Before You Begin

Summary — what this page covers The pre-flight page. It states clearly that Claude Code requires a paid plan (Pro minimum — it is NOT on the Free tier), explains which access path to pick and why, and gives the machine prerequisites, install/auth steps, and the BookTracker clone. Everything here must be done before 9:00 AM so Section 1 starts with everyone ready.

Work through this page before the workshop starts. It takes 15–20 minutes if your machine is clean. The room has a TA for install friction at 8:30 AM, but plan to arrive with the readiness check already green — we open Section 1 by writing code, not by installing tools.

Plan & access requirements

Claude Code is not available on the Claude Free plan. Every Day 1 lab needs paid access. Plan for at least Claude Pro.

What "Free" does and doesn't cover. The Claude Free plan covers Claude.ai — web chat, Projects, and Artifacts — but it does not include Claude Code. There is no free tier for the agent you'll run today, so a Pro (or Max) subscription, or an API key, is required.

One usage pool, one clock. Your subscription usage is a shared pool across Claude.ai chat, Claude Code, and the desktop apps, measured on a rolling 5-hour window. Practically: heavy web-chat use earlier in the day can eat into the budget you have for Claude Code during the labs. For the smoothest day, keep casual chatting light until the labs are done.

Which should I pick for today? If you're new, Claude Pro with browser sign-in is the recommended path — it's the simplest to set up and comfortably covers the day. Reach for Max only if you're a heavy all-day user, and use an API key only if you prefer pay-as-you-go or want to warm up the Day 2 workflow early.

Machine prerequisites

Claude Code is distributed as an npm package and drives your real toolchain, so you need a working .NET + Git environment plus Node to install the CLI.

• Node.js 18+ — Claude Code installs via npm, so Node is required. Verify with node --version.
• .NET 10 SDK — BookTracker is an ASP.NET Core 10 app. Verify with dotnet --version.
• Git — for cloning BookTracker and committing each lab's deliverable. Verify with git --version.
• Windows users: WSL2 — required for full Claude Code features (hooks, subagents). See below.
• VS Code — used in Section 3 for IDE integration.

Windows: set up WSL2 first. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run wsl --install, then reboot. This installs the Windows Subsystem for Linux (Ubuntu by default). From then on, run all workshop commands — node, dotnet, git, and claude — inside the WSL2 (Ubuntu) terminal, not in PowerShell or CMD. Hooks and subagents (Section 2) rely on the Linux shell, so this isn't optional for the full experience. macOS and Linux users: use your normal terminal — no WSL needed.

Install & authenticate Claude Code

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
claude --version          # verify the install
claude                    # start Claude Code; first run prompts you to authenticate

Two ways to authenticate — pick one:

• Browser sign-in (recommended today). Running claude opens your browser for OAuth; sign in with your Claude.ai Pro/Max subscription. No keys to manage, and it's the fastest path for the labs.

• API key. Export a Console key instead — this is pay-as-you-go and billed separately from any subscription, and it's the path you'll use on Day 2:

  export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

Smoke test. Confirm the agent actually answers before you walk into the room:

claude "What is today's date?"

If you get a coherent reply, you're authenticated and ready.

Clone BookTracker

BookTracker is the ASP.NET Core sample app every Day 1 lab builds on — you clone it once and evolve it across all four labs. Get it on disk and confirm it compiles now, so a slow first build doesn't cost you lab time later.

git clone https://github.com/intelligentlydev/workshop-booktracker
cd workshop-booktracker
dotnet build              # confirm it compiles

For a tour of the solution structure and stack before we start, see The BookTracker App.

You're ready when…

• node --version, dotnet --version, and git --version all return versions
• (Windows) you're working inside the WSL2 terminal
• claude --version returns a version
• claude "What is today's date?" returns a sensible answer (you're authenticated)
• BookTracker is cloned and dotnet build succeeds

If every box is checked, you're set for Section 1. If you're stuck on one, flag a TA at 8:30 AM rather than during the first lab.