Pre-workshop

Pre-workshop setup

Three things before Day 1: a short survey, the right account, and your coding tool installed. About 20 to 30 minutes. You install only the coding tool now. R and Python get installed together on Day 1. You cannot break your computer with anything on this page.

1 / Survey

Pre-class survey (5 minutes)

Tells me who’s in the room so I can tailor pacing, examples, and Day 1 setup. Please complete before the first session.

Open the survey

2 / Your machine

Confirm this before choosing a plan. The tools will not install on an unsupported system.

macOS 13+ (Ventura or newer), or Windows 10 (build 1809+) or Windows 11. Older versions cannot run these tools. If your hardware does not support a newer OS, plan to use a different machine for the workshop.
Admin rights to install software on this machine. You install your coding tool now, and R and Python on Day 1. If your laptop is IT-managed, get install approval in advance or plan to use a personal machine.

3 / Account

Pick one tool and set up a paid plan. Claude Code is preferred (that’s what I demo live). Codex CLI is a fully supported alternative.

	Claude Codepreferred	Codex CLIalso supported
Sign in at	claude.ai	chatgpt.com
Recommended	Max 5x ($100/mo)	Pro ($200/mo)
Minimum	Pro ($20/mo)	Plus ($20/mo)*

Claude Pro may hit rate limits mid-exercise. Max 5x is the minimum I recommend for smooth hands-on work.

*Codex Plus works as a floor through May 31, 2026 thanks to a 2x usage promo. From June 1 it drops to standard caps. Pro is the closest analog to Claude Max 20x for heavy use.

Cursor and Antigravity are not recommended. Many lessons will not transfer cleanly.

4 / Install

Both tools run in your computer’s terminal: a window where you type a command and press Enter. The prompt is the blank line where the cursor waits for you to type. If you have never used a terminal, that is fine. Pick your tool below, then your operating system. Your choices are remembered as you move through the site.

Before you start

You cannot break anything. Each command here installs one program. If something looks wrong, close the window and start over. Nothing is permanent until the install finishes.

The default for the workshop. You sign in with your Anthropic account.

1
Open the Terminal app. Press Cmd + Space, type terminal, and press Enter. A window with a blank prompt opens.
2
Copy the line below, paste it into the terminal (Cmd + V), and press Enter:
```
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
```
This downloads and runs the official installer. It is safe.
3
The installer may ask for your Mac password. Type it and press Enter. The cursor will not move while you type, and no asterisks appear. That is normal. Wait for the install to finish (about a minute).
4
Type claude and press Enter. A welcome screen asks you to sign in and shows a link. Your browser opens and asks you to log in. Click approve, then return to the terminal.

Watch the install

How To Install Claude Code On Mac (Native Installer 2026)

The video is third-party. It covers the install flow well; if its steps diverge from the written instructions above (the installer changes occasionally), trust the written instructions and the install help page.

If anything fails

See the install help page for the most common errors and their fixes (PATH issues, Gatekeeper on Mac, PowerShell execution policy, stale API keys, corporate proxies, sign-in problems).