Claude Code Tutorial for Beginners: Your First Real Project

Learn the core features — CLAUDE.md, slash commands, Plan Mode — while building something actually useful. No coding experience required.

To start using Claude Code, open your terminal, navigate to a project folder, type claude, and give it plain-English instructions. Use /init to create a CLAUDE.md memory file, slash commands to control sessions, and Plan Mode (Shift+Tab) to let it research before writing code. No coding experience is required to follow along.

This tutorial teaches you the core system by building something real: a file organizer for your Downloads folder. In about 15 minutes, you'll learn CLAUDE.md, slash commands, Plan Mode, context management, hooks, and verification.

What We're Building

A script that:

• Scans your Downloads folder
• Sorts files into subfolders by type (Images, Documents, Videos, etc.)
• Handles duplicates intelligently
• Runs whenever you want with a single command

This normally takes 30+ minutes to code from scratch. You'll do it in about 15 minutes — and learn the core Claude Code concepts along the way.

New to Claude Code? Get the Free Blueprint first — you'll see me build a website using only plain English, then you can come back and build this.

1 Launch Claude Code

Open your terminal and navigate to where you want to work:

cd ~/Desktop
mkdir file-organizer
cd file-organizer
claude

You're now in an interactive Claude Code session.

2 Set Up Project Memory with /init

Before doing anything else, run:

/init

This creates a CLAUDE.md file — a special file that Claude reads at the start of every session. It's your project's permanent memory.

Claude will analyze your folder and generate a starter file. For our simple project, edit it to something like:

# File Organizer Project

## What this does
A script to organize Downloads folder by file type.

## File categories
- Images: jpg, jpeg, png, gif, webp, svg
- Documents: pdf, doc, docx, txt, md
- Videos: mp4, mov, avi, mkv
- Audio: mp3, wav, m4a, flac
- Archives: zip, rar, 7z, tar, gz
- Other: everything else

## Verification
- Always test on sample files before running on real Downloads
- Count files before and after to verify nothing was lost

3 Enter Plan Mode

Before building anything, let's research. Press Shift + Tab twice to enter Plan Mode.

You'll see the indicator change to: ⏸ plan mode on

In Plan Mode, Claude reads and analyzes but doesn't make changes. This is perfect for:

• Exploring existing files before modifying them
• Creating detailed plans for complex tasks
• Researching approaches before committing

Review the plan. If you want changes:

Keep refining until you're satisfied. Press Ctrl + G to open the plan in your text editor for direct editing.

"A good plan is really important!"
— Boris Cherny, Claude Code creator

4 Exit Plan Mode and Execute

Once the plan is solid, press Shift + Tab to cycle back to Normal Mode.

Claude writes the actual code directly to your filesystem. You'll see it create the file in real-time.

5 Verify Before Running on Real Data

Here's where verification matters. Tell Claude to test safely:

Claude creates a test environment, runs the script, and reports results. This is the verification pattern — always give Claude a way to check its own work.

6 Run on Real Data

Once testing passes:

Claude runs the dry run, shows you the planned changes, then executes when you approve.

7 Make It Reusable with Custom Commands

You'll want to run this again. Let's make it a permanent command.

Claude creates .claude/commands/organize-downloads.md:

Run the file organizer script on ~/Downloads.

1. First do a dry run to show what will be moved
2. Ask for confirmation before proceeding
3. Run the actual organization
4. Report: files moved by category, any errors, total time

Now you can run /project:organize-downloads anytime, in any session, and Claude knows exactly what to do.

8 Add Hooks for Automation (Optional)

Hooks are automatic triggers that run at specific points in Claude Code's workflow. They're a powerful way to enforce quality without remembering to do it manually.

There are three types of hooks:

• PreToolUse — Runs before Claude executes a tool. Can block or modify actions.
• PostToolUse — Runs after a tool completes. Great for auto-formatting or linting.
• Notification — Fires when Claude needs your attention. Can send Slack messages, desktop notifications, etc.

For example, you could set up a PostToolUse hook that automatically runs a code formatter every time Claude edits a file, or a Notification hook that pings you on Slack when a long task finishes.

Essential Slash Commands You Just Learned

Keyboard Shortcuts to Remember

The Pattern You Just Learned

This tutorial followed a proven workflow:

1. Set up project memory — /init creates CLAUDE.md
2. Plan before executing — Use Plan Mode for complex tasks
3. Verify before committing — Test on sample data first
4. Make it reusable — Create custom commands for repeat tasks
5. Clear context between tasks — /clear keeps sessions focused

This pattern works for any project, not just file organization.

IDE Integration: VS Code and JetBrains

While this tutorial uses the terminal, Claude Code also integrates directly into popular editors:

• VS Code: Install the official extension from the VS Code Marketplace. You get a native GUI, inline diff viewers, @-mention files with line ranges, and multiple conversation tabs.
• JetBrains: Install the Claude Code [Beta] plugin from the JetBrains Marketplace. It runs the CLI in your IDE terminal and uses the built-in diff viewer.

Both use the same Claude Code installation underneath. If you're more comfortable in an IDE than a standalone terminal, these integrations lower the barrier to getting started.

Your Next Projects

Now apply the same pattern to these:

• Bulk image resizer — Resize all images in a folder to specific dimensions
• CSV cleaner — Remove duplicates, fix formatting, standardize columns
• Meeting notes formatter — Take raw notes and format with headers, action items
• Backup script — Copy folders to external drive with timestamps
• Content calendar generator — Create a month of social posts from themes

Common Beginner Mistakes

Mistake 1: Skipping Plan Mode. Jumping straight to execution produces worse results. Take 2 minutes to plan; save 20 minutes of debugging.

Mistake 2: Never using /clear. Context pollution is the #1 cause of bad outputs. Clear between unrelated tasks.

Mistake 3: No CLAUDE.md. Without project memory, you re-explain everything each session. Set it up once, benefit forever.

Mistake 4: No verification. Accepting whatever Claude produces without testing. Always include verification criteria in your prompts.

Mistake 5: One session forever. Long sessions fill up context and degrade quality. Use /rename and /resume to manage multiple focused sessions. Note: as of Opus 4.6 (February 2026), Claude Code supports context compaction — automatic summarization of older context — which helps longer sessions stay effective, but using /clear between unrelated tasks is still best practice.

Related Guides

• What Is Claude Code? — understand the fundamentals
• How to Install Claude Code — setup guide
• 25 Claude Code Prompts — copy-paste examples
• Claude Code for Marketers — marketing-specific workflows
• Claude Code for Non-Coders — more non-technical examples