Node.js Setup

The tools that follow depend on Node.js (which includes npm). Check whether it's already installed first, and install it only if it's missing.

1. Check whether it's installed

Open a terminal and run:

node -v
npm -v

• Both print version numbers (as shown above) → already installed; you can skip the install step below.
• You see command not found or not recognized → not installed yet; follow the next step.

2. Install Node.js (if missing)

Download it from https://nodejs.org (choose the LTS version) and follow the installer wizard.

After installing, reopen the terminal and run node -v and npm -v again — version numbers mean success.

3. Install the CLI tools

Once Node is installed, use npm to install the latest CLIs (pick what you need):

# Claude Code
npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest

# Codex
npm i -g @openai/codex@latest

Once installed, verify with the following commands (version numbers mean success):

claude --version
codex --version

You can then use the claude / codex commands in the terminal. See the later guides for configuration.

4. Common issues

Q: permission denied / EACCES error

Pick the commands for your OS:

macOS / Linux

# Don't use sudo — move npm's global directory into your home directory
mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc   # zsh users: use ~/.zshrc
source ~/.bashrc

Windows

# Run PowerShell / the terminal as Administrator, then retry the install command
# If it still fails, reinstall Node.js with the default path and permission options
npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest

Q: command not found: codex

npm's global bin directory isn't on your PATH. Run the command below to find the path, then append its /bin directory to your system PATH:

npm config get prefix