Install Everything

Four Tools

You need exactly four programs to build and publish a website with Claude. Here’s what each one is for:

• Git keeps save points of your project, so you can always go back. You’ll meet it properly in the next part.
• Node.js is the engine that most web tools run on. You won’t touch it directly, Claude uses it.
• Claude Code is your builder.
• GitHub CLI (CLI means “command line interface”, a tool you use from the terminal) is your key to GitHub, the website where your project will live online.

You install them once, and you’re set up for every project after this.

Before You Start

You’ll need two accounts. Both take a couple of minutes:

• A Claude account with a paid plan. Claude Code needs the Pro plan or higher. The free plan doesn’t include it.
• A GitHub account. Free, at github.com. Pick a username you won’t mind people seeing, because it shows up in your project’s web address.

Step 1: Install the Four Tools

Open the terminal and run these four lines, one at a time. Wait for each one to finish before the next.

What the pieces mean:

• --id names the exact program you want.
• -e means exact match, so winget never grabs a similar looking one by mistake.

If Windows pops up a box asking “Do you want to allow this app to make changes?”, click Yes.

Step 2: Close the Terminal and Open a New One

This step feels pointless, but it matters. Here’s why:

A terminal copies Windows’ list of programs the moment it opens, and never looks again. Anything you install afterwards stays invisible to it until you open a fresh terminal.

If you ever see “is not recognized” right after installing something, the fix is almost always: close the terminal and open a new one.

Step 3: Check Everything Answers

In the new terminal, ask each tool for its version:

Your numbers will be different, and that’s fine. Any version number means the tool is installed and working.

Step 4: Sign In to Claude

Type claude and press Enter.

The first time, Claude Code opens your browser so you can sign in with your Claude account. Sign in, allow access, and come back to the terminal.

You’ll see Claude Code’s welcome screen. For now, leave it by typing /exit and pressing Enter. We’ll start real work in the next note.

Step 5: Sign In to GitHub

It asks a few questions. Use the arrow keys and Enter to answer:

It then shows a one-time code (like A1B2-C3D4). Press Enter, the browser opens, paste the code, and approve.

After this, Claude can upload your project to GitHub without ever asking you for a password.

Step 6: Tell Git Who You Are

Every save point gets labeled with a name and an email. Set yours once:

• Use the same email as your GitHub account, so your save points link to your profile.
• The last line names your project’s main line of work main, which is the name GitHub uses too. Same name everywhere, less confusion.

If Something Goes Wrong

The fix for “running scripts is disabled”:

It lets your own account run the small scripts that tools like Node.js use. Type Y if it asks to confirm.