Quickstart — Your First Session

Hands-on walkthrough of a first real Claude Code session. Do this in an actual project folder.

Step 1: Start & Log In

cd your-project
claude

First run prompts a browser login. Account options:

• Claude Pro / Max / Team / Enterprise (recommended)
• Claude Console (API, pre-paid credits — auto-creates a “Claude Code” workspace for cost tracking)
• Bedrock / Vertex / Foundry (enterprise)

Switch accounts later with /login.

Step 2: Explore the Codebase (read-only questions)

what does this project do?
what technologies does this project use?
where is the main entry point?
explain the folder structure

Claude reads files as needed — you never manually add context.

Step 3: First Code Change

add a hello world function to the main file

Claude finds the file → shows proposed diff → asks approval → edits. It always asks before modifying files (until you tune permissions).

Step 4: Git, Conversationally

what files have I changed?
commit my changes with a descriptive message
create a new branch called feature/quickstart
show me the last 5 commits
help me resolve merge conflicts

Step 5: Real Tasks

there's a bug where users can submit empty forms - fix it
refactor the authentication module to use async/await instead of callbacks
write unit tests for the calculator functions
update the README with installation instructions
review my changes and suggest improvements

Essential Commands

From your shell:

Command	What it does
claude	Start interactive mode
claude "task"	Start with an initial task
claude -p "query"	One-off query, print result, exit
claude -c	Continue most recent conversation here
claude -r	Resume a previous conversation (picker)

Inside the session:

Command	What it does
/help	Show available commands
/clear	Clear conversation history
/exit or Ctrl+D	Exit

Beginner Pro Tips

1. Be specific. “fix the login bug where users see a blank screen after wrong credentials” beats “fix the bug”.
2. Break complex tasks into numbered steps in one prompt.
3. Let Claude explore first: “analyze the database schema” before asking for changes.
4. Shortcuts: / lists commands, Tab completes, ↑ history, Shift+Tab cycles permission modes, Esc interrupts.

Real Case: 15-Minute First Win

A typical first session on an existing repo:

1. "what does this project do?"                 → orientation
2. "are there any obvious code smells in src/?" → free review
3. "write tests for utils/date.ts, run them"    → concrete value
4. "commit that with a good message"            → shipped

You just experienced the full agentic loop: gather context → act → verify.

🧠 Quick Recall

• Trick: first-session arc = Explore → Change → Commit.
• “Reading is risk-free — always start with questions.”

👨‍🏫 Teach It

• Say: “Ask it anything about the repo before you let it touch anything.”
• Show: “what does this project do?” on a repo they know — accuracy sells.
• They’ll trip on: vague prompts — teach outcome + location + proof.

---

Learning path: ⬅ 01-installation-setup.md · Index · ➡ 03-core-cli-usage.md