Setup & IDE Integration

Prerequisites

• Node.js LTS (18+) installed
• Authentication — Claude Pro/Max subscription or Anthropic API key
• IDE (optional) — VS Code, JetBrains, or standalone CLI

Installation

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
claude   # Launch and authenticate

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
claude   # Launch and authenticate

Launch Options

VS Code Setup

JetBrains Setup

Claude Code supports JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand, PhpStorm, Android Studio) with a dedicated plugin. Install from the JetBrains Marketplace.

Model Selection

Use /model to switch between models during a session:

Recommended Terminal Layout

Open multiple parallel terminals in your IDE:

• Terminal 1: Claude Code (main session)
• Terminal 2: Your dev server (npm run dev)
• Terminal 3+: Additional Claude sessions for parallel work

Permission Settings

Create .claude/settings.json in your project root for auto-accept:

{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "Edit",
      "Write",
      "Bash(npm run *)",
      "Bash(python *)",
      "Bash(git add *)",
      "Bash(git commit *)",
      "Bash(git status)",
      "Bash(git diff *)",
      "Bash(git log *)"
    ],
    "ask": [],
    "deny": []
  }
}

Hooks System

Hooks run shell commands automatically at specific points in Claude Code’s lifecycle:

Example — auto-format after every edit:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Edit",
        "command": "npx prettier --write $FILE_PATH"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Git Worktrees — Parallel Development

Run multiple Claude Code sessions simultaneously on different features:

git worktree add .trees/feature-auth -b feature-auth
git worktree add .trees/feature-payments -b feature-payments

claude -w   # Worktree-aware mode

Headless & Automation Mode

Run Claude Code non-interactively for CI/CD pipelines and scripting:

# Plain text output
claude -p "Explain the architecture of this project"

# JSON output
claude -p "List all API endpoints" --output-format json

# Streaming JSON
claude -p "Refactor the database module" --output-format stream-json

Keyboard Shortcuts Reference