You already use Claude. This is the version that lives on your computer — it can read your files, edit them, and build things for you. It’s Claude, but with hands.
You already know the hard part — how to talk to Claude, how to ask good questions, how to steer it toward what you want. The only new thing here is where you type. Instead of a browser window, you type in a terminal. That’s it.
If this feels stressful, that’s completely normal.
Everything new feels hard before it feels easy. You felt this way the first time you walked into a classroom of 25 fourth graders. You felt it studying for your real estate license. You feel it every time you start something unfamiliar.
But you did all of those things. And this is genuinely easier than any of them.
You only need to learn 3 steps to get started. Everything else on this page is for later, when you’re ready. No rush.
This is all you need to do. Open iTerm2, paste one line, and start talking to Claude. You can stop reading after this section and come back for the rest later.
Press Cmd + Space, type iTerm, press Enter.
A window with a blinking cursor appears. That’s your terminal — it’s just a place to type.
Jason already installed this on your Mac. It’s a nicer version of the built-in Terminal app.
Copy and paste this line, then press Enter:
This tells the terminal “go to the Lee Wealth Management folder.” That’s all it does.
That’s it. Claude Code starts up and you’re in. From here, it works exactly like Claude on your phone or computer. Just type what you want, press Enter, and have a conversation.
That’s the whole thing. Three steps. You now know enough to use Claude Code. Everything below is extra context for when you want it — but you can close this page and go try it right now.
The terminal looks different, but the conversation is exactly the same. You type in plain English. Claude responds. You go back and forth. Same as always.
The only difference? Claude Code can actually do things with your files. On Claude Desktop, you can paste text and ask questions. In Claude Code, Claude can read every file in your project folder, create new documents, edit existing ones, and save everything to your computer. It’s the same Claude brain, but now it has hands.
Just type them in and press Enter, the same way you would in Claude Desktop:
Here’s a 10-minute session so you can see the flow. It’s just a conversation — nothing fancy.
You open iTerm2 and get to your project (Steps 1-3 from above):
Now you’re talking to Claude. Same as always:
Claude reads the PDF, pulls out the important figures, and gives you a summary. You keep going:
Claude digs into the numbers and flags anything unusual. You want to save this:
Claude creates a file. When you’re done:
That’s a full session. The big difference from Claude Desktop? The reports and documents actually live on your computer when you’re done. They’re real files you can open, email, or print.
Getting oriented:
Asking Claude to do work:
Steering and refining:
Checking up on things:
Getting more out of it:
Scary-looking output? Sometimes you’ll see a wall of text or technical-looking messages. This is normal. If there’s an actual problem, you’ll see “error” in red. Everything else is just the computer talking to itself — ignore it.
These are the projects Jason set up for you. Each one has a CLAUDE.md file that tells Claude Code what the project is and how to help.
Financial audit of Dad’s Texas real estate portfolio. Claude Code can analyze tax returns, spot discrepancies, and generate reports.
~/projects/lee-wealth-mgmt
When Dad sends a new document: Download the PDF and move it into the wealth-mgmt-context/ folder. That’s how Claude Code can see it. Think of that folder as Claude’s desk — if the paper isn’t on the desk, Claude can’t read it.
Things you’d say in this project:
The WhatsApp family assistant. Has 12+ features already built — from reminders to family coordination tools.
~/projects/family-meeting
When to work here: When you want to add a new feature, tweak a message, or change how the bot behaves. For bigger features, use spec-kit (below) to plan it out first.
Things you’d say in this project:
Claude Code isn’t just for Jason’s projects. You can use it anywhere on your computer for anything you’d normally ask Claude — but now it can read your files, write documents, and do research all in one flow.
You don’t need a project set up. Here’s the pattern for using Claude Code for anything:
mkdir means “make a new folder.” This creates a folder called real-estate-notes in your home directory. You only need to do this once — the folder sticks around.
That’s it. Now Claude Code can read and create files in that folder. Whatever it writes — emails, lists, reports — will be saved right there. You can open the folder in Finder anytime with open .
Next time you want to come back, you skip the mkdir step and just cd straight there.
You have your license — Claude Code can be your research assistant, copywriter, and analyst rolled into one.
Prep for your group, organize your notes, or go deeper on a passage without spending hours on it.
The unglamorous stuff that eats all your time — Claude Code can knock it out in minutes.
Planning get-togethers, group trips, or just keeping your people organized.
Anything where you’d normally open Claude on your phone — but now it can work with your actual files.
The key difference from Claude Desktop: When you use Claude Code, everything it creates — documents, lists, emails, plans — gets saved as actual files on your computer. You can open them, edit them, email them, or print them. It’s not stuck in a chat window.
It’s like giving a substitute teacher the lesson plan vs. dropping them in a classroom with no context. The more Claude knows, the better it works.
Every project folder can have a file called CLAUDE.md. When you start Claude Code in that folder, it reads this file automatically. It’s like handing a substitute teacher a binder with everything they need to know.
Both lee-wealth-mgmt and family-meeting already have these set up. You don’t need to write them — just know they exist and that they’re why Claude Code “gets it” when you start working in a project.
Claude Code can only see files in the current folder and its subfolders. It can’t reach out to your Downloads folder, your email, or anywhere else on your computer unless you put the files where it can find them.
