Claude / Start Here

New to Claude? Start here.

A hand-held first week with Claude, written for friends who are not developers. No jargon, no setup you cannot follow. Pick the track that fits, read top to bottom, and you will have Claude doing real work by the end. When you are ready for terse reference instead of tutorials, the Primer and the principles are waiting one floor up.

First decisionWhich one: chat, Cowork, or Claude CodeThere are three ways to use Claude. Here is how to pick the one that fits what you are actually trying to do.

Cowork

The no-terminal path. A desktop app that works inside your folders and gets real tasks done. Start here if you have never written a line of code.

  1. 01What Cowork is, and why it beats just chattingClaude that works inside your real folders and finishes the task, instead of a chat window that only tells you how.
  2. 02Your first Cowork sessionWork in a folder, keep Ask before acting on, describe an outcome rather than a clever prompt, and approve each step as it goes.
  3. 03Three recipes to try firstResearch synthesis, document drafting, and file cleanup. Three concrete first tasks that show what Cowork is actually for.
  4. 04Connecting your Google Drive and GmailLet Cowork reach beyond your folders into the tools you already use, with your permission and nothing more.

Claude Code

The terminal path, taught gently. Same idea as Cowork, more control, a small learning curve. Worth it once Cowork feels too narrow.

  1. 01Installing Claude Code and your first runThe same agent idea as Cowork, run from the terminal. Install it, sign in, and run claude once.
  2. 02Your first project: open a folder, ask for a changePoint Claude Code at a folder, ask for one small change, and read what it did before you keep it.
  3. 03The core loop: plan, act, verifyEvery good session is the same three-beat rhythm. Understand it once and the tool stops feeling like magic.
  4. 04When to graduate from Cowork to CodeCowork covers most knowledge work. Here is the line where Claude Code's extra control starts to earn its keep.

Personal AI knowledge system

The capstone. Build yourself a second brain that Claude can read and write. Plain-English path first, technical path second.

  1. 01What a personal AI knowledge system isYour own second brain, kept in plain folders and files, that an AI can read and write for you.
  2. 02Build one with Cowork (no code)A folder, a few context files, and a capture habit. The non-technical path to your own second brain.
  3. 03Build one with Claude Code (technical path)A git repo, a CLAUDE.md, and a folder structure Claude reads every session. The same idea, with version history.
  4. 04The weekly habit: capture, route, compoundThe system only works if you feed it. Three verbs, once a week, and it gets denser every time.