Welcome

This guide will help you prepare your development environment before the workshop. Please complete these steps at least 24 hours before the workshop date to ensure a smooth experience.

What is Claude Code?

Claude Code is Anthropic's official CLI tool for agentic coding. It allows Claude to read, write, and execute code autonomously within your terminal, enabling powerful AI-assisted development workflows.

Prerequisites

Before installing Claude Code, ensure you have:

Node.js 18+ - Check with node --version
npm or yarn - Package manager for installation
Git - Version control (for workshop exercises)
A code editor - VS Code recommended (with Claude extension)
Terminal access - macOS Terminal, iTerm2, Windows Terminal, or similar

Installation Steps

Install Claude Code globally

Open your terminal and run:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Verify installation

Check that Claude Code is installed correctly:

claude --version

You should see the version number (e.g., 1.0.x).

Authenticate with Anthropic

Run Claude Code for the first time to authenticate:

claude

Follow the prompts to log in with your Anthropic account. If your company has provided API credentials, use those instead.

Test with a simple command

Navigate to any project directory and test:

# Navigate to a test project
cd ~/projects/test-project

# Start Claude Code
claude

# Try a simple request
> What files are in this directory?
                    

Essential Commands

Here are the key commands you'll use during the workshop:

Command	Description
`claude`	Start interactive mode in current directory
`claude "prompt"`	Run a single command and exit
`claude --help`	Show all available options
`/help`	Get help within interactive mode
`/clear`	Clear conversation history
`/compact`	Summarize and compress context
`Ctrl+C`	Cancel current operation
`exit` or `Ctrl+D`	Exit Claude Code

Project Configuration

Claude Code can be configured per-project using a CLAUDE.md file in your project root:

# CLAUDE.md - Project instructions for Claude Code

## Project Overview
This is a Node.js API built with Express and TypeScript.

## Key Commands
- `npm run dev` - Start development server
- `npm test` - Run tests
- `npm run build` - Build for production

## Architecture
- `/src/routes` - API endpoints
- `/src/services` - Business logic
- `/src/models` - Database models

## Coding Standards
- Use TypeScript strict mode
- All functions must have JSDoc comments
- Follow REST naming conventions
            

Pro Tip

A well-crafted CLAUDE.md file dramatically improves Claude's understanding of your codebase. We'll create these together during the workshop.

Security Best Practices

Before using Claude Code with sensitive codebases:

What Claude Code CAN access:

Files in your current working directory and subdirectories
Read file contents when you approve
Execute terminal commands when you approve
Make edits to files when you approve

Security recommendations:

Never commit API keys - Use environment variables and .env files
Add sensitive files to .gitignore - Prevents accidental exposure
Review before approving - Always check proposed changes
Use permission modes - Start with "ask" mode for sensitive projects

Enterprise Note

If your organisation has specific data handling policies, ensure you understand what can and cannot be shared with AI tools. We'll cover enterprise security configurations during the workshop.

Workshop Exercises Setup

Clone the workshop repository to have the exercise files ready:

# Clone workshop materials
git clone https://github.com/gis-analytics/claude-code-workshop.git

# Navigate to the directory
cd claude-code-workshop

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Verify setup
npm test
            

The repository contains:

/exercises - Hands-on coding challenges
/examples - Reference implementations
/templates - CLAUDE.md templates for different project types

Troubleshooting

Installation issues

Permission denied on npm install:

# Fix npm permissions (macOS/Linux)
sudo chown -R $(whoami) ~/.npm
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
            

Authentication issues

Login not working:

Ensure you have an active Anthropic account
Check your internet connection
Try logging out and back in: claude logout && claude

Performance issues

Slow responses in large codebases:

Use .claudeignore to exclude large directories (node_modules, build artifacts)
Run from a subdirectory when possible
Use /compact to reduce context size

Checklist

Before the workshop, confirm you have completed:

[ ] Node.js 18+ installed
[ ] Claude Code installed globally
[ ] Successfully authenticated
[ ] Tested basic commands
[ ] Cloned workshop repository
[ ] VS Code (or preferred editor) ready

Need Help?

If you encounter any issues during setup:

Email: info@gisanalytics.com
Phone: +44 7940 839655

We're happy to help you get set up before the workshop!