Set up your AI-assisted development environment: Visual Studio Code with the Claude Code extension, so you're ready to build the AI tutor app.
Make sure you have the following before you begin.
Download and install VS Code for your operating system.
Go to the VS Code website
Visit code.visualstudio.com and click the download button for your OS.
Install VS Code
macOS: Open the downloaded .dmg file and drag Visual Studio Code to your Applications folder.
Windows: Run the downloaded .exe installer and follow the setup wizard. Check “Add to PATH” when prompted.
Launch VS Code
Open Visual Studio Code from your Applications (macOS) or Start Menu (Windows) to verify it works.
Add the Claude Code extension to Visual Studio Code — this is what you'll use to build the AI tutor app.
Open VS Code
Launch Visual Studio Code on your computer.
Open the Extensions panel
Click the Extensions icon in the left sidebar, or press:
Cmd + Shift + X (macOS) / Ctrl + Shift + X (Windows)
Search for “Claude Code”
Type Claude Code in the search bar. Look for the official extension by Anthropic.
Install the extension
Click the Install button on the Claude Code extension.
Authenticate with your Claude account
After installation, open the Claude Code panel in VS Code. It will prompt you to sign in. Your browser will open for a one-time authentication.
Log in with your Claude Pro or Max plan account.
Verify the setup
After signing in, the Claude Code panel should show a chat interface inside VS Code.