A step-by-step guide to getting superpowers on your Mac. Just follow along — you've got this.
One thing you need first.
Claude Code requires a Claude Pro ($20/mo) or Claude Max ($100/mo) subscription. If you already use Claude in the browser, you're set — Claude Code is included with your subscription.
It's already on your Mac. Here's how to find it.
Press Cmd + Space (the keys at the same time), type Terminal, and press Enter.
A window will open with some text and a blinking cursor. That's Terminal.
One command. 30 seconds.
Copy this command and paste it into Terminal, then press Enter:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
Text will scroll by — that's normal. When it's done, you'll see a success message.
Claude Code works inside a folder — like opening a specific document to work on.
You need to tell Terminal which folder to work in. Here's the easiest way:
cd (with a space after)cd and paste.
mkdir ~/Desktop/my-first-project && cd ~/Desktop/my-first-project
One word. That's it.
claude
Your browser will open asking you to sign in. Sign in with your Claude account and approve access.
Come back to Terminal. You're in. Start typing.
Terminal doesn't know about Claude Code yet. Close Terminal completely (Cmd + Q, not just the window) and reopen it. That fixes it 90% of the time. If it still doesn't work, run the install command from Step 2 again.
Make sure you pressed Enter after pasting. The command won't run until you hit Enter. You should see text start scrolling.
Look in Terminal — there should be a web address (starts with https://). Highlight it, copy it (Cmd + C), open Chrome yourself, and paste it into the address bar.
That's normal. Claude Code asks permission before making changes to your files. Read what it's asking and press y (yes) to approve. You can also type n (no) if you're not sure — it won't break anything.
Press Escape to stop it. Then rephrase what you asked — sometimes a simpler question gets a better response. If it's really frozen, press Ctrl + C twice to force-cancel.
Don't panic. Copy the error message and paste it right back to Claude: "I got this error, what does it mean?" — Claude is great at explaining and fixing its own errors.
You've used a lot of messages in a short time. This is normal on the Pro plan. Wait about 30 minutes and it resets. If this happens a lot, the Max plan ($100/mo) has much higher limits.
That's expected — conversations don't save (see Tip 2 below). But any files Claude created are still in your project folder. Open Terminal, type your shortcut, and tell Claude to read those files. You're back.
Check the official docs: code.claude.com/docs — or just ask Claude itself: "I'm having trouble with [describe problem], can you help me fix it?"
So you never have to remember the folder path again.
The concept: Each project you work on lives in its own folder. When you open Claude Code, you go to that folder first — that's its world. But typing that folder path every time is annoying.
Here's the fix. Your very first ask to Claude Code — paste this in:
Create a terminal shortcut so that when I type "code" in any new Terminal window, it automatically opens this folder and starts Claude Code. Add it to my ~/.zshrc file.
Claude will create the shortcut for you. Close and reopen Terminal. Now just type code and you're in. Every time.
website shortcut. Working on a report? Make a report shortcut. You pick the name — whatever feels natural.
Read this. It'll save you a lot of confusion.
Every time you start a session, give it context. Don't just jump in with a random question. Think of it like briefing a coworker.
"Hey, I'm working on [project name] today. Here's what I need to do: [describe task]. The relevant files are in this folder."
The more context you give upfront, the better the output.
This is the biggest thing to understand.
When you close Terminal, the conversation is gone. Completely. It does not remember what you talked about. This is normal. Don't panic.
The solution is the next two tips.
Since conversations disappear, the trick is: save important stuff to files.
Anything you want Claude to know next time — decisions, plans, context, rules — just tell it to save it:
"Save that to a file so you remember next time"
Claude will pick a sensible name and save it. Next session, it can read that file and pick up where you left off. Files live in your project folder. They persist forever.
There's a special file called CLAUDE.md that Claude Code automatically reads every single time it starts up. You don't need to tell it to — it just does.
"Create a CLAUDE.md file in this project. Put in a summary of what this project is, what we're working on, and any important decisions we've made."
It's like a sticky note on your desk that Claude always reads before saying hi. When you learn something new, just say:
"Update CLAUDE.md with [this new info]"
Don't worry about this — but know what it is so you're not confused when you see it.
Claude Code has a memory limit for each conversation — like a whiteboard. As you work, it fills up. When it's full, Claude "compacts" — it summarizes older stuff to make room.
You might see a message about it. That's fine. If things start feeling off or Claude seems confused, here's what to try (in order):
/clear — this resets the conversation without leaving Claude Code. Like wiping the whiteboard but staying in the room./exit then claude — fully restarts Claude Code freshYour files still have everything. Fresh start = fresh brain.
Seriously. You cannot break your computer with Claude Code. The worst that happens is Claude writes a bad file — and you can just say "undo that."
| What you want to do | What to type |
|---|---|
| Cancel something running | Ctrl + C (press twice) |
| See available commands | /help |
| Quit Claude Code | /exit or Ctrl + D |
| Ask Claude to simplify | "Explain this like I'm not technical" |
| Paste a file path easily | Drag file from Finder into Terminal |
| Start fresh | Close Terminal, reopen, type your shortcut |
This is the fun part. Paste this into Claude Code. Let it interview you. Watch what happens.
What happens next:
You now have superpowers.
The more you use Claude Code, the more you'll discover what it can do. Don't overthink it — just start asking.