Claude Code

Windows Setup Guide

For new team members joining coding-projects — no prior coding or environment knowledge needed

What we are setting up today

  1. Overview — what all this software is and why you need it
  2. The tech stack — two languages and why
  3. Prerequisites — what to have ready before you start
  4. Step 1 — Install Node.js (tooling and frontend environment)
  5. Step 2 — Install Python (application backend)
  6. Step 3 — Install Git
  7. Step 4 — Install Claude Code
  8. Step 5 — Set up your project folder
  9. Step 6 — Clone the repository
  10. Step 7 — Set up VS Code
  11. Step 8 — Verify your setup
  12. Daily workflow
  13. Troubleshooting

Overview

Before touching anything, here is a plain-English explanation of what you are installing and how it all fits together.

Think of it like a workshop. Your computer is the workshop. The tools on your workbench are the software. Each tool has a specific job, and they are designed to work together.

Node.js is a runtime environment that allows JavaScript-based tools to run on your computer. You will not interact with it directly — it runs in the background powering Claude Code and the React frontend development environment. Think of it as the electrical wiring behind the wall.

Python is the programming language used for the application backend — the engine that powers the app on the server side. Python is also the dominant language in AI and data science, which is central to what this team builds. You will write Python code directly.

Git is version control software. Every time you save a meaningful change to your project, Git records a snapshot of it with a message explaining what changed. You always have a full history of every decision ever made, and you can roll back to any previous version if something goes wrong. Think of it as an infinite undo button with a logbook attached.

GitHub is the cloud platform where your Git history lives online. Your local copy of the project lives on your computer; GitHub is the shared copy everyone on the team can access and contribute to. Think of it as Google Drive, but built specifically for code with built-in version history.

Claude Code is your AI coding agent. It lives in the terminal and works alongside you — writing code, explaining concepts, running commands, making commits, and helping you learn as you build. It is not just a chatbot; it can take real actions inside your project on your behalf.

VS Code (Visual Studio Code) is your code editor — where you read, write, and review code. It is like Microsoft Word, but for code. It has built-in Git support, a terminal you can run right inside it, and extensions that make development faster and easier.

PowerShell is the terminal you will use for all commands throughout this guide. It is the modern Windows command line and is the default terminal inside VS Code. All commands in this guide are written for PowerShell.

How they connect: You write and review code in VS Code → Git tracks every change with a message → GitHub backs it up to the cloud so the team can access it → Claude Code assists you throughout the whole process from inside the terminal → Node.js powers the tools and the React frontend → Python powers the application backend and AI features.

The Tech Stack — Two Languages and Why

This project uses two programming languages. That is intentional. Here is why each one exists and what it does.

Layer Technology Language What it does
Frontend React JavaScript Everything the user sees in the browser — the map, the interface, the buttons
Backend FastAPI Python The server-side engine — handles requests, processes data, talks to the database
AI Agents Claude API Python AI features built into the application — written in Python because all major AI libraries are Python-first
Database Azure SQL SQL Where all data is stored permanently — pins, notes, photos, records
Cloud Microsoft Azure — Where the application lives on the internet
Dev Tools Claude Code, npm JavaScript (Node.js) The tools that help you build — run in the background, not written by you
Why two languages? JavaScript runs natively in browsers — there is no alternative for frontend work. Python dominates AI, data science, and is excellent for backend development. JavaScript on the frontend and Python on the backend is the most common pairing in modern AI-focused companies. Node.js is not the backend here — it is the infrastructure that powers your development tools and React environment.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

Use PowerShell for all commands in this guide. PowerShell is the default terminal in VS Code and is the modern Windows command line. Do not use Command Prompt — it handles some commands differently and will cause confusion.

Step 1: Install Node.js

What Node.js does here: Node.js is not the application backend — Python handles that. Node.js powers two things: Claude Code (the AI coding agent you will use daily) and the React development environment (the tooling that compiles and serves your frontend while you work). You will not write Node.js code directly, but it must be installed for your tools to work.
  1. Go to nodejs.org and download the LTS version for Windows. LTS stands for Long Term Support — the stable, recommended version.
  2. Run the installer. The default settings are fine for everything.
  3. When asked about "automatically install the necessary tools" — check this box. It installs Chocolatey, Python build tools, and Visual Studio Build Tools. Some packages need these to compile and you will want them for development work.
  4. A separate black PowerShell window will open after Node installs and run for several minutes. Do not close it — let it finish on its own.
  5. When it is done, close all open terminals before moving on. The installer updated your system PATH and existing terminals will not see the change until restarted.

