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Your first real conversation with Claude

⏱ 20 min8 steps

So far you've set things up. This is the first real job: something you've been meaning to do, talked through with Claude, ending with a plan saved as a on your Macyour PC. About 20 minutes, most of it answering Claude's questions.

If Claude surprises you, that's normal. Every step has fixes under "That's not what I see".

file One document on your computer, like a letter or a photo. Files live inside folders. All words

Before this, you'll want:

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Steps

Step 1 of 80 done · about 20 min left

Steps for
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  1. Put this page and Terminal side by side

    From here on, you'll follow along on this page while Claude works in . It's much easier with both on screen at once.

    1. Open Terminal (Cmd+SpaceWindows key, type Terminal, press Enter).
    2. Put the Terminal window on the right half of the screen. Hold your pointer over the green button in its top-left corner, and choose Right from the menu that pops up. On newer Macs it's under Move & Resize.Click on it, then hold the Windows key and press the right arrow key. If small pictures of your other windows show up on the left, click the window with this page to fill that half.
    3. Click on this window and do the same, choosing the left half. (the Windows key and the left arrow key).
    Terminal An app on your Mac where you type instructions instead of clicking on things. Claude Code works inside it. All wordsbrowser The app you use to visit websites, like Safari or Chrome. All words

    You should see:

    This page on the left half of your screen, and Terminal on the right.

    That's not what I see
    No menu popped up over the green button.
    Hold the pointer still over the green button for a second or two. If nothing shows, drag the windows by hand: grab each one by its top edge and move it to its own half of the screen. Close enough is fine.
    My screen is too small to read both.
    Make this page smaller with CmdCtrl and the minus key, and bigger again with CmdCtrl and the plus key. Or skip side by side, and switch between the two windows with Cmd+TabAlt+Tab.

  2. Make a folder for the job and go into it

    Every project gets its own in your . This one is called first-job.

    1. Click in Terminal. Make the folder: type this and press Enter.

      mkdir ~/Backyard/first-job

      mkdir ~\Backyard\first-job

    2. Go into it: type this and press Enter.

      cd ~/Backyard/first-job

      cd ~\Backyard\first-job
    folder A place on your computer that holds files and other folders, like a drawer in a filing cabinet. All wordsBackyard The folder right inside your home folder where everything you build in these lessons lives. All words

    You should see:

    The now says first-job, right before the %>.

    prompt line The line in Terminal that ends with a % sign. The word right before the % is the folder you're in. All words
    That's not what I see
    It says "cd: no such file or directoryCannot find path … because it does not exist".
    The first-job folder doesn't exist yet, or the name was spelled differently. Type ~/Backyard/first-job and press Enter, then ~/Backyard/first-job and press Enter.mkdir The command that makes a new folder. Type mkdir, a space and the new folder's name. It's short for make directory. All wordscd The command that moves Terminal into a folder. Type cd, a space and the folder's name. It's short for change directory, an old word for folder. All words

  3. Start Claude Code and switch to manual mode

    normally works in : it goes ahead without asking, and a safety checker blocks anything risky. For this one job you'll switch to , so Claude stops and asks before it changes anything. You'll see exactly what it does on your behalf, before you hand it over.

    1. Type this and press Enter:

      claude

    2. If Claude Code shows "Quick safety check", check that the folder under Accessing workspace ends in first-job. Then press the down arrow to Yes, I trust this folder, and press Enter.

    3. Look at the bar at the bottom. It says ⏵⏵ auto mode on. Press Shift+Tab once.

    Claude Code Claude, working inside Terminal. It can make files and run things on your Mac, with a safety checker watching what it does. All wordsauto mode Claude works without asking, and a separate safety checker blocks anything risky. All wordsmanual mode Claude asks you before it changes a file or runs a command. It only reads on its own. All words

    You should see:

    The bar at the bottom of Claude Code says ⏸ manual mode on.

    That's not what I see
    It says "zsh: command not found: claudeThe term 'claude' is not recognized".
    Claude Code isn't installed yet, or this Terminal window doesn't know about it. Close the window with Cmd+WCtrl+Shift+W, open a new one and try again. If it still says that, go back to Claude Code and .install Put a new program on your computer so you can use it. All wordssign in Tell Claude Code which Claude account is yours, so it knows you've paid for it. All words
    I pressed Shift+Tab and the bar says something other than manual mode on.
    Each press moves to the next mode: auto, manual, accept edits, plan, then back to auto. Keep pressing Shift+Tab until it says manual mode on.
    On Windows, Shift+Tab doesn't change the bar.
    Press Alt+M instead. On some Windows setups, that's the key for switching modes. Each press moves to the next one, the same way.
    There's no auto mode on in the bar.
    Your Claude Code may already be in manual mode. If the bar says manual mode on, or says nothing at all, you're set. Carry on.
    Claude asked me to trust a folder that isn't first-job.
    Choose No. Type cd ~/Backyard/first-job, press Enter, check the prompt line says first-job, then type claude again.

