IDE & Editor Options

Claude Code runs in the terminal, but you don't have to use it that way. It integrates with the editors you already use.

✅Tip

Pick whichever option feels most comfortable. Everything in this course works with any of these. The terminal is the default, but the editor integrations give you the same power with a more visual interface.

Option 1: Terminal (default)

What you installed in the previous section. Open a terminal, type claude, and start talking. This is the most direct way to use Claude Code and what most examples in this course show.

Terminal

$claude

Option 2: VS Code Extension

If you use Visual Studio Code, install the Claude Code extension:

Open VS Code
Go to Extensions (Cmd+Shift+X on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows)
Search for "Claude Code"
Click Install
Open the Claude Code panel from the sidebar

The extension gives you Claude Code inside VS Code — same capabilities, but you can see your files, terminal, and Claude Code side by side.

Option 3: Cursor

Cursor is a code editor built on VS Code with AI features built in. If you use Cursor, Claude Code works inside it too:

Open Cursor
Open the terminal panel (Ctrl+`)
Run claude just like in a regular terminal

💡Info

Cursor has its own AI features, but Claude Code gives you the agentic workflow — reading your entire project, writing multiple files, running commands. They complement each other.

Option 4: JetBrains (IntelliJ, WebStorm, PyCharm)

If you use a JetBrains IDE, there's a Claude Code plugin:

Open your JetBrains IDE
Go to Settings → Plugins → Marketplace
Search for "Claude Code"
Install and restart

Which should you use?

If you...	Use
Are new to coding	Terminal — it's simplest to follow along
Already use VS Code	VS Code extension — familiar environment
Already use Cursor	Cursor terminal — it just works
Already use JetBrains	JetBrains plugin — stay in your IDE

For this course, all screenshots and examples show the terminal. But every command and prompt works identically in any of these options.