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Claude Code is Anthropic’s official command-line AI coding tool. It lets you interact with your codebase using natural language — generating code, refactoring, debugging, and creating commits.

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Installation & Setup

1

Install Node.js

Make sure you have Node.js 18+ installed:
node -v
2

Install Claude Code

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
3

Set Environment Variables

echo 'export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-your-api-key"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.elkapi.com/anthropic"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc
4

Navigate to Your Project and Start

cd your-project-folder
claude

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Common Commands

CommandDescription
claudeStart interactive mode
claude "task description"Run a one-off task
claude commitAuto-generate a Git commit message and commit
/helpShow all available commands
/clearClear the current conversation history
/modelSwitch the model being used
Use CaseRecommended Model
Everyday coding assistanceclaude-opus-4-5-20251101
Complex refactoringclaude-opus-4-5-20251101-thinking

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Advanced Usage

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Define project rules with CLAUDE.md

Create a CLAUDE.md file in your project root — Claude Code will automatically read and follow its instructions: 
# Project Rules
- Use TypeScript, no `any` types
- Follow Conventional Commits for commit messages
- Run npm test after every change

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Extend with MCP Servers

Claude Code supports MCP (Model Context Protocol) to connect external tools like databases, file systems, and browsers, significantly extending its Agent capabilities.
Claude Code’s Agent mode calls the model frequently. Token usage is much higher than regular chat — we recommend using a Tier 2 account to avoid hitting rate limits.