Think of the project folder as Claude’s desk. If the paper isn’t on the desk, Claude can’t read it. So when Dad sends a new PDF:
wealth-mgmt-context/ folderBefore big decisions or unfamiliar topics, tell Claude to do its homework first. This makes the analysis much better — the same way you’d review the comps before pricing a listing.
This is especially useful for financial and legal topics where the rules change. Claude is smart, but it doesn’t always have the latest information — telling it to search the web first fixes that.
Spec-kit is like writing a lesson plan before teaching. You wouldn’t walk into a classroom without knowing what you’re covering. Same idea — but for building software.
When you want to build something bigger than a quick question — like adding a new feature to mombot or starting a new analysis — use these commands in order. Each one builds on the last, just like: objective → lesson plan → activities → teach.
/speckit.specify "..."“Here’s what I want.”
Write down what you want to build in plain language. Claude reads it and creates a structured spec — filling in details you might not have thought of.
Like writing the lesson objective: “Students will be able to identify the three branches of government.”
/speckit.clarify“Let me make sure I’m being clear.”
Claude asks up to 3 questions to fill in gaps. Things like: “Should it ask each family member individually or in the group chat?” Answer them and Claude updates the spec.
Like a colleague asking: “What grade level? How long is the class? Do they need materials?”
/speckit.plan“Design the approach.”
Claude creates a detailed plan — what tools to use, what order to build things, what the end result looks like.
Pro tip: Before running this, tell Claude: “Before you plan, research [relevant topic] online so your plan is based on current information.” This makes the plan much better.
Like a full lesson plan with materials list, time blocks, and assessment strategy.
/speckit.tasks“Break it into steps.”
Takes the plan and turns it into an ordered checklist. Each task is small and clear — Claude will work through them one at a time.
Like breaking a lesson into: warm-up → instruction → activity → assessment.
/speckit.implement“Do the work.”
Claude works through the task list, checking in with you at each phase. You review and approve before it continues. You’re the teacher supervising — Claude is the student doing the assignment.
Like saying “Go!” — then walking around the room while students work, checking in at each table.
You don’t need this section to use Claude Code — the 3 steps above are enough. But when you’re comfortable and want to understand what’s happening under the hood, here’s how the terminal works.
The terminal is like texting your computer. You type a short command, press Enter, and it does the thing. Here are the commands worth knowing:
pwd — “Where am I?”This is like checking what room you’re in. The terminal tells you your current location.
You’ll see something like: /Users/erin — that’s your home folder.
ls — “What’s in here?”This is like looking around the room. It shows you all the files and folders in your current location.
You’ll see folder names like Desktop, Documents, projects, etc.
cd — “Go to this room”
cd stands for “change directory.” It’s how you walk through doors into different folders.
Now you’re inside your Desktop folder. Type ls to see what’s there.
To go back one folder (like stepping out of a room):
The ~ means “my home folder” — so cd ~/projects/lee-wealth-mgmt works from anywhere.
open . — “Show me this in Finder”Opens your current folder as a normal Finder window. Great for checking what files are in a folder.
mkdir — “Make a new folder”Creates a new folder. Useful when you want a fresh workspace for a new project.
clear — “Clean up the screen”If the terminal looks cluttered, this gives you a fresh screen. Doesn’t delete anything — just tidies up the view.
Try this to build the muscle memory:
pwd
ls
cd Desktop
ls
cd ..
pwdThat’s it. You just navigated your computer from the terminal. Nothing you type here can break your computer. The worst that happens is an error message — just try again.
Everything in one place. Bookmark this page and come back here when you forget a command.
| Command | What It Does | Example |
|---|---|---|
pwd |
Where am I? | pwd → /Users/erin |
ls |
What’s in here? | Shows list of files and folders |
cd [folder] |
Go to a folder | cd ~/projects/lee-wealth-mgmt |
cd .. |
Go back one folder | cd .. |
open . |
Open current folder in Finder | open . |
mkdir [name] |
Create a new folder | mkdir ~/real-estate-notes |
clear |
Clear the screen (fresh start) | clear |
pwd
ls
cd [folder]
cd ..
open .
mkdir [name]
clear
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
claude |
Start Claude Code |
/exit |
Leave Claude Code |
/help |
See all available commands |
Ctrl + C |
Stop Claude if it’s stuck |
/speckit.specify "..." |
Start planning a new feature |
/speckit.clarify |
Clarify requirements |
/speckit.plan |
Create detailed plan |
/speckit.tasks |
Break plan into steps |
/speckit.implement |
Execute the plan |
claude
/exit
/help
Ctrl + C
/speckit.specify "..."
/speckit.clarify
/speckit.plan
/speckit.tasks
/speckit.implement
| Project | Command to Get There |
|---|---|
| Lee Wealth Mgmt | cd ~/projects/lee-wealth-mgmt |
| Family Meeting | cd ~/projects/family-meeting |
cd ~/projects/lee-wealth-mgmt
cd ~/projects/family-meeting
Ask Jason, or just ask Claude Code: “I’m confused about [thing]. Can you help me understand?”
Claude Code is patient. It won’t judge you. Ask it anything.