Getting set up

A few steps ask you to type a command into a window. Step 1 installs that window (it's called Git Bash), and from then on everything happens in that one window. Don't worry if it looks intimidating: you'll only ever copy, paste, and press Enter.

1Install Git — this also gives you the window you'll type into

1. Go to git-scm.com/download/win
2. Click the 64-bit Git for Windows Setup (x64) link to download the installer. (If you happen to know your laptop has an ARM processor, which is rare, pick ARM64 instead. Almost everyone wants x64.)
3. Open the downloaded file. The installer asks a lot of questions, but you can safely click Next on every screen, then Install. The standard choices are exactly what we want.
4. When it finishes, untick "View Release Notes" if it's ticked, and click Finish.

60 seconds with your terminal — before you type your first command

The terminal doesn't quite behave like the rest of your computer. A few quick things will save you some "why isn't this working?!" moments:

• Your mouse can't move the cursor. Once you've typed something, you can't click in the middle of a line to edit it. Use ← and → to move along the line; ↑ and ↓ scroll through commands you typed before.
• Press Enter to actually run a command. Nothing happens until you do. If it looks stuck, you may not have pressed it.
• Commands are case-sensitive. cd and CD are different.
• Press Tab to autocomplete. Start typing a folder or filename, hit Tab, and it finishes the name for you. Saves typos.
• Copying and pasting use different shortcuts here. To copy: highlight text with your mouse, then press Ctrl+Insert (or right-click → Copy). To paste: press Shift+Insert (or right-click → Paste). Heads up: the usual Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V don't work the way you'd expect at the Git Bash prompt. Ctrl+C interrupts a running command instead.
• ~ means your home folder. When you see ~/Documents, that's your Documents folder, the same one you see in File Explorer.
• Ctrl+Z doesn't mean "undo" here. It pauses whatever's running, including your tutor. If your tutor seems to vanish, type fg and press Enter to bring it back.

That's it. Your tutor explains the rest as it comes up. (And if a key-press catches you out later, the Troubleshooting page has the common ones.)

2Install Node.js — the engine the tutor runs on

1. Go to nodejs.org and click Get Node.js.
2. Find the Windows Installer (.msi) button, make sure it says x64 in the box above it, and click the Windows Installer button to download.
3. Open the downloaded file and click Next / Install through it, accepting the standard choices.
4. Important: close your Git Bash window and open it again (Start menu → Git Bash). This lets it notice that Node is now installed.

In Git Bash, type this and press Enter. (Remember — Ctrl+V won't paste here; right-click or press Shift+Insert instead.)

3Install the tutor's engine — Claude Code

In Git Bash, type this exactly and press Enter:

It'll print several lines and take a minute or two. Wait until the typing cursor comes back and sits there ready.

Then check it's there:

Did it work? Awesome. You just downloaded Claude via a command terminal — you're practically a hacker!

4Sign in to Claude

In Git Bash, type this and press Enter:

1. The first thing Claude shows you is a colour theme picker. Use the arrow keys to highlight any one you like and press Enter. It doesn't matter which you pick; you can change it any time later.
2. Next it asks how you want to log in. Use the arrow keys to highlight Claude account with subscription and press Enter.
3. Your web browser should open on its own to a Claude sign-in page. (If it doesn't open, look in Git Bash for a long web address starting with https:// and copy that into your browser by hand.)
4. Sign in with your account details.
5. Once you've signed in, the browser will show a "you can close this window" message. Close that tab and come back to Git Bash.
6. Git Bash will show a "signed in" message followed by a couple of quick confirmation screens. Press Enter to move through them. When it asks whether you trust the folder, make sure "I trust this folder" is highlighted and press Enter again.
7. You'll now see the Claude prompt waiting for you to type.
8. Type /exit and press Enter to leave Claude and get back to the Git Bash prompt, ready for the next step.

5Get your tutor

In Git Bash, paste this exactly and press Enter:

It'll print a few lines as it works. When you see "All set." your tutor is on your computer and ready.

6Say hello to your tutor

One last thing before you meet the tutor: close this Git Bash window and open a fresh one (Start menu → Git Bash). That's so the new tutor command becomes available.

In the fresh window, type this and press Enter:

That one word takes you into your project folder and starts the tutor. The first time, it'll ask whether you trust the folder. Use the arrow keys to highlight "Yes, proceed" (or "I trust this folder") and press Enter.

Right after that, Claude will show a warning that it's running in bypass permissions mode. Highlight "Yes, I accept" and press Enter.

You're now inside Claude. Type hi and press Enter to start the conversation.

Claude may show silly-sounding words like "Photosynthesizing…" or "Decombobulating…" while it loads. That's normal; it's just Claude being cute. It'll check the files you've downloaded, and then in a few moments introduce itself as your tutor.

Starting and stopping — two phrases to save

Once you're set up, two simple phrases run everything. Worth saving them somewhere (a sticky note or Notepad); your tutor also reminds you at the end of every session. (Also lives on the Helpful notes page for ongoing reference.)

To stop for the day, type this and press Enter:

Your tutor saves where you got to and tells you it's safe to close the window. (A full stop on the end is fine; End lesson. works too.)

To come back next time, open Git Bash and type:

Then, once your tutor is running, type Continue learning and press Enter.