Prework

Make sure Claude Code opens.

About 10 minutes. Tonight has one job: confirm Claude Code opens, confirm it can see a file, and pick one real task for Day 1. We download and install the full workspace together live.

Do this today

Check that your Claude account can run Claude Code

This is the only step that cannot be fixed at the last minute. Everything else is just opening folders.

Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan. The lowest one that works is Pro (about $20/month). The free plan does not include Claude Code. If you already have Max, you are more than covered. Open the desktop app, sign in, and confirm Claude Code opens. If it asks you to upgrade, do it now. This is the one piece we cannot fix live with a folder download.

What you need tonight: the access check above, plus Step 1 (Claude Code opens). That is the whole prework. Steps 2 and on are the full workspace install, and we do that together on Day 1. Run ahead only if you are comfortable stopping and taking screenshots when something looks different.
The big fork: use the installed Claude desktop app for setup. Skip Claude in a browser tab. You are in the right place when you see Code in the left sidebar and a Select folder button.
Watching after Day 1? Use the permanent Day 1 catch-up page. It gives you the ready check, the common stuck points, and the support packet without rewatching the whole setup section.

  1. Get Claude Code

    No-terminal path (recommended for most): install the Claude desktop app for Mac or Windows from claude.ai/download, and sign in with the account you just checked.

    Desktop check. If clicking the Claude icon opens Chrome, Safari, Edge, or claude.ai in a browser tab, you are on the web path. Go back to the installed desktop app, click Code, then use Select folder.

    Builder path (if you like the terminal): follow Anthropic's current setup page at code.claude.com/docs/en/getting-started.

    # Mac, Linux, or WSL
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

# Windows
winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

# confirm it worked
claude --version
    Windows note. This is the one step that occasionally snags. If you run Claude Code natively on Windows (not WSL), install Git for Windows too, so Claude Code gets a Bash tool. It is a two-minute fix tonight and a panic at 8:59am. WSL users can skip it.
    Stuck on the install? Open code.claude.com/docs/en/getting-started, click Copy page at the top, and paste the whole thing into Claude or ChatGPT. Tell it exactly where you are stuck. Even better, add a screenshot of what you are seeing. That gives it the full instructions plus your real situation, so it can walk you out.

  2. Download the workspace

    This is the folder we use on Day 1. It contains your Script, memory map, skills, daily notes, and working folders. Obsidian shows the readable skill map at skills/Skills.md. Claude Code runs the slash-command files from .claude/skills/. Nothing gets installed across the rest of your computer, and you can delete the folder anytime to start over.

    Anatomy of your workspaceplain markdown. Claude reads it, you read it in Obsidian.your-workspace/the brainCLAUDE.mdthe Script. Claude reads it first, every session.the-data-dictionary.mdwhat to keep vs what to ignore.reference (feeds the work)clients/a client's context and rulesbrand/your voice rulesswipes/examples worth modelingwinners/what worked, and whylosers/what died, and whyworkflows/repeatable playswhat you makecopy/written work: hooks, headlinescreatives/visual work: statics, videothe flowinbox/unsorted drop zonedaily/one note per dayarchive/finished or retiredyour powersskills/Skills.mdvisible skill mapEverything you make, and everything Claude needs to know, lives in here.
    Download the workspace

    Unzip it somewhere you will find again, like Documents/claude-code-accelerator-workspace. The unzipped folder is the course workspace.

    Do not select the zip file. If you still see .zip at the end of the name, extract it first. In Claude Code and Obsidian, select the unzipped workspace folder, not Downloads by itself.

  3. Open it and make it yours

    In the Claude desktop app, click Code, choose Select folder, and pick the unzipped workspace folder. Then run one command:

    /vault-setup

    It asks a few short questions and fills in your workspace: your Script (the CLAUDE.md Claude reads first), your first client file, today's note, and the skill map at skills/Skills.md. When that finishes, the workspace is ready for Day 1.

    If /vault-setup does not appear: open Skills & Tools, download Vault Setup, attach the zip to Claude Code, and say: Install and run this skill.

