Claude Code quick start: from install to a verified first feature

The Claude Code quick start is eleven short guides, about two hours in total, that take a developer from an empty machine to a first feature proved by tests: install, sign in, set permissions, write CLAUDE.md, then build one feature in slices verified by type checks, tests, and a fresh-context review.

This hub is for developers setting up Claude Code or repairing a drifted setup. Without a setup that runs your checks, the first session ends with a large diff you cannot judge.

What the Claude Code quick start gives you

• A CLI signed in to the account you meant to bill.
• Allow rules that let Claude run your test, lint, and type-check commands unprompted.
• A CLAUDE.md that names those commands.
• One feature committed with evidence: criteria, passing gates, and review findings.

In what order should you set up Claude Code?

Do steps 1–7 in order; take steps 8–11 when you need them.

#	Guide	Time	Done when
1	Install the CLI	10 min	claude --version prints a version
2	Sign in	5 min	claude auth status --text shows the login method you expect
3	Configure permissions and models	10 min	Your check commands run without a prompt
4	Connect your IDE	10 min	The VS Code or JetBrains session sees your open file
5	Write CLAUDE.md	15 min	The file lists build, test, lint, and type-check commands
6	Build your first feature	20 min	Tests and gates pass; review findings are resolved
7	Commit and open a PR	10 min	The PR carries an evidence summary
8	Plan from a PRD	15 min	A spec becomes a plan file and a task list
9	Connect MCP servers	15 min	claude mcp list reports each server as connected
10	Tune effort for hard problems	10 min	You know when to raise /effort and when to switch model
11	Recover from bad sessions	10 min	You have used /rewind once on purpose

Which model and permission mode will a new session use?

• Model. From v2.1.280 (the latest channel), Claude Code defaults to Claude Opus 5.5 on every paid plan and the Anthropic API. The stable channel (Homebrew cask claude-code) was at v2.1.274 on 2026-09-26 and still runs older defaults. The models hub lists per-provider defaults and prices.
• Effort before model. Opus 5.5 runs at medium effort by default; raise it with /effort high before you change model. Pick Claude Fable 5.1 (/model fable) only for long-horizon work that Opus 5.5 fails on your own tests. It is never a default and can bill usage credits.
• Permissions. With v2.1.283 or later (the latest channel), interactive terminal and VS Code sessions on every plan and provider start in auto mode, where a classifier reviews each action; on stable (v2.1.274 on 2026-09-26) only Pro, Max, and Team do. claude -p still starts in Manual, as does the Agent SDK and any session on a model auto mode doesn’t support, such as the default Sonnet 4.5 on Microsoft Foundry. Configuration lists the exceptions and allow rules.

How do you check that the setup works?

Run these commands in a terminal at your repository root:

claude --version            # 2.1.283 on the latest channel, 2026-09-26
claude doctor               # health check; reads this repo's settings without a trust prompt
claude auth status --text   # which login method is in use
claude mcp list             # configured MCP servers and their health
claude -p "Reply with the single word: ready"

Then start claude and run /status for the model and account, and /init if the repository has no CLAUDE.md yet.

Copy-paste prompt: audit a fresh Claude Code setup

Audit this Claude Code setup before I start real work. Do not edit files.
1. Read CLAUDE.md and list the exact build, test, lint and type-check
   commands it names. Flag any that are missing.
2. Run each of those commands once and report pass/fail with the first
   error line of any failure.
3. Tell me which of those commands would still ask me for permission,
   and propose the allow rules for .claude/settings.json.
4. List the MCP servers you can reach.

How do you trust the first feature without reading every line?

The quick start teaches one habit: Claude proves its work, and you check the proof. Agree acceptance criteria in plan mode first. Have Claude write failing tests that pin the behavior, then implement in slices that must pass your type check, lint, and tests. Then run /code-review: it reviews in its own context window, so the reviewer did not write the code.

You then read the criteria, the test names, the gate output, and the review findings, and sign off; CI re-runs the gates before merge. Build your first feature walks through each step. Evidence, not diffs explains why this scales past one developer.

Copy-paste prompt: evidence summary for the first PR

Write the evidence summary for this branch's PR. Do not change code.
- The acceptance criteria we agreed, each mapped to the test that proves it.
- The exact commands you ran for type check, lint and tests, with the
  final pass/fail line of each.
- Every /code-review finding and whether it was fixed or dismissed, and why.
- Anything not covered by a test that a reviewer must check by hand.

What breaks in a first Claude Code setup?

Symptom	Likely cause	Recovery
claude: command not found	Stale PATH in your shell	Open a new terminal (the native installer uses ~/.local/bin), then run claude doctor.
Usage bills the wrong account	An ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in your shell profile that you approved once, or that claude -p picks up automatically	Run claude auth status --text, remove the stray key, and see authentication.
Session runs Opus 5 or Sonnet 5, not Opus 5.5	stable channel install	Expected until stable reaches v2.1.280; to switch, see installation.
Claude ignores your conventions	No CLAUDE.md, or one without commands	Run /init, then add the check commands by hand.
Every command asks for approval	No allow rules	Add rules for your check commands in configuration.
A change went wrong	The step was too large	/rewind (or Esc twice) to the last good checkpoint, then ask for a smaller slice.

Where to go next after the Claude Code quick start

Start with installation, then follow the developer track or the Claude Code overview. Using another agent? See the Codex quick start and the Cursor quick start.

Install Claude Code Native installer, Homebrew, WinGet, or package repositories

Build your first feature Criteria, plan mode, tests first, gated slices, fresh-context review

Test generation and TDD Make the tests strong enough to replace line-by-line reading

Models hub Current Claude models, prices, and when to switch