Claude Code for software and platform teams

Claude Code is an AI coding assistant from Anthropic. It runs locally on your machine but connects to Anthropic's models in the cloud. You interact with it through a terminal, a desktop app or editor integrations. Claude Code can read, edit and run code in your repository, propose plans for complex tasks and remember your preferences through memory files. This post explains how to install it, configure its permissions, use plan mode and decide when it fits your workflow.

What Claude Code is

Claude Code is available on the web, as a desktop app, in VS Code and JetBrains IDEs, in Slack, and in CI/CD with GitHub Actions and GitLab. The core experience runs in your terminal: you start a session with claude, point it at a repository and chat with the agent. It can read files, suggest changes, run tests and commit code. Because it runs locally, your source stays on your machine unless you share context. Claude Code uses Anthropic's models and adds coding-specific tools and memory.

Installation

On macOS, Linux and WSL you install with a shell script. On Windows you use a PowerShell command. These are genuinely different per platform, so they belong in a code group:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

The installer downloads the CLI, registers it on your path and opens a login prompt. You can also install with Homebrew (brew install --cask claude-code), WinGet (winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode) or npm (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code, which needs a recent Node.js release, currently Node.js 18 or later; check the install docs for the current minimum). After installing, run claude to start a session and log in.

Permission modes

Claude Code uses permission modes to control what the agent can do without asking. You cycle through the three core modes with Shift+Tab during a session. The full set is:

• default. Claude reads files without asking, but prompts before each file edit, shell command or network request.
• acceptEdits. Claude accepts file edits automatically so you are not prompted for each one.
• plan. A read-only mode for exploring a codebase and proposing changes without making them.
• auto. Claude executes without permission prompts, while a separate classifier model reviews actions before they run. It is a research preview and requires a recent version of Claude Code; see the permission-modes docs for the current minimum.
• dontAsk. Claude automatically denies any tool call that would otherwise prompt, for locked-down CI or scripts.
• bypassPermissions. Claude runs anything without prompts, intended for isolated sandbox containers.

By default, Shift+Tab cycles through default, acceptEdits and plan. Once they are enabled, auto and bypassPermissions also join the cycle; dontAsk is never in it and is selected with the --permission-mode flag. You can configure a default mode in your settings or override it per session.

Memory and CLAUDE.md

Claude Code starts each session fresh, but you can provide persistent context through memory files. There are two mechanisms.

• CLAUDE.md is a markdown file you write yourself, holding conventions, architecture notes and rules of thumb. You can place it at the project level, the user level (~/.claude/CLAUDE.md) or the organisation level through a managed policy file. CLAUDE.md files are loaded in full regardless of length, but Anthropic recommends targeting under 200 lines per file because shorter files produce better adherence.
• Auto memory is a set of notes Claude maintains in a MEMORY.md entrypoint under ~/.claude/projects//memory/. The first 200 lines of MEMORY.md, or the first 25 KB, whichever comes first, are loaded at the start of every conversation. This load limit applies only to MEMORY.md, not to CLAUDE.md. Auto memory is on by default in recent versions of Claude Code, and you can manage it with the /memory command.

Structure CLAUDE.md as imperative instructions with clear do and do-not lists, and keep it concise. Because memory is context rather than a rule engine, you still need tests and code review to enforce policy.

Plan mode

Plan mode is a read-only mode for researching a codebase and proposing changes without executing anything. You enter it with Shift+Tab, by prefixing a prompt with /plan, or with the --permission-mode plan flag. Claude reads the relevant code and presents a plan in the session for you to review, and you can open the proposed plan in your editor with Ctrl+G. When you approve, Claude offers to continue in auto mode, accept edits or hand changes back for manual review. Plan mode is useful for large refactors or new modules where you want to agree on the approach before any code changes.

Strengths

• Local execution. Claude Code runs on your machine and reads your code without uploading it, and remote integrations such as Slack and CI/CD are optional.
• Rich permission model. The permission modes let you tune autonomy from prompt-on-each-tool up to fully sandboxed bypass.
• Persistent context. CLAUDE.md and auto memory let the agent remember conventions across sessions.
• Approve before editing. Plan mode lets you review the approach before changes are made.

Limits

Claude Code's local-first design means some hosted-only features are out of scope. Auto memory loads only the first 200 lines or 25 KB of MEMORY.md, so very large auto-memory notes get truncated and large standing guidance belongs in a concise CLAUDE.md. The permission model can feel intrusive when you want to move fast, since you toggle modes or approve actions. Finally, Claude Code is a proprietary tool: the CLI is free to install, but full use requires an Anthropic plan.

When to choose Claude Code

Use Claude Code when you want a private, controllable AI assistant that can plan and implement changes on your machine. Its memory and permission systems suit regulated environments where predictable behaviour and auditability matter, and plan mode is particularly useful for architectural work and large refactors. If you mainly need quick inline suggestions or prefer a fully open source tool, another agent may suit you better.