Getting Started

Go from zero to productive with Claude Code in 10 minutes.

Step 0: Create a Claude Account

If you don’t have one yet, sign up at claude.ai and choose a plan. See the Account Setup guide for plan comparisons and recommendations.

Step 1: Install the Playbook (2 minutes)

Option A — Interactive installer:

curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ao92265/claude-code-playbook/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

Option B — Manual setup:

git clone https://github.com/ao92265/claude-code-playbook.git
cd claude-code-playbook

# Copy a template to your project
cp templates/CLAUDE.md /path/to/your/project/CLAUDE.md

# Install skills globally
cp -r skills/check-env ~/.claude/skills/
cp -r skills/deploy ~/.claude/skills/
cp -r skills/handoff ~/.claude/skills/

# Install hooks
mkdir -p ~/.claude/hooks
cp hooks/ts-check.sh ~/.claude/hooks/
chmod +x ~/.claude/hooks/ts-check.sh

Step 2: Customize Your CLAUDE.md (3 minutes)

Open the CLAUDE.md you just copied and edit each section:

Project Basics — Set your language, framework, and module system
Testing — Specify your test runner and testing conventions
Verification — Define what “done” means (which commands to run)
Git & GitHub — Keep the safety rules as-is

Delete sections that don’t apply. Every line should prevent a real problem.

Step 3: Configure Hooks (2 minutes)

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Edit|Write",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "~/.claude/hooks/ts-check.sh",
            "timeout": 30,
            "statusMessage": "Checking TypeScript types..."
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

For the complete 7-hook setup, see config/hooks-example.json.

Step 4: Your First Session (3 minutes)

Start Claude Code and try:

> /check-env

This validates your environment — ports, Docker, credentials, Node.js. Fix any issues it finds.

Then try a real task:

> Fix the failing test in src/auth/login.test.ts.
  The error is: "Expected 200, received 401".
  Only modify files in src/auth/. Don't change tests.

Notice the pattern: specific error + scope constraint + clear goal.

What to Learn Next

Goal	Resource
Master the core workflow	Power User Guide
Improve your prompts	Prompt Patterns
Avoid common mistakes	Anti-Patterns
Choose the right skill	Workflow Decision Tree
Pick the right model	Model Comparison
Set up MCP servers	MCP Servers Guide
See real examples	Example Sessions

The 5 Rules That Matter Most

If you remember nothing else from this playbook:

One task per session. Multi-task sessions degrade quality.
Paste real errors. Don’t describe — paste the stack trace.
Scope-lock your prompts. “Only modify src/auth/” prevents drift.
Verify with real tests. “Looks correct” ≠ “passes tests”.
Start fresh above 80% context. Use /handoff to preserve context for the next session.