Prerequisites

• Time required: 15–30 minutes 
• What this does: Makes sure you have everything installed that Claude Code and our toolchain need.
• What you will have after this: Every dependency installed and verified, ready for Claude Code setup.

Step 1: Check your operating system

Claude Code runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows (via WSL2). If you are on Windows, you must install WSL2 first.

macOS or Linux: Skip to Step 2.

Windows:

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator
2. Type: wsl --install
3. Restart your computer
4. Open the Ubuntu terminal that was installed
5. All remaining steps happen inside this Ubuntu terminal

Step 2: Install Homebrew (macOS only)

Most of our toolchain installs via Homebrew on macOS. Check if you have it:

brew --version

Expected result: Something like Homebrew 4.x.x or higher.

If you get "command not found":

Run

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

If you do not have Homebrew:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Verify it worked:

brew --version

Linux/WSL: You do not need Homebrew. Package installs use \`apt-get` throughout this guide.

Step 3: Install Node.js (version 18 or higher)

Claude Code requires Node.js. Check if you already have it:

node --version

Expected result: Something like v20.11.0 or higher.

If you get "command not found" or a version below 18:

macOS:

brew install node

Linux/WSL:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

Verify it worked:

node --version

You should see v18 or higher.

Step 4: Install Git

git --version

Expected result: Something like git version 2.39.0 or higher.

If you get "command not found":

macOS:

brew install git

Linux/WSL:

sudo apt-get install -y git

Configure git with your identity:

git config --global user.name "Your Full Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@company.com"

Step 5: Create a GitHub account and install the GitHub CLI

You need a GitHub account for version control, PR workflows, and the GitHub MCP server.

1. Go to  https://github.com/ and create an account (or sign in to your existing one)
2. Install the GitHub CLI:

macOS:

brew install gh

Linux/WSL:

sudo apt-get install -y gh

Authenticate the CLI by running this in the terminal:

gh auth login

Follow the prompts. Choose HTTPS and authenticate via browser.

1. Create a Personal Access Token for the GitHub MCP server (used in Machine Setup):

• Go to  https://github.com/settings/tokens
• Create a new token (classic) with these scopes: repo, read:org, workflow
• Save the token somewhere secure. You will need it during Machine Setup.

Verify: gh --version git config --global user.name git config --global user.email

All three should return valid results.

Step 6: Install VS Code

1. Go to https://code.visualstudio.com/
2. Download and install for your operating system
3. Open VS Code to confirm it launches

Step 7: Install Python 3 (needed for some MCP servers)

python3 --version

Expected result: Python 3.10 or higher.

If missing:

macOS:

brew install python3

Linux/WSL:

sudo apt-get install -y python3 python3-pip python3-venv

Step 8: Install uv (Python package manager, needed for Beads MCP)

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

Verify:

uv --version

Step 9: Have your Anthropic account ready

You need a paid Anthropic account (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise) to use Claude Code.

1. Go to https://console.anthropic.com/
2. Sign in or create an account
3. Make sure you have an active paid plan
4. Note your API key if you plan to use API access (not needed for standard Claude Code usage with Max plan)

Step 10: Install Google Chrome (needed for Claude in Chrome)

1. Go to https://www.google.com/chrome/
2. Download and install Chrome
3. Sign in to Chrome with your Google account

Note: Claude in Chrome only works on Chrome and Edge. It does NOT work on Brave, Arc, Firefox, or Safari.

Checkpoint: Before you continue

Confirm all of these return valid results by running this in your terminal:

brew --version # any version (macOS only)

node --version # v18+

git --version # v2+

python3 --version # 3.10+

uv --version # any version

code --version # any version (this is VS Code)

gh --version # any version

All passed? Open Machine Setup and continue.