Skip to main content

First Run

๐Ÿ’ก What you'll learn in this chapter: understanding the Claude Code interface, starting your first conversation, choosing a permission mode

Prerequisites

You should have completed Login & API Key Setup. If you have a subscription (Pro, Max, etc.), signing in through the browser is all you need.

Setup: Create a Test Folderโ€‹

mkdir claude-test
cd claude-test

You can start in an empty folder, or move into an existing project folder instead.

Starting Claude Codeโ€‹

claude

On first launch, you'll see a screen like this:

โ•ญโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ•ฎ
โ”‚ โœป Welcome to Claude Code!                               โ”‚
โ”‚                                                         โ”‚
โ”‚   /help for help, /status for your current setup        โ”‚
โ•ฐโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ•ฏ

 What would you like to do?
>

Once the > prompt appears, you can type instructions in natural language.

Understanding the Interfaceโ€‹

The main elements of the Claude Code screen:

โ•ญโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ•ฎ
โ”‚  Model: claude-sonnet-5                   Tokens: 1,234  โ”‚
โ”‚  Current directory: /Users/you/claude-test              โ”‚
โ•ฐโ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€โ•ฏ

 Claude's responses appear here.

 What would you like to do?
> Type your instructions here
  • Top: current model and token usage
  • Middle: Claude's responses
  • Bottom: the input prompt

First Exercise: "Hello, Claude!"โ€‹

The simplest way to start:

> Hi! I'm trying Claude Code for the first time. Give me a quick overview of what I can do with this tool.

Claude will respond with a summary of its capabilities.

Second Exercise: Creating a Fileโ€‹

Let's create an actual file:

> Create a file called hello.py with Python code that prints "Hello, Claude Code!"

When Claude tries to create the file, a permission prompt appears:

Claude wants to create a file: hello.py

Content:
  print("Hello, Claude Code!")

Allow? [y/n/always/never]
  • y โ€” allow this one time
  • n โ€” deny
  • always โ€” always allow (for this session)
  • never โ€” always deny

Type y and press Enter.

Once the file is created, run it right away:

> Run python hello.py

Understanding Permission Modesโ€‹

Claude Code has four permission modes. You can switch between them with Shift+Tab:

1. Defaultโ€‹

Asks for confirmation before every file write and command execution. Recommended when you're just starting out.

2. Auto-accept Editsโ€‹

Automatically approves file edits, but still asks for confirmation before Bash commands.

3. Plan Modeโ€‹

Reads and analyzes code only โ€” no file modifications. Useful when you want to settle on a direction first.

4. Bypass Permissionsโ€‹

claude --dangerously-skip-permissions
Warning

This skips all permission checks. Use it only in isolated environments (containers/VMs). Do not use it on a regular local machine.

Third Exercise: Modifying Codeโ€‹

Now let's modify existing code:

> Modify hello.py so it asks for the user's name and prints "Hello, {name}!"

Claude will read the current file, show you the proposed edit, and ask for approval before applying it.

Useful Keyboard Shortcutsโ€‹

ShortcutFunction
Ctrl+CInterrupt the current response
โ†‘ / โ†“Previous/next command history
Ctrl+LClear the screen
Shift+TabCycle permission modes (Default โ†” Auto-accept โ†” Plan)
Ctrl+RReverse-search command history

Slash Commandsโ€‹

Special commands that start with /:

/help       โ€” Show help
/status     โ€” Current setup and model info
/clear      โ€” Clear the conversation
/exit       โ€” Quit
/model      โ€” Change the model
/cost       โ€” Check this session's usage cost

Wrapping Up Your First Sessionโ€‹

> /cost

Check how much this session cost. A typical first session comes in under $0.01.

> /exit

Or press Ctrl+D to quit.

Key Takeawaysโ€‹

  • Start with the claude command and give instructions in natural language
  • Claude asks for permission before modifying, creating, or executing files
  • y (allow), n (deny), always (always allow)
  • Make use of slash commands like /help, /status, and /cost
Get weekly Claude Code tips by email

Real usage insights, delivered free. Subscribe โ†’

Last updated on