chapter 1 of 8
Get Claude running locally and in your editor.
By the end of this chapter you will have Claude running where you work — the CLI, your editor, and a first authenticated API call — so the rest of the Academy is hands-on, not hypothetical.
Claude Code runs in your terminal. Install it, then confirm the version:
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
claude --version
Sign in once and your session is stored locally. From here, claude in any
project starts an interactive agent with access to your files.
The API is how your own code talks to the model. Set your key as an environment variable — never hard-code it, never ship it to a browser:
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."
Never ship your key to the browser
The API key is a secret. Keep it in a server-side environment variable — never in client JavaScript, your HTML, or your git history. A leaked key lets anyone spend against your account.
A minimal request names the model and sends one message:
const res = await client.messages.create({
model: "claude-opus-4-8",
max_tokens: 512,
messages: [{ role: "user", content: "Say hello in one sentence." }],
});
You installed the CLI, authenticated, and made a first call. The chapter exam checks the essentials: where the key lives, what a message looks like, and why the key never belongs on the client. Pass it to earn XP and unlock Chapter 2.
Key takeaways
5 questions, scored fairly. Pass to earn XP and your certificate.