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Setting up your laptop

A handful of free installs. We'll do them one at a time, with a breather after each.

This is the most “technical” module, so let’s set expectations: it’s really just installing programs, like you’ve installed apps before. There are four, and we’ll do them in order. After each one you can stop, stretch, and come back.

The four tools:

  1. VS Code — the window where your project lives. Your workshop bench.
  2. Node — an engine that runs many of the things you’ll build.
  3. Git — the tool that saves and backs up your work (more in Module 5).
  4. Claude Code — your AI assistant. The star of the show.

First, meet the terminal

Windows comes with a built-in terminal called PowerShell A plain-text window where you type commands to your computer instead of clicking buttons. On Windows it's called PowerShell. . It’s a window where you type instructions to your computer as text, instead of clicking. It looks bare — just a blinking cursor — and that’s exactly why it can feel intimidating. It isn’t dangerous to open and look at. Let’s open it.

Click the Start menu (the Windows logo, bottom-left), type PowerShell, and click Windows PowerShell in the results — the plain one, not the entries that say “ISE” or “(x86)”. A blue window opens with a cursor. That’s your terminal.

Type 'PowerShell' into Start and pick the plain 'Windows PowerShell'.
A fresh PowerShell window. Bare and quiet — that's exactly how it should look.

When this guide says “run a command,” it means: copy the text from a box, paste it into this PowerShell window, and press Enter.

Tool 1 — VS Code (your workbench)

VS Code A free program for viewing and editing the files in your project. The window where you and your AI assistant work side by side. is a free editor from Microsoft. It’s the main window you’ll have open while you build — a file browser on one side, your work in the middle, and a terminal you can open right inside it.

The big 'Download for Windows' button is what you want.
  • Open the downloaded .exe file (it’ll be in your Downloads folder) to start the installer.
  • Keep clicking Next and accept the defaults. On the “Select Additional Tasks” screen, make sure “Add to PATH” is ticked — it usually is. That box is what lets your other tools find VS Code later, so it matters. Finish with Install.
On this screen, make sure 'Add to PATH' is ticked.
You can untick 'Launch Visual Studio Code' and click Finish.

Tool 2 — Node (the engine)

Node Software that runs many modern apps and websites on your computer. Also installs 'npm', a helper for adding building blocks to projects. is the engine that runs a lot of what you’ll build. Installing it also gives you a helper called npm, which fetches building blocks for your projects. You won’t call on these by name often — your assistant handles that — but they need to be present.

  • Go to nodejs.org (opens in a new tab) .
  • Download the version labelled LTS (it stands for “Long-Term Support,” which is the polite way of saying “the stable one most people should use”).
Pick the LTS version. If you see a couple of choices, LTS is the safe one.
Another view of the same page — the LTS button is what you're after.
  • Open the file and click through the installer with the defaults.
The optional 'tools for native modules' checkbox.
If you ticked it: this window appears — press a key to continue when asked (a few times).
The extras installing themselves. Lots of text, several minutes — totally normal.
If you see this, restart your computer when it's convenient.

Once it’s done, let’s confirm it worked. Open PowerShell and run this:

check Node is installed
node --version
A version number means Node is installed.

If you see something like v22.14.0 (any number is fine), Node is installed. If you instead see a red error like node is not recognized..., close the PowerShell window completely, open a fresh one, and try again — newly installed tools often only show up in a brand-new window.

Tool 3 — Git (the save system)

Git A tool that takes snapshots of your project so you can save progress and never lose work. Module 5 is all about it. is the tool that takes “save points” of your project. We’ll cover why in Module 5; for now we just install it.

Go to git-scm.com (opens in a new tab) and click the download for Git for Windows.

Start at git-scm.com and head for the Windows download.

It often sends you to a second page to pick the exact file — click the one that says something like “Git for Windows/x64 Setup” (the 64-bit setup). Then open the downloaded file to run the installer.

On this page, click 'Git for Windows/x64 Setup'.

There are a lot of screens here — don’t let that rattle you. It’s completely safe to accept every default: keep clicking Next, then Install, then Finish. If you spot an “Add to PATH” option along the way, leave it checked.

Choose Notepad from this dropdown instead of the default (Vim).

Confirm it’s there. Close PowerShell, open a fresh window, and run:

check Git is installed
git --version

A line like git version 2.43.0 means you’re set.

A version number means Git is ready.

Tool 4 — Claude Code (your assistant)

Last one, and the one you’ll actually talk to. Anthropic provides a one-line installer. Open a fresh Windows PowerShell window (the regular one — not Git Bash, not Command Prompt), paste in the line below, and press Enter:

install Claude Code in PowerShell
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Let it run — it downloads the assistant and sets it up. When it finishes, confirm:

check Claude Code is installed
claude --version
If you see a red 'not recognized' error like this — don't worry. The fix is right below.

Subscribe to Pro (so the assistant can actually work)

Before you sign in, let’s switch on the plan that powers the assistant. Remember from Module 1: Claude Code only runs on a paid plan — there’s no free tier for it. The starter plan, Pro, is about $24 CAD a month, and it’s all you need for everything in this guide. Here’s the whole path:

  • In your browser, go to claude.ai (opens in a new tab) and sign in with the Claude account you made in Module 1 (you may already be signed in).
  • Look in the bottom-left corner for your name or initials. Click it, and a small menu pops up — choose Settings.
Click your name or initials in the bottom-left, then choose Settings.
  • In Settings, open Billing. You’ll see the plans laid out, with prices already in Canadian dollars. Choose Pro, enter your card, and confirm.
The plan screen, in Canadian dollars. Pick Pro to start — it's all you need.

That’s it. Your computer’s Claude Code uses this same account automatically, so there’s nothing else to buy and nothing to set up in the terminal.

Sign in

Now start it for the first time. Run:

claude

The first time it runs, Claude asks you a couple of quick setup questions (things like a color theme). Just pick whatever you like and press Enter to move through them — there are no wrong answers.

Claude Code's first run. It'll ask a couple of setup questions — answer and press Enter.
Step through the setup prompts; press Enter to accept.

Then it tries to sign you in by opening your web browser, where you log in with the Claude account from Module 1.

If the browser doesn't open, Claude gives you a link and a code to use by hand.
Paste the link into your browser and sign in there.
Copy the code the browser gives you back into the terminal, then press Enter.

When it works, you’ll see a “logged in” confirmation. After this, you won’t have to sign in every time.

Signed in. You only do this once.
Claude asking if it can work in the current folder. We'll cover this properly in Module 4.

If something looks wrong

Claude Code ships with a built-in check-up. If anything feels off, run:

claude doctor

It inspects your setup and tells you, in plain terms, what (if anything) needs fixing. It’s the first thing to try whenever the assistant won’t start.

You did the hard part

Genuinely — installing a toolchain is the step most people bounce off. You’ve got all four tools and you’ve met the terminal. Next module is a gentle one: learning how your computer is actually organized, so you always know where your work lives.

your checklist0 / 7 done