Quick Start - Claude Code in 30 Minutes

Get productive with Claude Code immediately

This quick-start guide gets you from zero to a working Claude Code setup in 30 minutes. You will install Claude Code, configure project context via CLAUDE.md, set up hooks for workflow automation, and connect MCP servers for external tool integration.

What is Claude Code?

Claude Code is Claude’s official CLI tool that provides:

Persistent configuration - Your patterns remembered across all sessions
Tool integrations - MCP servers for GitHub, databases, memory, and more
Skills system - Reusable workflows that activate automatically
Context awareness - Auto-loaded project documentation

vs Regular Claude: Web chat forgets everything between sessions. Claude Code maintains project context forever.

Prerequisites (5 min)

1. Install Claude Code

# Follow official installation
# https://claude.com/claude-code

2. Verify Prerequisites

# Check installations
claude-code --version   # Should show version
git --version           # Should show version
node --version          # Should show v18+
npx --version           # Should show version
jq --version            # Should show version (or install: brew install jq)

Quick Setup (30 min)

Three Paths - Choose One:

Path A: Setup Wizard (Easiest - Recommended)

# 1. Clone this guide
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/claude-code-guide
cd claude-code-guide

# 2. Navigate to your project
cd ~/my-project

# 3. Run wizard
bash ../claude-code-guide/scripts/setup-wizard.sh
# Follow prompts (10-15 min)

# 4. Validate
../claude-code-guide/scripts/validate-setup.sh

Path B: Manual Template Copy

# 1. Copy template
cp -r claude-code-guide/template/.claude ~/my-project/
cp -r claude-code-guide/template/memory-bank ~/my-project/

# 2. Customize (10 min)
cd ~/my-project
# - Rename .template files
# - Replace [PLACEHOLDERS]
# - Add GitHub token

# 3. Install skills (2 min)
cp .claude/skills/starter/*.md ~/.claude/skills/

# 4. Validate (2 min)
../claude-code-guide/scripts/validate-setup.sh

Path C: From Scratch (Learning Experience)

Follow the detailed guide: → docs/guide/02-minimal-setup.md

Verify Setup Works

Start Claude Code

cd ~/my-project
claude-code

Test Basic Functionality

Ask Claude these questions:

1. "What are my core patterns?"
   ✅ Should reference CORE-PATTERNS.md

2. "What's the current feature status?"
   ✅ Should read system-status.json

3. "List my GitHub repositories"
   ✅ Should use GitHub MCP (if configured)

4. "I'm getting a database connection error"
   ✅ Should reference troubleshooting-decision-tree-skill (if installed)

All working? Setup is complete! 🎉

What You Just Created

Configuration

.claude/CLAUDE.md - Project context (auto-loaded every session)
.claude/mcp_servers.json - MCP server configuration
memory-bank/always/ - Core patterns and status tracking

Skills (in ~/.claude/skills/)

troubleshooting-decision-tree-skill - Error routing (84% success)
session-start-protocol-skill - Session continuity (Anthropic pattern)
project-patterns-skill - Pattern reference

Tools

scripts/validate-setup.sh - Setup validator
scripts/check-mcp.sh - MCP connection tester

Immediate Benefits

You can now:

✅ Have Claude reference your patterns automatically
✅ Track feature completion with system-status.json
✅ Review PRs and manage issues without leaving Claude
✅ Debug with decision tree routing (10-30 min saved per issue)
✅ Resume work across sessions seamlessly

Next Steps (Optional)

Week 1: Add More Value (2-3 hours)

Add Memory Bank MCP for session persistence
Create 5 troubleshooting skills for your domains
Enable pre-prompt hook (84% activation rate)

→ See guide/03-phase-1-essential.md

Week 2-3: Specialized Workflows (4-6 hours)

Add PostgreSQL MCP for database access
Create 8 workflow skills (deployment, testing, etc.)
Build feature blueprints

→ See guide/04-phase-2-productive.md

Month 2+: Full Ecosystem

Custom MCP servers
20-30 skill library
Full agent coordination
561-709 hours/year ROI (proven)

→ See guide/05-phase-3-advanced.md

Troubleshooting

Setup Issues

Problem: Validation fails Solution: Check error output, fix specific issues, run again

Problem: Claude doesn’t load patterns Solution: Verify file paths in .claude/CLAUDE.md start with @memory-bank/

Problem: MCP not connecting Solution: Run ./scripts/check-mcp.sh for detailed diagnostics

Getting Help

Troubleshooting Guide: guide/10-troubleshooting.md
Detailed Setup: guide/02-minimal-setup.md
Skills Framework: guide/06-skills-framework.md
MCP Integration: guide/07-mcp-integration.md

Success Checklist

Completed setup in ≤ 30 minutes
Validation passed with 0 errors
Claude references CORE-PATTERNS.md
GitHub MCP connects
3 skills installed and working
Can resume work across sessions

All checked? You’re ready to be productive with Claude Code! 🚀

Quick Start: 30-minute path to productive Claude Code Next: Complete Guide for advanced features Help: Troubleshooting