A beginner's guide to setting up a system that works without you in the room.

💡 Before you start: This doc walks you through all 6 steps in order. Don't skip ahead - each step builds on the one before it. You don't need any coding experience. If you can copy and paste, you can do this.

What you're building

Most people install Claude Code and use it like a chat window. You type, it responds, you type again.

That's not a system. That's just a faster way to Google.

By the end of this doc, you'll have:

✅ A context file Claude reads before every session - no more re-explaining yourself
✅ A memory layer that learns from every correction you make
✅ Skills that fire entire workflows with one command
✅ Agents with clear individual jobs - no overlap, no confusion
✅ Routines that run on a schedule without you touching anything

Let's build it.

STEP 1 - Install Claude Code

🟠 What this step does: Gets Claude Code running on your machine. Everything else lives on top of this foundation.

Pick your surface

Claude Code runs in three places. Pick whichever fits how you work:

Surface	Best for	How to install
Terminal	Developers, power users	`npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code`
Desktop App	Everyone else	Download from claude.ai/download
VS Code Extension	Coders who live in their editor	Search "Claude Code" in VS Code extensions

First-time setup

Once installed, open Claude Code and run: