Claude Code getting started: A complete 2025 overview

Let's be honest, the buzz around "agentic" AI tools is impossible to ignore. We're talking about AI that does more than just autocomplete your next line of code; it actively works with you through the whole development cycle. Anthropic’s Claude Code is a big name in this area, and it's changing how developers write, debug, and refactor software, all from the command line.

If you're curious about giving it a try, you've come to the right place. This guide will walk you through what Claude Code actually is, what it can do, how the pricing really works, and, maybe most importantly, where it falls short. We'll get into when it's the perfect tool for the job and when a different kind of AI agent would make a lot more sense.

What is Claude Code?

At its heart, Claude Code is a command-line interface (CLI) tool that puts an interactive AI agent right inside your terminal. This isn't just another IDE plugin like GitHub Copilot or an AI-native editor like Cursor. It’s designed to be a conversational partner that lives where you already run your commands.

The main difference is its approach. It behaves like an AI pair programmer that has a solid grasp of your entire project. It can scan your whole codebase, run terminal commands, edit files for you, and even handle your Git workflow, all based on a simple conversation. This "agentic" ability is what makes it stand out from the pack.

You could think of it like this: a normal AI assistant might fetch you a specific tool when you ask. Claude Code, on the other hand, can sit down with you and help you build the whole thing from the ground up.

Core capabilities

Here’s a closer look at what makes Claude Code so useful in a day-to-day workflow. It's about a lot more than just generating code snippets.

Full codebase context and understanding

One of the most impressive things Claude Code can do is scan and make sense of an entire repository with a single command, like "claude init". This gives it a project-wide awareness of your architecture, dependencies, and how you typically write your code.

Because it has this deep context, you can ask it broad, high-level questions and get surprisingly smart answers. Things like, "Can you explain how our user authentication flow works?" or "Where are the main API entry points located?" It’s almost like having a teammate who’s already read every piece of documentation.

You can also drop a "CLAUDE.md" file into your project to act as a permanent set of instructions. In it, you can outline your project's code style, essential commands, or architectural rules. Claude Code will check this file in every session, making sure its suggestions and actions always line up with your team's standards.

Autonomous actions and agentic workflows

This is where things get really interesting. Claude Code doesn't just suggest what you should do; it can take direct action for you.

Here are a few ways that might play out:

• Debugging: You can copy-paste an error log straight into the terminal. Claude Code will then dig through the codebase to find the problem, suggest a fix, and apply it once you give the okay.

• Refactoring: You could ask it to handle a tricky refactor, like, "refactor the "UserService" module to use async/await instead of callbacks." It will then go through all the relevant files and make the changes.

• Testing & Git: It can write unit tests for a new feature you've built, run your test suite to make sure nothing broke, and even commit the changes with a descriptive message it writes itself.

A conversational and iterative development process

Working with Claude Code isn’t about crafting a single, perfect prompt. It’s more of a back-and-forth conversation where you refine the work together, a lot like you would with a human coworker.

A typical session might go something like this:

1. You: "Add a new endpoint to fetch user profiles."

2. Claude Code: Implements the endpoint and the necessary database query.

3. You: "That's a good start, but add some input validation to prevent SQL injection and make sure the user ID is a valid format."

4. Claude Code: Updates the code, adding the security and validation logic you asked for.

This feedback loop lets you start with a general idea and slowly shape it into a polished, production-ready feature.

This video provides a step-by-step tutorial on how to seamlessly set up and use Claude Code in your projects.

Setup and pricing explained

Getting set up is pretty straightforward, but you’ll want to get a handle on the cost structure before you jump in with both feet.

How to install Claude Code

The only real prerequisite is having Node.js (version 18 or newer) on your machine. Once that's sorted, you can install Claude Code with one command in your terminal:

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

This guide is more about the big picture of what Claude Code is and how it works. For detailed, step-by-step setup help, your best bet is to check out the official Claude Code quickstart guide.

Understanding the pricing model (and its hidden costs)

Okay, here's where things get a little complicated. Claude Code isn't a product with a simple flat monthly fee. Your usage is tied directly to your Claude.ai account and the limits that come with your subscription plan.

Plan	Price (Billed Monthly)	Key Features & Usage Limits for Claude Code
Free	$0	Access to Claude on the web, but not the Claude Code terminal tool.
Pro	$20	Enables Claude Code in the terminal with more usage than the free web plan. Good for light or occasional use.
Max	From $100	Provides 5x or 20x more usage than Pro. Often necessary for developers using Claude Code as a primary tool to avoid hitting rate limits on complex tasks.

So what does that actually mean for your wallet? While the $20/month Pro plan lets you use the tool, you can burn through its usage limits much faster than you'd think during intensive coding. Some developers have reported that a single 90-minute session could translate to roughly $8 in API costs. This makes the Max plan almost a necessity for anyone who wants to rely on Claude Code for daily work.

This usage-based model can lead to unpredictable monthly bills, which is something you'll definitely want to think about before making it a core part of your workflow.

The limitations

Claude Code is a fantastic tool for developers, but because it's so specialized, it’s not the answer for every AI-powered task a business might have.

A specialist tool for developers

The terminal-based interface is perfect for engineers, but it's completely inaccessible for non-technical folks in customer support, sales, or HR. To use it well, you have to be comfortable with the command line, Git, and software development in general.

Lacks a central dashboard for business workflows

Claude Code is built for one developer's productivity. There's no central place for a support manager to manage prompts, look at conversation histories with customers, or check analytics on how quickly issues are being resolved. This makes it a poor fit for any kind of standardized team workflow where you need oversight and reporting.

Its knowledge is limited to the codebase

Claude Code is an expert at understanding code. It is not, however, built to connect to your company’s Zendesk help center, find context from old support tickets, or read your internal Confluence wiki to give a customer an accurate answer.

For business tasks that need answers drawn from multiple sources, you need a different kind of platform. For example, if you want to run a support chatbot or an internal Q&A bot, you’d need a tool like eesel AI. It connects instantly to all your business apps to give answers based on your company's actual knowledge, not just its code.

The alternative for business-wide AI: From code to customers with eesel AI

While your developers are using Claude Code to build your product, your support and IT teams need an AI agent that’s built for the way they work. That’s where a different kind of tool fits in.

eesel AI is designed specifically for business teams. You can connect your helpdesk (like Zendesk or Intercom) and pull in knowledge from places like Confluence or Google Docs with just a click. You can get everything up and running in a few minutes, no coding needed.

It gives you a self-serve dashboard where you can tweak the AI’s personality, set up specific automation rules, and, most importantly, simulate how the AI will perform on thousands of your past tickets before it ever talks to a live customer. This gives you total control and peace of mind before you launch.

Plus, eesel AI’s pricing is transparent and predictable, based on a clear number of monthly interactions. You won't get a surprise bill at the end of a busy month, which is a big relief compared to the unpredictable, usage-based models you often see with developer-focused tools.

Choosing the right AI agent for the job

Claude Code is a genuinely exciting AI agent that helps individual developers get through complex coding tasks faster than ever before. Its deep understanding of a codebase and its conversational style make it something every serious engineer should at least try.

But its biggest strength, being a specialized tool for developers, is also its main limitation. It's built by developers, for developers.

For broader business automation, like handling customer service tickets, providing internal support, or improving ITSM, you need a platform that's actually designed for those jobs. So while your developers are exploring what Claude Code can do, your support teams can start automating their work today.

Give eesel AI a try with a free trial and see for yourself how easy it is to set up a powerful, business-ready AI agent for your entire team.