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Computer Setup

Plan for about 30 minutes. Complete this on your own before the first class on Tue, Nov 10.

Laptop requirement: your own Windows or macOS laptop with at least 8 GB of RAM. Bring it, charged, to every session.

If you get stuck, take a screenshot or copy the text you see into Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini and ask for help. If it still does not work, post in the Canvas discussion board or come to the first class fifteen minutes early.

1. Sign up for a paid Claude account

Skip if you already have a paid Claude plan.

Claude Pro is enough for this module. You can cancel when the module ends. If cost is a barrier, email the instructor before the first class; see step 7 for a free alternative.

2. Create a free GitHub account

3. Create a free Supabase account

  • Go to supabase.com and sign up for a free account
  • Sign up with your GitHub account for easier integration

You will use Supabase (a hosted database) starting in week 4.

4. Create a free Vercel account

  • Go to vercel.com and sign up for a free account (the Hobby plan)
  • Sign up with your GitHub account for easier deployment

5. Install Visual Studio Code (VS Code)

  • Download from code.visualstudio.com
  • During installation, if prompted:
    • Check "Add to PATH"
    • Enable the "Open with Code" context-menu option (Windows)

6. Install and start Claude Code

  • Open VS Code

  • In the top menu bar, click Terminal → New Terminal. A terminal opens at the bottom of the window:

    PS C:\Users\YourName>        ← Windows
yourname@MacBook-Pro ~ %     ← macOS

The VS Code window with the integrated terminal open in a pane at the bottom.

Run one of these commands in the terminal, depending on your operating system, and press Enter.

Windows (PowerShell)

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

macOS

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

  • Check that it worked:

    claude --version

  • Start Claude Code:

    claude

A browser tab opens so you can sign in to your Claude account. When you return to VS Code you should see the welcome screen:

The Claude Code welcome screen in the terminal.

Now let Claude install the rest. Paste this prompt and press Enter:

Please help me install the following software, or confirm it is already installed: 1) git, 2) node, 3) python, 4) the GitHub CLI (gh). Explain each one in one sentence.

Press Enter to approve each step when Claude asks.

Claude Code asking for permission to run a command, with Yes highlighted.

Using the terminal

You cannot click inside a terminal line to move the cursor. Use the arrow keys to move left and right, Backspace (Windows) or Delete (Mac) to erase, and ↑ to recall your last command.

Open the Extensions view (Cmd+Shift+X on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows), search for each name, and click Install. All are free.

Extension Why it helps when you build with Claude Code
ESLint Its warnings appear in VS Code's Problems panel, which Claude can read
Prettier - Code formatter Your edits and Claude's follow one style
GitLens Shows who changed each line and when, which helps you review what Claude changed
Markdown Preview Mermaid Support Shows the Mermaid diagrams you will draw in Labs 4 to 6

7. Optional: other AI coding agents

Instruction in this module uses Claude Code, but the skills transfer. GitHub Copilot CLI is free for verified students through GitHub Education, and it reads the same CLAUDE.md and skills files, so it is the closest free substitute.

# macOS
brew install --cask copilot-cli

# Windows
winget install GitHub.Copilot

Start it from a terminal in your project folder with copilot. Claude Code and Other Coding Agents maps the commands you learn here to Copilot, Codex, and Antigravity.

8. Before the first class: checklist

  • claude --version prints a version number
  • git --version and node --version print version numbers
  • gh auth status says you are logged in to GitHub (if not, run gh auth login --web yourself and follow the prompts)
  • You can sign in to GitHub, Supabase, and Vercel

You will create your project repo in Lab 1.