Getting Claude Code

On Windows

1. Open PowerShell. Press Win + X and pick Terminal (Windows 11) or Windows PowerShell (Windows 10). One check before you paste: the line should start with PS. If it doesn't (just C:\Users\you>), type powershell and press Enter.

2. Install Claude Code. Paste this one line. It installs for just your account, no admin rights, and keeps itself up to date after that.

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

If you get 'irm' is not recognized, you're in the old Command Prompt, not PowerShell. Go back to step 1.

3. Install the two helpers the email piece needs, uv and Git. One line at a time:

winget install astral-sh.uv
winget install Git.Git

If winget isn't recognised, install App Installer from the Microsoft Store, reopen PowerShell, and try again.

On a Mac

1. Open Terminal. Press Cmd + Space, type Terminal, press Enter.

2. Install Claude Code:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

3. Install the helpers. uv first:

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

Then Git: type git --version. If the Mac offers to install developer tools, accept it. That's Git. Nothing else to do.

Check it worked

Close the terminal window completely and open a fresh one. It only notices new tools in a window opened after they were installed. Then type:

claude --version

A version number means you're set.

Make sure it's running Opus

This setup needs the Opus model. On the lighter Sonnet it misbehaves: we've seen it ignore the email connector this pack sets up and try to install its own, and hand out wrong steps. Run claude in the pack folder, then type:

/model opus

The installer pins Opus for you so it sticks. If it ever slips back to Sonnet, that one line puts it right.

Sign in and carry on

You'll need a Claude Pro subscription (Max also works) from claude.ai. Run claude in the pack folder, pick the subscription option when it asks how to log in, and follow 00 START HERE.md. At the end it drops a Talk to my assistant launcher on your desktop, so you never have to find a terminal again.

On a locked-down work machine? Some company PCs block installs by policy. If a command is refused, that's IT, not you. Send Andrew the exact error and he'll find the route.