0:00
Opening the terminal
This is how you launch the terminal on a Mac. The Windows equivalent is PowerShell, which this video does not cover. Hit command and space to open search, then look for the terminal app.
Terminal basics on a Mac
Open a terminal, make a project folder, move into it, and start a tool from there. Shown on a Mac, and mkdir and cd are the same on Windows.
On Windows? Only the first step really differs. Instead of Terminal you open PowerShell — press Windows+X and pick Terminal, or search for PowerShell from the Start menu. After that, mkdir and cd are the same commands with the same behaviour, so the rest of this lesson applies as written. If something does not match what you see, ask in the Discord.
In this lesson6 chapters
TranscriptClick any timestamp to jump the video there.
0:14
Make a project folder
Run make directory — mkdir, then a space, then the name of your project. This is the same as creating a folder on your desktop, just typed instead of clicked.
0:34
Naming rules that save trouble
Keep the name to one word with no spaces, and skip capital letters — simple is better. If you want several words, join them with a hyphen. When the command returns quietly like this, it worked.
0:51
Move into the folder
Now change directory into it. Type cd, then the same project name, and hit enter. The prompt shows you are inside the project you just created, which is the sign it worked.
1:14
Launch a tool from there
From inside the folder you can open a tool — the Claude Code CLI, for example, once it is installed, using its start command. The CodeYam editor launches the same way. Starting Claude here, it asks whether you trust this new folder, you say yes, and it launches inside your project folder.
2:02
Reopening and new windows
If you close the terminal, command and space opens a new one. To get a second window while one is open, use shell, then new window, optionally picking a different colour. Then cd into your project again and you are back where you were.