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Setting up a new environment for Claude Code: the five-minute checklist

#claudecode #setup #productivity #programming

Every new project, every new machine — same setup. Here's the checklist that gets Claude Code working well from the start.

1. Create CLAUDE.md

Empty project root. Create CLAUDE.md with at minimum:

# Project
[One sentence about what this is]

## Stack
[Language, framework, key libraries — one line each]

## Conventions
- [How you name files]
- [Where different types of code live]
- [Any non-obvious patterns]

## Rules
- Minimal footprint. Only modify files directly required for the task.
- Do not ask for confirmation before making changes. Execute and report.
- Do not push to remote. Commit locally.
- Never claim work is done without showing test output.
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You'll add to this as you discover friction points. Start with these four rules — they prevent the most common problems.

2. Create .claude/settings.json 

{
  "defaultMode": "acceptEdits",
  "allowedTools": ["Read", "Write", "Edit", "Bash", "Glob", "Grep"]
}
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This removes confirmation prompts for basic file operations. If you want Claude to also be able to fetch URLs, add "WebFetch" to allowedTools.

3. Create tasks/ directory 

mkdir -p tasks/history
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When you start your first task, Claude can immediately write tasks/current-task.md. This directory is where session state lives.

4. Add to .gitignore (optional)

If you don't want tasks committed:

tasks/
.claude/
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If you want tasks committed (useful for teams): don't add them.

5. Write your first task file 

cat > tasks/current-task.md << 'END'
## Active Task
goal: "[What you're building first]"
started: $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)

steps:
  - [ ] [First step]
  - [ ] [Second step]

last_checkpoint: "Starting fresh"
END
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Now Claude has a state file to read and update.

The startup prompt

Your first prompt to Claude in any session:

Read CLAUDE.md and tasks/current-task.md. Tell me what task we were working on and what the next step is.
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This gets you back on track in under a minute regardless of what happened last session.

What you'll add later

As you work, you'll add to CLAUDE.md:

  • Specific libraries to use or avoid
  • Testing commands
  • Deployment notes
  • Gotchas you discovered

Every friction point you hit becomes a rule. Over a few sessions, CLAUDE.md becomes a project-specific configuration that makes Claude significantly more effective on your codebase than it would be on a generic project.

CLAUDE.md templates for different project types: builtbyzac.com/claudemd-templates.html.

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