Setting Up Claude Code in Visual Studio Code

Step 1: Create and Subscribe to a Claude Account

First, head over to claude.ai and create a personal account if you don’t already have one.

For access to Claude Code features, you’ll need a paid subscription. The current plan that unlocks this functionality is the $100/month tier (as of late 2025). Subscribe through your account settings.

Step 2: Install Claude Code

Open your terminal and run the official installer script:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

This will download and set up the Claude Code CLI tool on your machine.

Step 3: Open Your Project in VS Code

Navigate to the folder containing your project (e.g., a GitHub repo you’ve cloned locally) and open it in Visual Studio Code.

Step 4: Launch Claude Code

In VS Code, open a new terminal (Terminal → New Terminal) and simply type:

claude

The first time you run it, Claude will prompt you to log in with your Claude account credentials. Follow the on-screen instructions to authenticate.

Once logged in, Claude Code is ready to help you refactor, debug, add features, and more—directly within your codebase.

Optional: Skip Permission Prompts

By default, Claude will ask for confirmation before making changes to your files. If you trust the model and want a faster workflow, you can skip these prompts by running:

claude --dangerously-skip-permissions

Use this flag with caution—always review changes in your git diff afterward!

Screenshots

Here’s what the process looks like in action:

1. Running the native install script (recommended method)

2. Opening a new terminal and starting Claude in your project folder

3. Claude Code running and ready to assist