AI Dev Guide
Beginner Setup

Getting Started with AI Coding Tools

A beginner-friendly guide to AI coding tools like Claude Code and Codex — what they are and how to get started

What Are AI Coding Tools?

AI coding tools let you write and modify code using natural language instructions. Instead of writing every line yourself, you describe what you want, and the AI generates the code for you.

Popular tools include:

  • Claude Code — Anthropic’s CLI-based coding agent
  • Codex — OpenAI’s coding agent
  • Cursor — An AI-powered code editor

Do I Need Programming Experience?

No. AI coding tools are making software development accessible to everyone.

That said, knowing these basics will make you much more effective:

  • Basic terminal commands (cd, ls, etc.)
  • How files and folders work
  • The ability to describe what you want to build

You don’t need to write a single line of code yourself. But you do need to know what you want to create.

First Step: Install Claude Code

# Install globally via npm
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

# Navigate to your project folder and start
cd my-project
claude

This launches an interactive interface where you can give instructions in plain English. The AI will generate, edit, and run code for you.

Try This First

> Create a simple TODO app with React

That’s it. The AI will scaffold the entire project, including file structure and working code.

The key is to try to understand the output. AI is a tool — you make the final decisions.

Next Steps