Reference · Basic · 10 min

Claude Code from scratch: a step-by-step route to start (2026)

Q: How do I make it always answer in Spanish?

Write it in your user CLAUDE.md (~/.claude/CLAUDE.md), for example "Always answer in Spanish". Check the result in a new session.

A 10-step route to learn Claude Code: what it is, what you need, installing it, your first real task and the free official courses explained.

Cover: Claude Code from scratch: a step-by-step route to start (2026)

Tested with Claude Code 2.1.316 · reviewed 2026-11-01

See the files on GitHub Free · MIT license

Summary

Where do I start with Claude Code? Right here. This page explains in two paragraphs what Claude Code is and what you need to use it, then gives you a 10-step route in order, each step with its goal, the key command and the Ctrl+IA recipe that covers it, tested with version 2.1.316. After that: your first real task in 10 minutes, a guide to the two free official Claude Academy courses and what to learn once the route feels easy. It takes 10 minutes to read, not a six-hour video. The route in Markdown, a checklist to track your progress and a practice project are in the ctrlia-empieza-aqui repository.

What Claude Code is (and isn't)

Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding tool: it reads your project, edits files, runs commands and integrates with your development tools. According to the official documentation it's available in the terminal, in IDE extensions (VS Code and JetBrains), in a desktop app and in the browser.

It's not autocomplete: you describe a task in natural language ("write tests for the authentication module, run them and fix the failures") and it plans, changes several files and checks the result, asking for permission according to the mode you choose. It's not the claude.ai chat either: the chat talks with you; Claude Code works on the files in your folder. All surfaces use the same engine, so your CLAUDE.md, settings and MCP servers work across all of them. If you're unsure between terminal, desktop app, Cowork or the web, the Which Claude should I open? comparison answers it in one table.

What you need before you start

An account that includes Claude Code. The claude.ai Free plan doesn't include it; it's in Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise, or you can pay as you go with a Claude Console API key. Official prices and which plan to pick in Is Claude Code free?.
A supported system: macOS, Linux, WSL or native Windows. On Windows, Git for Windows is recommended so Claude Code can use Bash; if you don't have it, use PowerShell. You don't need Node.js with the native installer.
A small project you know well. The desktop app guide itself recommends starting this way because it's the fastest way to see what it can do. If you don't have one at hand, the repository includes en/practice-project/ (Spanish version: proyecto-practica/).

An honest note: if the subscription isn't available in your country, we don't recommend VPN workarounds; check Anthropic's official list of supported countries.

The 10-step route (in this order)

Pick a plan or the API. Recipe: Is Claude Code free?
Install it. On macOS, Linux and WSL, curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash. On Windows follow Install Claude Code on Windows, which covers PowerShell, CMD and WSL.
First session. cd your-project, claude, sign in and ask "explain the structure of this project". Details in the next section.
Give it memory. Create a short CLAUDE.md with /init and trim it. Recipe: A CLAUDE.md that works
Control what it can do. Permission modes and allow/ask/deny rules in Claude Code permissions, and a hook that blocks dangerous stuff in Security hooks.
Work in your editor if you prefer. Recipe: Claude Code in VS Code
Save repeated procedures as skills with Create your first skill, and install only the ones worth it: Skills to install.
Connect external tools with MCP. Recipe: MCP for developers
Split work with subagents to save context. Recipe: Subagents
Automate PR reviews in GitHub Actions. Recipe: PR review with GitHub Actions

When something breaks, go to Common Claude Code errors; if you want to keep going from your phone, to Remote Control on your phone.

Install on macOS, Linux or WSL (official native installer):

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
# open a new terminal and check
claude --version

Install on Windows PowerShell:

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Your first real task in 10 minutes

Open a terminal in your project and run claude. The first time it asks you to sign in: choose your claude.ai account (subscription) or Console (API).
Check with /status which account and model it's using. Watch out: if you have the ANTHROPIC_API_KEY variable set, Claude Code will use that key and bill you through the API even if you pay for a plan.
Start with read-only questions: "what does this project do and how are the tests run?".
Then ask for something small and verifiable: "find a TODO comment and resolve it, then run the tests".
Read every change before accepting it; in Manual mode Claude shows you the diff and waits for your approval.
When you're done, ask "commit with a descriptive message" and review the message.

