Claude Code

📖 5 min read claudeclaude-codecodingagenticmcp Key Info

Complete guide to Claude Code — Anthropic's agentic coding tool across Terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, Desktop, Web, and iOS. Setup, workflows, MCP integration, skills, hooks, sub-agents, and comparison with Cursor/Copilot.

Key Takeaways

• Available on 7 surfaces: Terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, Desktop app, Web browser, iOS, and CI/CD (GitHub Actions)
• Reads your entire codebase, edits files, runs commands, creates commits and PRs
• Integrates with MCP (external tools), Agent Skills (repeatable workflows), hooks (auto-format/lint), and sub-agents (parallel task execution)
• Routines: scheduled tasks on Anthropic infra. Channels: webhooks from Telegram, Discord, Slack. Agent SDK: build custom agents

On this page 20

OverviewInstallationTerminal (Recommended)VS CodeJetBrainsDesktop AppWebCI/CDSeven Surfaces — One EngineCore CapabilitiesRead, Write, ExecuteMCP IntegrationAgent Skills (SKILL.md)CLAUDE.md — Persistent InstructionsHooksSub-Agents — Parallel Task ExecutionRoutines & SchedulingRemote Control & ChannelsClaude Code vs Cursor vs CopilotPricing

Claude Code is Anthropic’s agentic coding tool. It reads your codebase, edits files across multiple files, runs terminal commands, and integrates with your development workflow — from Terminal to CI/CD.

Installation

Terminal (Recommended)

# macOS, Linux, WSL
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

# Windows
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

# Homebrew
brew install --cask claude-code

# WinGet
winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

VS Code

Install “Claude Code” from the Extensions marketplace (Cmd+Shift+X). Provides inline diffs, @-mentions, plan review.

JetBrains

Install the Claude Code plugin for IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm.

Desktop App

Download from claude.ai — visual diffs, side-by-side sessions, scheduled tasks.

Web

Go to claude.ai/code — no setup, browser-based, works on iOS.

CI/CD

# GitHub Actions
- uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
  with:
    prompt: "Review this PR for security issues"

Also available for GitLab CI/CD.

Seven Surfaces — One Engine

Surface	Best For	Key Feature
Terminal CLI	Full control, scripting, CI/CD	claude -p "prompt" for quick tasks
VS Code	IDE integration, inline diffs	@-mentions, plan mode, context sharing
JetBrains	IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm	Interactive diff viewing
Desktop App	Visual workflow, multi-session	Side-by-side sessions, recurring tasks
Web	No setup, browser/phone	Remote execution, long-running cloud tasks
iOS	On-the-go coding	Dispatch tasks, review results
CI/CD	Automated PR review, issue triage	GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD

Core Capabilities

Read, Write, Execute

# Explore and understand
claude "explain the authentication flow in this codebase"

# Build features
claude "add a rate-limiting middleware to the API"

# Fix bugs
claude "fix the race condition in the payment processing module"

# Write tests
claude "write tests for the auth module, run them, and fix any failures"

# Git operations
claude "commit my changes with a descriptive message and open a PR"

MCP Integration

Connect Claude Code to external tools and data:

# Configure MCP servers in .claude/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem"]
    },
    "github": {
      "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"]
    }
  }
}

See MCP — Model Context Protocol for a complete guide.

Agent Skills (SKILL.md)

Package repeatable workflows your team can share:

# Project skills in .claude/skills/
.claude/skills/
  generate-migration/
    SKILL.md          # Instructions for the skill
  review-pr/
    SKILL.md
  deploy-staging/
    SKILL.md

See Agent Skills for details.

CLAUDE.md — Persistent Instructions

Add CLAUDE.md to your project root:

CLAUDE.md

## Code Style
- Use TypeScript strict mode
- Prefer functional patterns over classes
- Tests go in __tests__/ colocated with source

## Architecture
- API routes in src/api/
- Business logic in src/services/

Claude Code reads this at the start of every session. It also builds auto-memory — learning build commands, debugging insights, and project conventions as it works.

Hooks

Run shell commands before or after Claude Code actions:

.claude/settings.json

{
  "hooks": {
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Edit|Write",
        "hooks": [{"type": "command", "command": "prettier --write ${CLAUDE_TOOL_INPUT_FILE_PATH}"}]
      }
    ],
    "PreToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Bash(git commit*)",
        "hooks": [{"type": "command", "command": "npm run lint"}]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Sub-Agents — Parallel Task Execution

Spawn multiple Claude Code agents working simultaneously:

claude "audit all services for security issues, checking each in parallel"

A lead agent coordinates, assigns subtasks to sub-agents, and merges results.

Routines & Scheduling

Run Claude on a schedule — even when your computer is off:

• Routines: Runs on Anthropic infrastructure. Trigger by schedule, API call, or GitHub events.
• Desktop scheduled tasks: Run on your machine with local file access.
• /loop: Repeat a prompt within a CLI session for quick polling.

Remote Control & Channels

• Remote Control: Continue sessions from your phone or any browser
• Channels: Push events from Telegram, Discord, iMessage, or custom webhooks into sessions
• Dispatch: Send tasks from your phone, execute on your desktop

Claude Code vs Cursor vs Copilot

Feature	Claude Code	Cursor	GitHub Copilot
Primary interface	Terminal CLI	IDE fork (VSCode-based)	IDE extension
Model	Claude Opus 4.8 / Sonnet 4.6	Claude Sonnet + GPT-4o	GPT-4o + Codex
Codebase awareness	1M context, reads all files	.cursorrules context	Repository context
Git integration	Native: commits, PRs, branches	Built-in source control	Copilot Chat in PRs
Multi-file edits	Full project scope	Multi-file via inline	Context-limit aware
Terminal commands	Full shell access	Limited terminal pane	No terminal
Pricing	Pay-per-token (API) or Pro plan	$20-40/mo subscription	Free tier + $10-20/mo
Custom workflows	Skills + Hooks + CLAUDE.md	.cursorrules	Copilot instructions
CI/CD	GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD	None	GitHub-native
Sub-agents	Yes (parallel tasks)	No	No
Desktop app	Yes	No	No

Best combo: Cursor for daily IDE work, Claude Code for complex refactors, Copilot for inline completions. See the Coding Tools Comparison for benchmarks.

Pricing

Plan	What You Get	Cost
Claude Pro	Claude Code access on 1 surface	$20/mo
Claude Max	Claude Code across all surfaces + extended usage	$100/mo (individual) or$200/mo (team)
API (Console)	Pay-per-token via Anthropic Console	Opus $5/$25, Sonnet $3/$15, Haiku $1/$5 per 1M
Enterprise	Custom plans, volume discounts	Contact sales