Install Claude Code Globally via npm

Install Claude Code globally with npm:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Then start it in any project directory:

cd ~/Code/my-project
claude

You can also run it with specific flags right from the start:

# Start with a specific model
claude --model claude-opus-4-6

# Continue the last conversation
claude --continue

# Run a one-shot command without opening an interactive session
claude -p "explain the auth system in this project"

To update to the latest version:

npm update -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Claude Code also ships as IDE extensions for VS Code and JetBrains — but the CLI is where the full power lives, with direct shell access, piping, hooks, and scripting support.

Install once, use everywhere — Claude Code follows you into any project directory.