To see what fills your context use /context, for your usage /usage, and /clear when you switch topics. If you make a mistake, /rewind goes back to an earlier point in the conversation and the code (checkpoints).

cd your-project
claude
# inside the session:
/status     # account, plan and model in use
/init       # creates an initial CLAUDE.md
/context    # what fills the context window
/usage      # plan usage and limits

And a headless task with JSON output, which we checked on 1 Nov 2026 (the output includes result, total_cost_usd, duration_ms and num_turns):

claude -p "Summarize in 5 lines what this repository does" --output-format json \
  | python3 -c "import json,sys; d=json.load(sys.stdin); print(d['result']); print('estimated cost USD:', d['total_cost_usd'])"

The free official Claude Academy courses, explained

The official documentation links Claude Academy as "free self-paced courses". There are two on Claude Code, both in English:

Course	Length	What it covers	Requirements	Which recipe expands it
Claude Code 101	12 lessons, 1.5 h, quiz and badge	What Claude Code is, your first prompt, daily workflows and customization	Basic familiarity with an editor and the command line; Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise account, or an API key	The whole route (not a lesson-by-lesson match)
Claude Code in Action	9 lessons, 1 h, quiz and badge	Long sessions, a CLAUDE.md that gets followed, verification skills, permission modes, hooks, routines and headless mode, GitHub Actions and Code Review, verifying unattended runs and plugins	You already use Claude Code and know Git	Step 4 (CLAUDE.md), 5 (permissions and hooks), 7 (skills and plugins) and 10 (GitHub Actions)

We reviewed the courses through their public page (lessons and length); we didn't complete them.

What to learn next (pro level)

Once the basic route feels easy, these are the topics that separate people who use Claude Code from people who master it, all officially documented:

Plan mode (Shift+Tab or --permission-mode plan) to agree on the approach before touching code.
Auto mode: a classifier reviews actions and blocks risky ones instead of asking you.
Parallel sessions with claude --worktree so several tasks don't step on each other.
Headless mode (claude -p "…" --output-format json) for scripts and cron.
Cloud sessions with claude --cloud and --teleport.
Remote control from your phone: Remote Control.

If you're coming from another tool, the Claude Code vs Codex vs Gemini vs Cursor comparison explains how to measure Claude Code against Codex CLI, Antigravity CLI (formerly Gemini CLI) and Cursor on the same task. And if you want to use local models or other providers, see Ollama and OpenRouter.

Check this page every month: Claude Code ships versions almost daily and the route carries a review date.

All content, in order

This is the full Ctrl+IA library in the order it's best read.

Getting started

Memory and instructions

Control and security

Day to day

Extending Claude Code

Pro workflows

Compare and troubleshoot

FAQ

Is Claude Code free?

No. The program installs for free, but to use it you need Pro, Max, Ultra, Team or Enterprise, or a pay-as-you-go API key. The claude.ai Free plan doesn't include it. Details and official prices in the Is Claude Code free? recipe.

Is the official course in Spanish?

No. Claude Code 101 and Claude Code in Action are in English at academy.claude.com. This page summarizes what each course teaches and which Ctrl+IA recipe expands it. The official documentation does have a Spanish version at code.claude.com/docs/es.

Do I need to know how to code?

To get the most out of it, yes: you have to understand what it changes and know how to run tests. Claude Code 101 asks for basic familiarity with an editor and the command line. For non-coding tasks, Anthropic offers Cowork, which needs no terminal (see Which Claude should I open?).

Terminal, VS Code or desktop app?

It's the same engine. The terminal is the most complete surface (scripting and the Agent SDK are CLI-only); VS Code gives inline diffs; the desktop app, visual review and parallel sessions. You can mix them in the same project.

Does it work on Linux?

Yes. The CLI works on Linux with the native installer or with apt, dnf or apk. The desktop app for Linux is in beta for Ubuntu and Debian.

How do I make it always answer in Spanish?

Write it in your user CLAUDE.md (~/.claude/CLAUDE.md), for example "Always answer in Spanish". Check the result in a new session.

The whole library