Setup Guide

Step 1: Claude Account

1. Sign up at claude.ai
2. Recommended: Claude Pro ($20/month) — gives you access to Opus and higher usage limits
3. For API usage (Cline, Claude Code): set up billing at console.anthropic.com

Step 2: Create Your First Claude Project

1. In Claude, click "Projects" in the sidebar
2. Click "New Project"
3. Name it after your project
4. Add a project description (what you're building)
5. Optionally add any reference files (designs, API docs)

This Project will persist across all conversations for this project. Everything discussed, all files added, all context — available in every new conversation.

Step 3: Install Cline

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
3. Search "Cline"
4. Install the official Cline extension
5. Click the Cline icon in the sidebar
6. Enter your Anthropic API key when prompted

Configure Cline

Recommended settings:
- Model: claude-sonnet-4-5 (good balance of speed/cost for tasks)
- Enable extended thinking: Yes
- Auto-approve: Off (at least initially)
- Plan/Act mode: Use Plan mode first for every task

Step 4: Install Claude Code (Optional)

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
claude --version  # verify installation
claude auth       # authenticate with your API key

Claude Code is terminal-native. Use it when you prefer CLI over VS Code, for quick fixes, or when you want tighter Git integration.

Step 5: Set Up Your First Project

Using the templates from the Templates page:

1. Create your project directory and initialise Git
2. Create a Docs/ folder
3. Drop in the template files: README.md, ARCHITECTURE.md, LEARNINGS.md, SPRINT_RULES.md, TASK_TEMPLATE.md
4. Add .clinerules to the project root
5. Create a Tasks/ folder for sprint plans and task specs

Step 6: Your First Brainstorm

1. Open your Claude Project
2. Use the brainstorm prompt from the Prompts page
3. Have the full conversation — multiple turns, don't rush
4. Ask Claude to generate your foundation documents
5. Copy the generated docs into your project files
6. Review and refine (tighten quality rules, check schemas are real)

Step 7: Your First Task

1. Open VS Code in your project directory
2. Open a new Cline conversation
3. Type: "Can we please plan task 1.1 from the sprint plan?"
4. Review the plan Cline proposes
5. Say "Looks good. Proceed."
6. Approve terminal commands as they appear
7. Verify the result, check the confidence score
8. Close the conversation
9. Repeat for task 1.2

Common Setup Issues

Ongoing Cost Estimate

Claude Pro subscription ($20/month) is separate from API costs. Pro gives you access to claude.ai and Projects. API costs are pay-per-token for Cline and Claude Code usage.