Claude Code for non-coders: the setup

Which Claude: chat, Cowork or Code

Pick by the job:

1. To ask, write or research, use chat. The free plan works.
2. To hand off one finished document, spreadsheet or file cleanup, use Cowork. You need Pro or higher.
3. To build something you'll keep changing, like a site, a tool or an automation, use Claude Code. You need Pro or higher.

Where each one lives:

• Chat and Cowork are in the same Claude app, on claude.ai, the desktop app and your phone. Cowork needs the desktop app open to work on files on your computer.
• Claude Code runs in a terminal, or in the Code tab of the Claude desktop app.

Next: building something? Go to Which plan to pay for.

Which plan to pay for

Yes, you have to pay. The free plan doesn't include Claude Code.

Plan	Per month	What you get
Free	$0	Chat only. No Claude Code, no Cowork
Pro	$20, or $17 billed yearly	Claude Code, Cowork, Projects, more usage
Max 5x	$100	Everything in Pro, 5x Pro's usage
Max 20x	$200	Everything in Pro, 20x Pro's usage

US prices before tax, from claude.com/pricing.

I'm on Max because I build with Claude Code every day. You don't need it to start:

1. Start on Pro.
2. Use it for two weeks the way you really will.
3. Apply the habits in Usage and limits.
4. Still hitting the five-hour limit most days? Move to Max 5x.

One trap: if Claude Code asks to use an API key you didn't set up on purpose, say no. An approved key bills an API account per use instead of your plan.

Next: subscribe to Pro at claude.com/pricing.

Install it in about 10 minutes

No terminal needed:

1. Download the Claude desktop app from claude.com/download and sign in.
2. Click Code at the top of the sidebar. An upgrade prompt means you're on the free plan.
3. Choose Local in the environment menu, then Open folder, and pick a new, empty folder.

Developers who prefer the terminal: the commands are in the part below.

Next: give Claude its first task: make me a simple webpage that says hello world.

Usage and limits

The fix: one task, one chat. In Claude Code, type /clear whenever you switch to something new. It costs nothing.

Why: Claude re-reads the whole conversation with every message, so a one-line question in an all-day chat costs as much as the whole chat.

How the limits work:

1. A session limit resets every five hours. A weekly limit covers all models.
2. Chat, Cowork and Claude Code share both.
3. To see where you stand, open Settings > Usage on claude.ai, or type /usage in Claude Code.

Two more habits:

1. Pick your model at the start of a session. Switching halfway makes the next message re-read everything without the cache discount.
2. Use Sonnet for everyday work: type /model sonnet. Claude Code starts on Opus, and Anthropic says Sonnet handles most coding tasks well and costs less.

Hit the limit anyway? Wait for the reset time Claude Code shows, or turn on usage credits in Settings > Usage. They're billed at API rates, so set a monthly spend limit first.

Next: type /clear the next time you switch tasks.

Memory: the CLAUDE.md file

The fix: a file called CLAUDE.md in your project folder. Every session starts blank, and Claude reads this file first.

Make one:

1. Start Claude Code in your project folder.
2. Type /init. Claude writes a first version from what's in the folder.
3. Add what Claude can't see for itself: what the project is, who it's for, how you want it to work with you, and your rules.
4. Keep it under 200 lines. Write rules you could check: "never delete files" works, "be careful" doesn't.

Test it: ask "what do you know about this project?", type /clear, then ask again. The same answer means the file is doing its job.

CLAUDE.md is guidance, not a lock. For rules that must hold, use the settings in the next section.

Next: type /init in your project folder.

Three safety rules

1. Never paste a key into the chat. It stays in the conversation history. Ask Claude instead: "Make a .env file for my API keys and tell me how to add mine without pasting it here." Then paste the key into that file yourself. Pasted one into a chat before? Revoke it and make a new one.
2. Never turn on bypass permissions. It skips every safety prompt, and Anthropic says to use it only in isolated containers, which your laptop is not. Stay in the default auto mode, where risky actions get checked before they run.
3. Keep an undo you control. Esc twice, or /rewind, rolls back Claude's file edits, but not deleted files. Ask Claude once: "Set up git in this folder and save a checkpoint before every big change."

Next: install the settings file from this guide (in the part below). It stops Claude reading your keys, turns bypass off and asks before anything gets deleted.

When it breaks

1. The Code tab asks you to upgrade: you're on the free plan. Claude Code needs Pro.
2. Sign-in fails or loops: sign out of the Claude app, quit it, open it again and sign in.
3. Claude refuses or does something odd: type /clear and ask again in one plain sentence.

Next: still stuck? Paste the exact error message into a Claude chat and ask what it means.