code-style editor. I use both: Cursor for editing in place and Claude Code as the control room for larger agent tasks.

Going Deeper

This main page stops after the basic orientation. Once you have completed several small sessions, the Configuration and Context guide explains project instructions, the MCP and Hooks guide covers outside-tool connections, and the Workflows and Safety guide covers stricter operating boundaries.

Beginners who want an even slower walkthrough can use the Claude Desktop guide. It stays with the graphical route and explains the account, project, first request, and next steps without assuming the terminal is familiar.

Product, model, setup, and pricing facts were checked against official Anthropic sources when this page was updated on July 28, 2026.