Install Claude Code

Claude Code ships a native installer that bundles its own runtime — Node.js is not required — and updates itself in the background.

System requirements

macOS

In a terminal:

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

Homebrew works too:

brew install --cask claude-code

Homebrew builds do not update themselves — run brew upgrade claude-code yourself.

Windows

In PowerShell:

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

In CMD:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

WinGet works too (also no self-updates — run winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode yourself):

winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

Linux

In a terminal:

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

Debian, Fedora, RHEL, and Alpine can also install from the officially signed apt / dnf / apk repositories; commands are in the Claude Code setup docs. Those installs do not self-update either — they follow your system's upgrade flow.

Installing with npm

If you already run a stable Node.js setup, or the native installer is blocked on your machine, npm is the officially supported fallback:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Since v2.1.198 the npm package declares Node.js 22 as its required version — older versions print an EBADENGINE warning during install but usually finish anyway; upgrade Node.js if you hit problems. This installs the same native binary, and Node.js is not used at runtime. Do not use sudo npm install -g — it causes permission and security problems. Upgrade with npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest, not npm update -g: the latter is bound by the semver range from the original install and may not reach the newest version.

Verify the installation

In a terminal:

claude --version

A version number means the install succeeded. If you get command not found, open a new terminal first — the installer updated PATH, and already-open sessions still use the old value.

Claude Code still talks to Anthropic at this point. Continue with Configure Claude Code to point it at StoryClaw.

Editor extensions

Claude Code also runs inside your editor, sharing the same configuration as the command line — once StoryClaw is connected, the extension needs no setup of its own.

• VS Code / Cursor — install the Claude Code extension, or search for "Claude Code" in the Extensions panel (Cmd+Shift+X / Ctrl+Shift+X). It adds inline diffs, @-mentions for files, and change-plan review.
• JetBrains IDEs — install the Claude Code plugin from the JetBrains Marketplace, then restart the IDE. IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, and others are supported.

Troubleshooting