Claude Code: The Most Common Questions Beginners Ask

Tl;dr: Two hundred people joined us on Zoom on November 19, many of them with no experience building software or writing code. Eight hours later, they’d each built and deployed a working project using Claude Code, Anthropic’s AI-powered coding assistant. Like all good students, they asked lots of great questions of the Every team and CEO Dan Shipper, who hosted our inaugural cohort of Claude Code for Beginners. The questions they asked weren’t just about syntax or setup. They were also about mindset, and the trust needed to collaborate with a tool that can work autonomously. If you’re getting started with Claude Code, chances are you’ll hit the same obstacles and have the same queries. Here’s what everyone asked, and how we answered them, as compiled by engineer Nityesh Agarwal.

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Setup and installation

1. Will Claude Code work on Windows?

Yes! Claude Code works perfectly on Windows. Use either PowerShell or Command Prompt as your terminal. Installation commands:

PowerShell:

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Command Prompt (CMD):

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

Note: Some keyboard shortcuts differ on Windows—use Alt+V to paste into terminal and Alt+M to enter plan mode.

2. What terminal application should I use?

Most people should use their native terminal app—Terminal on Mac or Command Prompt/PowerShell on Windows, which is the text-based window where you can write commands. If you want to level up, Warp is the easiest next step with its AI-powered features and better user experience. VS Code and Cursor also have built-in terminals, but only use them if you’re already familiar with those tools. The good news: Your choice of terminal doesn’t affect Claude Code’s functionality at all.

3. How do I find/open the terminal on my computer?

On Mac: Press Cmd + Space to open Spotlight search, then type “terminal” and press Enter.

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On Windows: Click the Start menu or press the Windows key, then search for “cmd” or “Command Prompt” or “PowerShell” and press Enter.

On Linux: Most distributions use Ctrl + Alt + T as the shortcut, or you can search for “terminal” in your applications menu.

4. Do I need a premium Claude subscription to use Claude Code?

Yes, Claude Code requires either a Claude Pro or Claude Max subscription. The free tier doesn’t include access to Claude Code. Pro gives you solid usage limits for most projects, while Max provides you up to 20 times higher daily usage limits before rate limits kick in. For beginners learning Claude Code, Pro is typically sufficient. If you run out of credits, you can also top up for a one-time boost or wait for them to refresh. Check your current usage.

5. What is MCP and do I need to install it?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) extends Claude Code’s capabilities by connecting it to external tools and data sources such as Notion, Figma, or Asana. You don’t need MCP to use Claude Code, though. Think of MCPs as optional power-ups for Claude Code. Playwright MCP is the most important MCP and the only one you’ll need to build products by writing code—it enables browser automation and testing. Browse available MCP servers or listen to our AI & I episode about a founder who is building MCPs.

6. Should I “bypass permissions” or use “permission” mode?

You can run Claude Code in bypass permissions mode by running claude --dangerously-skip-permissions. For beginners, and when you trust AI with what you’re building, bypass permissions makes the experience much smoother—it means Claude Code can work autonomously without constantly asking for approval. You can interrupt Claude at any time by pressing the Esc key.

We suggest you use the permission mode when working with sensitive data, unfamiliar code, or when you want to learn by reviewing each action Claude takes.

Important: If you’re running Claude Code on your work computer or any machine with sensitive information, do not use bypass mode unless you have the permission from your manager/security. Anthropic’s official position is that bypass permissions is dangerous and should be used with caution. That’s because it gives an AI model unrestricted access to your computer which in theory may cause a security vulnerability that a bad actor can exploit.