  4. See your files outside Claude Code Recommended

    You want one window that shows the same markdown Claude is writing. You can use the Claude desktop app's own file view, so this is optional. Obsidian is just a nicer window onto the exact same files.

    If you want Obsidian: install it from obsidian.md/download, choose Open folder as vault, and point it at your workspace folder. Open memory-map.md, click one [[link]], then open skills/Skills.md. That confirms you can see the memory map and the skill map.

    After Obsidian works: run /advanced-script-interview if you want Claude to customize CLAUDE.md further. Do not run this before Obsidian is installed. The point is to tune the Script and the linked files you can now see.
    What the command does

    It reads the workspace, confirms Obsidian can see the link map, asks a deeper set of questions one at a time, then shows a proposed change plan before editing. The rule is still the same: keep CLAUDE.md thin and move detail into the linked folders.

  5. Know where the research tools live Optional

    Exa and Firecrawl now live on the Skills & Tools page. Exa is for finding sources. Firecrawl is for scraping, crawling, mapping, and extracting pages. Both have generous free tiers, and both use API keys for the course install path.

    This is still optional for Day 1. If you want to install them live, have Node from nodejs.org ready and create keys at exa.ai and firecrawl.dev.

    Open Skills & Tools

Optional power-ups

Bookmark these plugins after the workspace works.

Run the ready check first. These help once Claude can read the folder and you know what each layer is doing. GitHub backup, MCPs, and extra tools can wait until the baseline works.

PluginUse it when
Remember After Day 1, if you want Claude to keep personal preferences across chats. It complements reflect, remember-this, handoff, and Obsidian links. It does not replace deciding what is worth promoting.
Superpowers After your baseline is stable, especially if you want stricter brainstorming, debugging, TDD, code review, or skill-authoring workflows. Useful for builders, optional for Day 1.
Playwright Before Website Day or App Day if you want Claude to open pages, click through flows, take screenshots, inspect console output, or run browser tests. Skip it until then if you are still getting the basics working.
Where these fit. The course setup gives everyone the same workspace, skills, and memory pattern. Plugins add power after that baseline exists.

The Day 1 check

After install, run this check.

You do not need this tonight. We run it together on Day 1 after the workspace is installed. In Claude Code, from your workspace folder:

Read the files in this workspace and tell me what you can see.
Then create a file called ready-check.md with today's date, and tell me where you saved it.

You are ready when Claude names real files from the workspace (not invented ones), the new file exists, and you can open it outside Claude Code. If Claude cannot see your files, you opened it from the wrong folder. Reopen Claude Code from the workspace folder and run it again.

If something breaks

Most snags are one of these.

SymptomFirst fix
Claude Code will not openRestart the terminal or app, confirm the install, and capture the exact error to bring to support.
Claude keeps opening in a browserOpen the installed Claude desktop app instead. Click Code in the left sidebar, then use Select folder.
The workspace is still zippedExtract the zip first. Then choose the unzipped workspace folder in Claude Code and Obsidian.
Command not foundConfirm the install finished, then restart the terminal so it picks up the new command.
Claude cannot see the workspaceOpen Claude Code from the actual workspace folder, then run the read prompt again.
The file shows in one app but not anotherBoth apps have to point at the same folder path. Confirm the path matches.
/vault-setup does not appearDownload Vault Setup from Skills & Tools, attach it to Claude Code, and ask Claude to install and run it.
GitHub, Git, or the terminal sent you sidewaysPause that path. The baseline is Claude Desktop, the unzipped workspace folder, /vault-setup, Obsidian, and the ready check.
Claude keeps asking permissionAllow the action when it matches what you asked Claude to do. Save bypass permissions for trusted workspaces only.
Windows: Bash or Git errorsInstall Git for Windows, then restart the terminal.
No real task to bringPick the smallest annoying task from this week. It does not have to be big.
Still stuck after one real try? Run the self-serve loop: copy the Claude Code docs into Claude or ChatGPT, say what you tried, what happened, what you expected, and add a screenshot of the error. A live support channel for the cohort is coming, and we also sort installs together at the top of Day 1.
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