First Steps with Claude CLI
Open your project
Section titled “Open your project”- Open VS Code
- Go to File → Open Folder and select your project directory
- Open the integrated terminal: press
Ctrl+`(backtick)
You should see a terminal at the bottom of the screen, inside your project folder.
Start a session
Section titled “Start a session”claudeClaude opens in your terminal. You’ll see a welcome message and a prompt — Claude is now ready for input, scoped to your project directory.
Run your first prompt
Section titled “Run your first prompt”Ask Claude to explain something in your project. Replace src/index.js with any file that exists:
Read src/index.js and explain what it does in plain English.Claude will read the file and give you a plain-language summary. This is the fastest way to get oriented in an unfamiliar codebase.
Ask for a change
Section titled “Ask for a change”Now try asking for a small edit:
Add a comment at the top of src/index.js describing what the file does.Claude will propose the change and ask for confirmation before writing to disk.
When you’re done:
/quitOr press Ctrl+C. Your terminal returns to normal.