  4. Tell Claude what you want, and let it ask questions

    Think of something you've been meaning to do for a while. Anything real to you counts: sorting the garage, a side idea, planning a trip, learning to make bread.

    This asks Claude to interview you, one question at a time, then write a short plan into a file. Your own words go at the end.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Ask me questions one at a time until you understand what I want and what "done" looks like. Then write a one-page plan into a file called plan.txt in this folder, in plain words, with the smallest first step at the top. Before you write the file, tell me what you're about to do. Here's what I want to do:
    1. Click in Terminal and paste it with Cmd+VCtrl+V.
    2. Type a space, then your thing, like sort out the garage.
    3. Press Enter.

    Answer each question in plain words and press Enter. You're not filling in a form, you're talking to a very patient helper. If you're not sure, say so.

    prompt What you type to Claude. A good one says what you want, how to work and what never to do. All words

    You should see:

    Claude asks you one question about your job, and waits for your answer.

    That's not what I see
    I don't know what job to pick.
    Pick something you've put off for a month: a garage to sort, a side idea, a trip, a class you want to take. It doesn't need to be a business. It needs to be real to you.
    Claude asked five questions at once.
    Type this and press Enter: One question at a time, please. Then answer the first one. It will slow down.
    I'm not sure how to answer a question.
    Say so. Type: I'm not sure, what would you suggest? That's a real answer, and Claude will offer choices.

  5. Read what Claude wants to do, then say yes

    When Claude is ready to save the plan, Claude Code stops and asks you first, because you're in manual mode. It shows what it's about to do, the file's name and what goes in it, and gives you a few choices.

    1. Read what it says it's about to do. It should be writing plan.txt in your first-job folder.
    2. Choose Yes if that's right. Use the arrow keys and press Enter, or press the number next to Yes.

    In manual mode, Claude Code asks before it makes or changes a file, or runs a . For now, pick plain Yes each time, not any choice that says not to ask again or switches to auto mode. This is what auto mode does for you, quietly, every time. Seeing it once makes the rest of the course make sense.

    command An instruction you type into Terminal. Your Mac does it when you press Enter. All words

    You should see:

    Claude Code writes plan.txt and says so, then Claude tells you what's in the plan.

    That's not what I see
    Claude wrote the file without asking me.
    Claude Code was still in auto mode. Nothing's wrong, and the plan is saved. Press Shift+Tab until the bar says manual mode on, then ask Claude to make a change to plan.txt so you can see the question it asks.
    I said No by mistake.
    Nothing was written, and nothing broke. Type: Sorry, that was a mistake, please go ahead and write plan.txt. It asks again. This time choose Yes.
    I'm not sure what it's asking me to approve.
    Choose No and ask it: What does that do, in plain words? Once the answer makes sense, ask it to try again. Asking is never a waste of time.

  6. Look at the plan

    1. Copy the message below, paste it into Claude Code and press Enter.
    Open plan.txt so I can see it.
    1. If Claude asks to run a command that opens the file, read it and choose Yes.
    2. Read your plan. Is the first step small enough to do this week?

    You should see:

    Your plan, with the smallest first step at the top. It opens in a window, or Claude shows it right in Terminal.

    That's not what I see
    I can't find plan.txt.
    Ask Claude: Where did you save plan.txt? Show me the full address. If it says it hasn't written it yet, ask it to write it now.
    The plan opened in an app I don't recognize.
    That's the app your Macyour PC uses for that kind of file. Close it, and ask Claude to show you the plan right there in Terminal instead.

  7. Ask for a change

    If the first step isn't small enough, ask for a change, like this one.

    1. Copy the message below, paste it into Claude Code and press Enter.
    Make the first step smaller. Something I can do in 20 minutes.
    1. Read what Claude asks before it changes the file, choose Yes, and look at the plan again.

    You should see:

    Claude asks before it changes plan.txt. After you say yes, the first step in your plan is smaller.

    That's not what I see
    Claude changed the file without asking me.
    Most likely, in the earlier step you picked the choice that says not to ask again, or the bar now says accept edits on or auto mode on. Nothing's wrong, and the change is saved. Press Shift+Tab until the bar says manual mode on.

  8. Leave, and know how to come back

    1. Type this and press Enter:

      /exit

    Your plan stays in the folder. Next time, go back to the folder and type claude -c to pick up the same conversation where you left off.

    claude -c

    It starts in auto mode again, and that's fine. Whenever you want to see each step before it happens, press Shift+Tab until the bar says manual mode on.

    You should see:

    Claude Code closes, and you're back at the prompt line, ending in %>.

    That's not what I see
    I want to stop, but I'm not finished.
    Type and press Enter. Next time, go back to the folder and type claude -c. That picks up the conversation where you left off./exit Typed in Claude Code, it ends the conversation and takes you back to Terminal. All words
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Your challenge

Do the first step of your plan this week. Then open Terminal, cd ~/Backyard/first-job, type claude -c and tell Claude how it went. Ask it to update plan.txt.

Last checked 2026-10-17

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