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Original: Anthropic Engineering · 21/02/2026

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Summary

Claude Code is an agentic coding tool that reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands, and integrates with your development tools. * Overview * Quickstart * Changelog

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Key Insights

“Claude Code is an agentic coding tool that reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands, and integrates with your development tools.” — Introduction to Claude Code’s capabilities.
“Automate the work you keep putting off.” — Highlighting Claude Code’s ability to handle tedious development tasks.
“Native installations automatically update in the background to keep you on the latest version.” — Discussing the benefits of native installation for Claude Code.

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Topics

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Full Article

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Claude Code overview

Author: Anthropic Engineering
Published: 2026-02-21
Source: https://www.anthropic.com/engineering/claude-code-best-practices
Claude Code overview - Claude Code Docs Skip to main content Claude Code Docs home page
Getting started
Core concepts
Platforms and integrations
Getting started

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Claude Code overview

Claude Code is an agentic coding tool that reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands, and integrates with your development tools. Available in your terminal, IDE, desktop app, and browser. Claude Code is an AI-powered coding assistant that helps you build features, fix bugs, and automate development tasks. It understands your entire codebase and can work across multiple files and tools to get things done.

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​ Get started

Choose your environment to get started. Most surfaces require a Claude subscription or Anthropic Console account. The Terminal CLI and VS Code also support third-party providers.
  • Terminal
  • VS Code
  • Desktop app
  • Web
  • JetBrains
The full-featured CLI for working with Claude Code directly in your terminal. Edit files, run commands, and manage your entire project from the command line.To install Claude Code, use one of the following methods:
  • Native Install (Recommended)
  • Homebrew
  • WinGet
macOS, Linux, WSL: Report incorrect code Ask AI 
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
Windows PowerShell: Report incorrect code Ask AI 
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
Windows CMD: Report incorrect code Ask AI 
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd


Native installations automatically update in the background to keep you on the latest version.
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brew install --cask claude-code


Homebrew installations do not auto-update. Run brew upgrade claude-code periodically to get the latest features and security fixes.
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winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode


WinGet installations do not auto-update. Run winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode periodically to get the latest features and security fixes.
Then start Claude Code in any project: Report incorrect code Ask AI 
cd your-project
claude
You’ll be prompted to log in on first use. That’s it! Continue with the Quickstart → 
See advanced setup for installation options, manual updates, or uninstallation instructions. Visit troubleshooting if you hit issues.
The VS Code extension provides inline diffs, @-mentions, plan review, and conversation history directly in your editor. Or search for “Claude Code” in the Extensions view (Cmd+Shift+X on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows/Linux). After installing, open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P), type “Claude Code”, and select Open in New Tab.Get started with VS Code → A standalone app for running Claude Code outside your IDE or terminal. Review diffs visually, run multiple sessions side by side, and kick off cloud sessions.Download and install: After installing, launch Claude, sign in, and click the Code tab to start coding. A paid subscription is required.Learn more about the desktop app → Run Claude Code in your browser with no local setup. Kick off long-running tasks and check back when they’re done, work on repos you don’t have locally, or run multiple tasks in parallel. Available on desktop browsers and the Claude iOS app.Start coding at claude.ai/code.Get started on the web → A plugin for IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, and other JetBrains IDEs with interactive diff viewing and selection context sharing.Install the Claude Code plugin from the JetBrains Marketplace and restart your IDE.Get started with JetBrains →

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​ What you can do

Here are some of the ways you can use Claude Code: Automate the work you keep putting off Claude Code handles the tedious tasks that eat up your day: writing tests for untested code, fixing lint errors across a project, resolving merge conflicts, updating dependencies, and writing release notes. Report incorrect code Ask AI 
claude "write tests for the auth module, run them, and fix any failures"


Build features and fix bugsDescribe what you want in plain language. Claude Code plans the approach, writes the code across multiple files, and verifies it works.For bugs, paste an error message or describe the symptom. Claude Code traces the issue through your codebase, identifies the root cause, and implements a fix. See common workflows for more examples.
Create commits and pull requests Claude Code works directly with git. It stages changes, writes commit messages, creates branches, and opens pull requests. Report incorrect code Ask AI 
claude "commit my changes with a descriptive message"
In CI, you can automate code review and issue triage with GitHub Actions or GitLab CI/CD. 
Connect your tools with MCPThe Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for connecting AI tools to external data sources. With MCP, Claude Code can read your design docs in Google Drive, update tickets in Jira, pull data from Slack, or use your own custom tooling.


Customize with instructions, skills, and hooksCLAUDE.md is a markdown file you add to your project root that Claude Code reads at the start of every session. Use it to set coding standards, architecture decisions, preferred libraries, and review checklists.Create custom slash commands to package repeatable workflows your team can share, like /review-pr or /deploy-staging.Hooks let you run shell commands before or after Claude Code actions, like auto-formatting after every file edit or running lint before a commit.


Run agent teams and build custom agentsSpawn multiple Claude Code agents that work on different parts of a task simultaneously. A lead agent coordinates the work, assigns subtasks, and merges results.For fully custom workflows, the Agent SDK lets you build your own agents powered by Claude Code’s tools and capabilities, with full control over orchestration, tool access, and permissions.
Pipe, script, and automate with the CLI Claude Code is composable and follows the Unix philosophy. Pipe logs into it, run it in CI, or chain it with other tools: Report incorrect code Ask AI 
# Monitor logs and get alerted
tail -f app.log | claude -p "Slack me if you see any anomalies"

# Automate translations in CI
claude -p "translate new strings into French and raise a PR for review"

# Bulk operations across files
git diff main --name-only | claude -p "review these changed files for security issues"
See the CLI reference for the full set of commands and flags. 
Work from anywhereSessions aren’t tied to a single surface. Move work between environments as your context changes:
Kick off a long-running task on the web or iOS app, then pull it into your terminal with /teleport
Hand off a terminal session to the Desktop app with /desktop for visual diff review
Route tasks from team chat: mention @Claude in Slack with a bug report and get a pull request back

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​ Use Claude Code everywhere

Each surface connects to the same underlying Claude Code engine, so your CLAUDE.md files, settings, and MCP servers work across all of them. Beyond the Terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, Desktop, and Web environments above, Claude Code integrates with CI/CD, chat, and browser workflows:
I want to…Best option
Start a task locally, continue on mobileWeb or Claude iOS app
Automate PR reviews and issue triageGitHub Actions or GitLab CI/CD
Route bug reports from Slack to pull requestsSlack
Debug live web applicationsChrome
Build custom agents for your own workflowsAgent SDK

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​ Next steps

Once you’ve installed Claude Code, these guides help you go deeper. Was this page helpful? Quickstart Assistant Responses are generated using AI and may contain mistakes.

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Key Takeaways

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Notable Quotes

Claude Code is an agentic coding tool that reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands, and integrates with your development tools.
Context: Introduction to Claude Code’s capabilities.
Automate the work you keep putting off.
Context: Highlighting Claude Code’s ability to handle tedious development tasks.
Native installations automatically update in the background to keep you on the latest version.
Context: Discussing the benefits of native installation for Claude Code.
  • [[topics/prompt-engineering]]
  • [[topics/ai-agents]]
  • [[topics/claude-code]]

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Originally published at https://www.anthropic.com/engineering/claude-code-best-practices.