Open a fresh PowerShell terminal and verify:

node --version

You should see a version number like v22.0.0 — any number means it worked.

Step 2: Install Python

What Python does here: Python is the language you will write for the application backend and all AI features. It is the dominant language in AI and data science — virtually every AI tool, framework, and library is built Python-first. This is the language you will spend the most time writing.
  1. Open the Start menu and search for Python install manager — Windows will find it in the Microsoft Store. Install and open it.
  2. A terminal window will open and walk you through configuration. Answer each prompt as follows:
The Python install manager handles PATH configuration automatically — you do not need to worry about checking any boxes.

Answer each prompt like this:

When configuration is complete, close the terminal window. Then close the VS Code terminal panel (click the trash icon) and reopen it with Ctrl + `. Verify Python installed correctly:

python --version

You should see something like Python 3.14.0 — any 3.x number means it worked.

Also verify pip installed correctly — pip is Python's package manager, the equivalent of npm for Node:

pip --version

You should see a pip version number followed by the Python version and install path.

Python installs to C:\Python3xx\ — this is correct. Python is a system tool like Node.js, not a project. Your project code lives on E:, but language runtimes live on C:. That is the right separation.

Step 3: Install Git

  1. Go to git-scm.com and download the Windows installer.
  2. Run it with default settings — just click Next until it installs.
  3. When asked to choose a default editor, select VS Code from the dropdown. This means Git will open VS Code whenever it needs you to write something, instead of a confusing text editor.

Open a fresh PowerShell terminal and tell Git who you are. This name and email will be attached to every change you make so the team knows who did what:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"
Use your real name and the same email address you signed up to GitHub with.

Step 4: Install Claude Code

Claude Code is installed through npm — Node's package manager. It was installed automatically with Node.js in Step 1.

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
The -g flag means "install globally" — Claude Code will be available from any folder on your computer, not just one specific project.

Once installed, launch it:

claude

A welcome screen will appear. Press Enter or Escape to get past it. Then type:

/login

A browser window will open. Log in with your Anthropic account and click Authorize. Return to the terminal when done.

Step 5: Set Up Your Project Folder

We keep all projects on the E: drive to preserve space on the C: drive, which is where Windows and system files live. In PowerShell, switching drives is simple — just use cd normally with the full path:

cd E:\Projects

Your terminal prompt should change to show E:\Projects — that confirms you are in the right place.

If you only have a C: drive, run mkdir C:\Projects then cd C:\Projects instead.

Step 6: Clone the Repository

What is cloning? Cloning downloads a complete copy of the project from GitHub to your computer — including all files and the full history of every change ever made. After cloning, your computer and GitHub are in sync and ready to work.
git clone https://github.com/stacey-piercey/coding-projects.git
cd coding-projects

A browser window may open asking you to sign in to GitHub — authorize it.

You should see: branch 'main' set up to track 'origin/main' — this means your local copy is connected to GitHub and ready to sync.

Step 7: Set Up VS Code

What is VS Code? Visual Studio Code is a free code editor made by Microsoft. It is where you will read and review code, browse your project files, and run your terminal — all in one window. Think of it as your main cockpit for development.

Open your project

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Click Open Folder
  3. Navigate to E:\Projects\coding-projects and click Select Folder

Your project files will appear in the left sidebar — that is the Explorer panel, your file browser. Click any file to open it.

Look at the bottom left corner of VS Code — you should see a branch icon with the word main next to it. That means VS Code has already detected your Git repo and is connected to it.

Skip the Copilot prompt

VS Code may ask if you want to install GitHub Copilot — skip it. You are using Claude Code as your AI coding agent. They would be redundant.

Use PowerShell in the terminal

Open the built-in terminal with:

Ctrl + `   (the backtick key — top left of keyboard, above Tab, shares a key with ~)

VS Code defaults to PowerShell — confirm it says PowerShell in the terminal dropdown on the right side of the terminal panel. If it shows Command Prompt, click the dropdown and switch to PowerShell. Use PowerShell for all commands from this point forward.

