Pre-work, about 20 minutes

Setup guide

A Claude account, the Claude desktop app, a one-page test site and a GitHub account. No terminal is needed: the desktop app includes Claude Code. Each step ends with a check, so you know when it worked.

Requirements

• A Mac or a Windows laptop. A Chromebook or a tablet cannot run Claude Code; if that is all you have, reply to the workshop email.
• A Claude account with Claude Code access: a paid plan (Pro or higher), or U-M's Claude Code access for faculty and staff. The free plan does not include Claude Code.
• An internet connection and about 20 minutes.

1. Claude account

Sign in at claude.ai with an email address you check, and choose a paid plan under Settings. Use the same account for every step below. Faculty and staff using U-M's Claude Code access can skip this step and follow the sign-in instructions they received.

Done when your account page shows a paid plan, or you have the U-M sign-in instructions.

2. Claude desktop app

1. Download the app for your computer from claude.com/download and run the installer.
2. Open Claude (Applications folder on a Mac, Start menu on Windows) and sign in with the account from step 1.
3. Click the Code tab at the top of the sidebar. If the tabs show only icons, hover over them to see their names.

Installing the app does not share your files. Claude sees only the folder you open in a Code session and the files it reads there while you work; see the FAQ on what is sent.

Done when the Code tab opens and shows a box for your request. A prompt to upgrade means the account has no paid plan yet.

3. Test site

This step confirms that Claude Code can create files on your laptop.

1. In Documents, create a new empty folder named test-site.
2. In the Code tab, look at the row under the request box. Set the environment to Local, then click the folder control, choose Open folder… and select test-site.
3. Set the permission mode in the same row to Manual, so Claude asks before it changes anything.
4. Copy the request below, paste it into the box and press Enter. Answer Claude's questions and approve the file it proposes.

Create a single web page named index.html that introduces me as a participant in the Agentic Coding for Social Impact workshop, with my first name, my program and one sentence about a problem I care about. Ask me for those three details first. Use plain HTML and CSS in one file. When it is done, tell me how to open the page in my browser.

When Claude reports that the page is ready, open index.html from the test-site folder in your browser.

Done when the page opens in your browser and shows your name.

4. GitHub account and GitHub Education

GitHub stores project folders online with the history of every change, a little like a shared drive that remembers each version. A GitHub account keeps your project there and lets you publish it as a website, during or after the workshop. Students and educators (faculty and researchers) can also get GitHub Education benefits, such as free developer tools. Approval is not instant, so apply now.

1. Create a free account at github.com (Sign up).
2. In GitHub, add and verify your umich.edu email under Settings, then Emails.
3. Apply at GitHub Education. Students apply as students with proof of enrollment, such as a photo of your Mcard or your class schedule (student instructions). Faculty and researchers apply as teachers with proof of their U-M affiliation (teacher instructions). GitHub limits teacher access to educators, faculty and researchers, so staff in other roles may not qualify; the free account is all the workshop needs.

Done when you can sign in to GitHub and, if you are eligible, your GitHub Education application shows as submitted.

5. Vercel account (optional)

Vercel publishes a project from GitHub as a website, with a preview link for every change. It is an alternative to GitHub Pages and is useful if your tool needs more than plain web pages. Sign up at vercel.com/signup with your GitHub account. The free Hobby plan is for personal, non-commercial projects (Vercel Hobby plan).

Done when you can sign in to Vercel with GitHub. You can skip this step.

Videos

Official short videos on Claude Code. They show the terminal version; the requests and the results are the same in the desktop app.

Anthropic's guide Get started with the desktop app covers the desktop steps in more detail.

Terminal version (optional)

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

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

Troubleshooting