Before the workshop

Get set up before day one.

Everything you need for the day, and a 20-minute setup that means you spend the workshop building instead of installing. Do it on the laptop you're bringing.

Logistics

The day.

When
Friday, September 18
9am–4pm Central. Doors open 8:30am; come early if you want a hand with setup.
Where
Birmingham, Alabama
Exact address and parking go out by email at least a week before the workshop.
Parking
Details by email
Parking instructions come with the address. Budget 10 minutes to park and find the room.
Bring
Laptop + charger
Windows or Mac, one you can install software on. Personal beats work-issued: corporate laptops often block installs. Lunch and coffee are on us.
Setup

Four things, in order.

Please finish this by September 8. That leaves time to sort out anything odd before the day. If you get stuck, email stephen@illumined.io with your operating system, which step you were on, and the exact error text or a screenshot. Between September 9 and September 14 replies will be slow, so don't sit on a problem: send it, then carry on. Nothing here is a blocker for attending; the first hour of the workshop is setup help, and the week of the workshop we offer a short call to fix whatever's left.

  1. Get a Claude Pro subscription ($20/month).Claude Code needs a paid Claude account; the free plan doesn't include it. Sign up or upgrade at claude.ai and remember which email you used. Claude Max ($100/month) is optional; it's only worth it if you plan to use Claude heavily after the workshop.
  2. Install Claude Code.Follow the section for your laptop below: Windows or Mac. Ten minutes on most machines.
  3. Log in and say hello.The first-run check at the bottom confirms everything works end to end.
  4. Bring an idea.Something small you'd like to exist: a tool, a tracker, a calculator, a page. We'll cut it down to a day's worth together, so don't overthink it.
WindowsMacFirst run

Windows setup.

You'll use PowerShell, which is already on your machine. You don't need to run anything as Administrator.

  1. Install Git for Windows first.Download it from git-scm.com/downloads/win and run the installer. Keep every default; the one screen to check is the PATH one, where “Git from the command line and also from 3rd-party software” should be selected (it is by default). This gives Claude Code the Bash tool we use in class. Without it, Claude Code still works but behaves a little differently from what you'll see on screen.
  2. Open PowerShell.Press the Windows key, type PowerShell, and open “Windows PowerShell”. The prompt starts with PS C:\. If it starts with plain C:\ you opened Command Prompt instead; close it and open PowerShell.
  3. Run the installer.Paste this line and press Enter:
    irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
    It downloads and installs Claude Code to your user folder, no admin rights needed.
  4. Close PowerShell and open a new window.The window you installed from doesn't know about the new program yet. In the fresh window, run:
    claude --version
    You should see a version number like 2.1.211 (Claude Code). If you do, jump to first run.
‘claude’ is not recognized as a command

The install worked but the folder it lives in isn't on your PATH. Paste these two lines into PowerShell, press Enter, then close PowerShell and open a new window:

$currentPath = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('PATH', 'User')
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('PATH', "$currentPath;$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin", 'User')

Claude Code installs to %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin; this adds that folder to your user PATH so the claude command can be found.

‘irm’ is not recognized, or an error about ‘&&’

You're in Command Prompt, not PowerShell. Either open PowerShell and rerun the line above, or in Command Prompt use this version instead:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd
“Running scripts is disabled on this system”

PowerShell's script policy is blocking a launcher script. The installer itself isn't affected, but if you see this when running claude, allow local scripts for your user account:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Answer Y if asked, then open a new window and try again.

Claude Code says it can't find Git Bash

Usually this means Git for Windows was installed after Claude Code, or without the PATH option. Close every terminal window and open a new one first. If it persists, run where.exe git to find your Git folder, then tell Claude Code where Bash is by creating the file %USERPROFILE%\.claude\settings.json containing:

{
  "env": {
    "CLAUDE_CODE_GIT_BASH_PATH": "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\bin\\bash.exe"
  }
}

Adjust the path if where.exe git showed Git somewhere else. This is also fine to leave for the workshop; we can do it together in the first hour.

Typing ‘claude’ opens the Claude desktop app instead

An older Claude Desktop install can shadow the command. Run claude doctor in PowerShell to see which one is winning; if it's the desktop app, uninstalling and reinstalling Claude Desktop from claude.ai/download usually clears it. Or bring it as-is and we'll sort it on the day.

Mac setup.

You'll use Terminal, which is already on your Mac. macOS 13 or newer is required.

  1. Open Terminal.Press ⌘ Space, type Terminal, and press Enter.
  2. Run the installer.Paste this line and press Enter:
    curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
    If macOS pops up asking to install “command line developer tools”, click Install and wait for it to finish, then run the line again.
  3. Quit Terminal and open it again.Then run:
    claude --version
    You should see a version number like 2.1.211 (Claude Code). If you do, jump to first run.
command not found: claude

The install worked but the folder it lives in isn't on your PATH. Paste these two lines into Terminal and press Enter:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Then run claude --version again. Claude Code installs to ~/.local/bin; this adds that folder to your Terminal's search path.

The install line prints an error about a ‘<’ or a 403

Something on the network (often a corporate or school Wi-Fi filter) is returning a web page instead of the installer. Try again on a different network, such as your phone's hotspot. If you only have a work laptop and it won't allow the install, email us before the workshop and we'll plan around it.

First run: log in and say hello.

Same on Windows and Mac. In PowerShell or Terminal:

  1. Make a folder to work in and go into it.
    mkdir claude-workshop
cd claude-workshop
  2. Start Claude Code.
    claude
    The first time, it asks you to log in and opens your browser. Sign in with the account that has Claude Pro. If the browser doesn't open on its own, press c in the terminal to copy the login link and paste it into your browser. You may be asked to pick a text theme and to trust the folder; accept the defaults.
  3. Say hello.Type something like “Say hello and tell me which folder you're in” and press Enter. When Claude answers, you're done. Type /exit to leave.
Something else went wrong

Run claude doctor. It prints a read-only report of the install and any warnings with suggested fixes. Email us the output (or a screenshot of it) along with what you were doing, and we'll take it from there. Failing all else: bring the laptop and we'll fix it in the first hour.

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