Claude Code: A Beginner’s Essential Guide to the Terminal AI Assistant
Discover what Claude Code is, how to install it with Node.js, connect it to domestic large models, and fix common setup issues with this...
Claude Code is a terminal-based AI execution assistant that turns natural language commands into actionable tasks—setting it apart from ChatGPT, which provides instructions instead of direct execution. It can help with writing code, modifying files, organizing data, analyzing information, and automating routine tasks, all from your command line.
Getting started requires two key steps: first, install the LTS version of Node.js from nodejs.org and verify it using node -v and npm -v. Then, install Claude Code globally with npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code and confirm the installation with claude --version.
To connect to domestic large models (like DeepSeek or Zhipu), configure two files: create a settings.json in ~/.claude/ (macOS) or your user directory’s .claude folder (Windows) with your domestic model’s API key (not Anthropic’s) and model names (e.g., glm-4.5-air). Also, add {"hasCompletedOnboarding": true} to .claude.json (macOS/Linux: ~/.claude.json; Windows: user directory) to skip onboarding.
Verify your setup with /status in the terminal to check the base URL and model name. If you face issues, ensure your API key is from a domestic model and the model name in settings.json is spelled correctly.
Sources
- FishC Computer Education Forum Thread: "Claude Code Essential Guide for Beginners" (https://fishc.com.cn/thread-260271-1-1.html)
- FishC AI Assistant Analysis (from the same forum thread)