Petr's AI School

Claude Code in the desktop app

3 min read

The Claude desktop app you may already use for chatting has three tabs: Chat, Cowork and Code. The Code tab is Claude Code with a graphical face: buttons instead of commands, a folder picker instead of cd, a change viewer instead of text. Same agent, same tools, same folders. If a terminal feels like too much on day one, start here.

Step 1: Install and sign in

Download the app from claude.com/download (Windows and macOS) and run the installer. Open it from the Start menu or Applications and sign in with your work account.

Step 2: Open the Code tab

Click Code at the top of the window. If it asks you to upgrade, your account is on the free plan; ask Petr about the work subscription. If it asks you to sign in online, do so and restart the app.

Step 3: Pick a folder and a model

In the prompt area:

  • Keep Local selected. That means Claude works on your machine, in a folder you choose. (Cloud, SSH and WSL are for later.)
  • Click Select folder and choose your project folder, for example Documents\ai-school.
  • The dropdown next to the send button picks the model. The default is fine.
  • The mode selector next to it sets how much Claude does without asking. Choose Plan for your first sessions: Claude tells you what it means to do before it does any of it. See Permission mode.

Step 4: Type a task and review

Type what you want and press Enter. In Plan mode you get a written plan first and nothing is touched; approve it with “Yes, and use auto mode” to let Claude carry it out.

In Manual mode every proposed change appears as a before/after comparison with Accept and Reject buttons, and your files do not change until you accept. In Auto or Accept edits the changes land directly and a small +12 -1 indicator appears; click it to see what changed, file by file.

You can interrupt with the stop button, or just type a correction and send it.

Good to know

  • Type @ and a filename to point Claude at a file, or drag a file into the prompt box. See File mention.
  • Each session is its own conversation. + New Session (Ctrl + N) starts another, even in another folder.
  • Ctrl + ` opens a terminal pane inside the app, if you get curious about what the terminal client looks like.
  • The app includes Claude Code itself; you do not need to install anything else for the Code tab. The terminal command claude is a separate install.
  • Cowork, the middle tab, is the “Work” in Chat, Work and Code.

Official documentation

Graph View

Backlinks