Getting started with Claude Code in the desktop app

Who this is for and what you will be able to do

This guide is for people who want Claude Code to read and edit a project on their own computer without opening a terminal. After reading it, you can open a local project folder in the desktop app, send a first request, review the changes Claude makes and choose the right permission mode.

What the desktop app adds

Claude Code sits in the Code tab at the top of the sidebar in the Claude desktop app. It gives Claude Code a graphical interface: you ask Claude to work on the code in a folder on your computer, then review the changes yourself, file by file^[1]. The app includes Claude Code, so you do not need to install Node.js or the command-line version to use the Code tab^[1]. If you also want claude in your terminal, install the CLI separately^[1].

What you need

• Subscription. Claude Code requires a Pro, Max, Ultra, Team or Enterprise subscription^[1].
• Operating system. The macOS build is universal and runs on Intel and Apple Silicon. Windows has an x64 installer, with a separate ARM64 installer for Windows ARM64. Linux support is in beta and installs with apt or a .deb package on Ubuntu and Debian^[1].
• Account. Sign in with your Anthropic account after you launch the app^[1].

Step by step

1. Download the installer for your system, install it and launch Claude^[1].
2. Click Code at the top of the sidebar. If the tabs show only icons, hover over one to see its name^[1].
3. In the row under the prompt box, click the environment selector and choose the top entry in the Local group. Then click the project folder control beside it, select Open folder… and choose your project directory^[1].
4. In the same row, pick a model from the model picker at the right end. You can change it later^[1].
5. Type a request. Examples include Find a TODO comment and fix it, Add tests for the main function and Create a CLAUDE.md with instructions for this codebase^[1].
6. Check the permission mode. In Auto or Accept edits mode, Claude applies its file changes and shows an indicator such as +12 -1 so you can review them. In Manual mode, each change appears as a diff with approve and decline buttons, and Claude waits for your decision^[1].

Each session is a conversation about your code with its own context and its own changes, so you can run several at once^[1].

Steering a session

While Claude is working, click the stop button to interrupt it immediately. Or type a correction and press Enter; the correction is sent without stopping the running action^[1]. Type @filename to pull a specific file into the conversation, and type / to browse built-in commands, custom skills and plugin skills^[1].

Reviewing changes

Clicking the +12 -1 indicator opens the diff view. You can go through the changes file by file and comment on specific lines; Claude reads the comments and revises its work^[1]. To have Claude review the changes itself, enter /code-review in the prompt box^[1].

The four permission modes

• Auto: a classifier reviews actions in the background and blocks the risky ones instead of asking you^[1].
• Manual: Claude asks before it edits files or runs commands^[1].
• Accept edits: file edits are accepted automatically, which speeds up iteration^[1].
• Plan: Claude proposes an approach without editing any files, which suits a large refactor you want to plan first^[1].

Beyond the first edit

• Press Ctrl+` to open the terminal pane beside your session^[1].
• When your dev server runs in the desktop app, the app opens in the Browser pane. Claude can view the running app, test endpoints, inspect logs and iterate on what it sees^[1].
• After you open a pull request, Claude Code monitors CI check results and can fix failures automatically^[1].
• Scheduled tasks run Claude on a recurring basis, such as a daily code review^[1].
• Parallel sessions can each use their own Git worktree^[1].

Limits and common problems

• A prompt to upgrade means you need a paid plan first^[1].
• A prompt to sign in online is cleared by completing the sign-in and restarting the app^[1].
• A 403 error is covered by the authentication section of the official documentation^[1].
• For an SSH session, Claude Code is installed on the remote machine automatically the first time you connect. A task keeps running while Desktop is disconnected, but with a Claude account it can stop when the sign-in expires^[1].
• Cloud sessions keep running even if you close the app^[1].

A checklist for your first session

1. Open the Code tab and check that no upgrade, sign-in or 403 prompt is showing^[1].
2. Confirm that the environment is the entry in the Local group and that the project folder is the directory you want to change^[1].
3. Check the model in the model picker, and remember that you can change it later^[1].
4. Look at the permission mode. In Manual mode you approve each change; in Auto or Accept edits mode, changes are applied and you review them in the diff view^[1].
5. Send your first request. When it finishes, open the diff view, go through the files one by one, and comment on any line that needs work^[1].

Choosing where a session runs

Besides the Local entry from step 3, the environment selector offers Cloud, SSH and WSL (Windows only)^[1].

• Local: the session runs on your own computer, in the entry you chose above^[1].
• **Using claude in a terminal:** install the CLI separately. The Code tab itself does not need it^[1].
• Cloud: the session runs in the cloud and continues even if you close the app^[1].
• SSH: connects to a remote machine. The first time you connect, Desktop installs Claude Code on that machine automatically^[1].
• WSL: the session runs inside a WSL 2 distribution. Claude Code, its tools and git execute on the Linux side with native paths^[1].

Where the code lives decides the choice. For a project you edit on your own computer, Local is the most direct route. For work that should keep running after you close the app, use Cloud^[1].

Where to go next

Start with a small project you know well; it is the fastest way to see what Claude Code can do. For permission modes, parallel sessions, the diff view, connectors and enterprise settings, read the official Claude Code Desktop documentation^[1].