Common mistake: Do not press Ctrl + ] — that zooms your editor to a huge font size. The key you want is the backtick: `

Install extensions

What are extensions? Extensions are add-ons that give VS Code extra capabilities. VS Code is intentionally minimal out of the box — you add what you need. Click the four-squares icon in the left sidebar to open the Extensions panel, then search for and install each one below.
GitLens
Publisher: GitKraken
Supercharges Git inside VS Code. Hover over any line of code and GitLens shows you who wrote it, when, and what their commit message said. As the team grows this becomes invaluable for understanding why code exists and who to ask about it.
Prettier - Code formatter
Publisher: esbenp — look for this exact publisher name when searching
Automatically formats your code so it always looks clean and consistent — proper indentation, spacing, and line breaks handled for you on every save. When everyone on the team uses Prettier, all code looks the same regardless of who wrote it, which makes reading each other's work much easier.
ESLint
Publisher: Microsoft
Catches errors and bad practices in your JavaScript code as you type — before you even run it. Red underlines appear under problems, just like spell-check in Word. Think of it as a code reviewer looking over your shoulder in real time. Applies to the React frontend code.
Python
Publisher: Microsoft
Adds full Python support to VS Code — syntax highlighting, error detection, debugging, and the ability to run Python files directly from the editor. Essential since Python is the application backend language. Install this and the Pylance extension will be recommended automatically — accept it.
Live Server
Publisher: Ritwick Dey
Lets you preview websites and web apps in your browser with one click, and automatically refreshes the page every time you save a file. Essential for frontend development — instead of manually refreshing your browser after every change, it happens instantly and automatically.
indent-rainbow
Publisher: oderwat
Colors each level of indentation a different color. This is especially important in Python where indentation is not just style — it is syntax. Python uses indentation to define code blocks, so a wrong indent is a broken program. This extension makes indentation immediately visible and easy to read.

Select your Python interpreter

VS Code needs to know which Python installation to use. Press:

Ctrl + Shift + P

Type Python: Select Interpreter and select it from the dropdown. You will see a list of Python installations — select the one that says Python 3.14 (64-bit) C:\Python314\python.exe and is marked as global. This keeps VS Code and your terminal pointed at the same Python installation, which avoids confusing errors down the road.

Set VS Code as your Git editor

Run this in the VS Code PowerShell terminal. It tells Git to open VS Code whenever it needs you to write something — so you will never get stuck in a confusing text editor:

git config --global core.editor "code --wait"

If the command runs with no error message, it worked.

Step 8: Verify Your Setup

In the VS Code PowerShell terminal, confirm all tools are installed correctly:

node --version
python --version
git --version

Then navigate to the project and run the Claude Code health check:

cd E:\Projects\coding-projects
claude
/doctor

This checks that everything is connected and working correctly. Report any errors to the team lead before proceeding.

Setup complete checklist

Daily Workflow

The golden rule of Git: Always pull before you push. Pulling downloads your teammates' latest changes from GitHub. Pushing uploads yours. If you push without pulling first, Git will reject it because your copy is behind. Make pulling a reflex — do it every time you sit down to work.
  1. Open VS Code and open the PowerShell terminal with Ctrl + `
  2. Navigate to the project: cd E:\Projects\coding-projects
  3. Pull first — get your teammates' latest changes: git pull
  4. Start Claude Code: claude
  5. Build something
  6. Commit your work with a clear message: git commit -m "describe what you changed and why"
  7. Push your changes to GitHub: git push
Write meaningful commit messages. "fix bug" tells nobody anything in three weeks. "fix login button not responding on mobile" tells everyone exactly what happened and why. Write messages as if you are leaving a note for your future self — because you are.

Troubleshooting

"npm is not recognized" error

Close your terminal completely and open a fresh one. The Node.js installer updates your system PATH — a list of places Windows looks for programs — but terminals that were already open when Node installed will not see the update until restarted.

"python is not recognized" error

Close the terminal completely and open a fresh one — the PATH update from installation requires a terminal restart to take effect. If it still does not work, open the Python install manager from the Start menu and run through the configuration again, making sure to answer y to the "Add commands directory to your PATH" prompt.

Terminal is showing Command Prompt instead of PowerShell

Click the dropdown arrow next to the terminal name in VS Code, select PowerShell, and use that for all commands. All commands in this guide are written for PowerShell. Command Prompt handles some things differently and will cause confusion.

Push rejected with "fetch first" error

GitHub has changes your local copy does not have yet — usually because a teammate pushed something, or a change was made directly on GitHub. Pull first, then push:

git pull
git push

VS Code opens during git pull and waits

Git is asking you to confirm a merge message — an explanation of why two sets of changes are being combined. The default message it provides is always fine. Save and close the VS Code tab that opened, and Git will continue automatically.

"src refspec main does not match any" on first push

Git will not create a branch until there is at least one commit. Create a first commit before pushing:

echo "# project-name" > README.md
git add README.md
git commit -m "first commit"
git push -u origin main

Computer Use is missing from Claude settings

Computer Use — the feature that lets Claude click around your actual desktop — is currently available on macOS only and is not yet available on Windows. All other Claude Code features work fully on Windows.

Questions? Reach out to the team lead before you