Complete Setup Walkthrough

Prerequisites

Before starting this walkthrough, ensure you have the following ready:

• Node.js (v18 or higher) and npm/npx installed
• Git installed and configured
• A terminal or shell (macOS Terminal, Linux shell, or Windows WSL)
• An Anthropic API key OR AWS Bedrock access configured
• A code editor (VS Code recommended but not required)

You can verify your prerequisites with these commands:

node --version
npm --version
git --version

Each command should return a version number. If any command fails, install the missing tool before continuing.

Step 1: Install Claude Code

Installing Claude Code is straightforward. Open your terminal and run:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

This installs Claude Code globally, making the claude command available from anywhere in your terminal.

Once installation completes, verify it worked:

claude --version

You should see a version number displayed. If you encounter a permissions error during installation, you may need to configure npm's global install directory or use sudo.

Step 2: Install the GSD Plugin

The GSD (Get Shit Done) plugin adds structured planning and autonomous execution to Claude Code. It's essential for managing larger projects with multiple phases.

Clone the GSD repository to Claude's plugin directory:

git clone https://github.com/get-shit-done/gsd.git ~/.claude/get-shit-done

To verify the installation, start Claude Code and try running the help command:

claude

Once Claude Code starts, type:

/gsd:help

You should see a list of available GSD commands. If the command isn't recognized, check that the directory ~/.claude/get-shit-done exists and contains the plugin files, then restart Claude Code.

Step 3: Configure Initial Settings

Before running your first project, you'll want to configure a few key settings that affect how Claude Code and GSD operate.

Permissions Strategy

Claude Code has two permission approaches:

Full Trust Mode: Run Claude Code with the --dangerously-skip-permissions flag to allow GSD automation to run without interruption. This gives Claude full system access and is ideal for dedicated development environments.

claude --dangerously-skip-permissions

Granular Permissions: Configure specific tool permissions in Claude Code's settings file. This provides finer control but may require more interaction during GSD execution. You can configure permissions in ~/.claude/settings.json.

Model Profile Selection

GSD allows you to configure which Claude models are used for different agents (planner, executor, verifier). The default profiles work well for most users, balancing quality and cost.

You can review and modify model profiles using:

/gsd:settings

Step 4: Your First Project

There are two paths for starting a GSD project: working with an existing codebase or starting a brand new project. Choose the path that matches your situation.

Path A: Existing Codebase

If you have an existing project that you want to extend or refactor with GSD:

First, navigate to your project directory:

cd /path/to/your/project

Map the existing codebase so GSD can understand your project structure:

claude
/gsd:map-codebase

This creates files in .planning/codebase/ that describe your project structure, tech stack, and conventions. Review these files and correct any inaccuracies before proceeding.

Once the codebase is mapped, initialize GSD for this project:

/gsd:new-project

GSD will ask you about the goals for this phase of work, what you want to build or improve, and any constraints. Answer these questions to help Claude understand your vision.

Path B: New Project

If you're starting a project from scratch:

Create a new directory for your project and navigate into it:

mkdir my-new-project
cd my-new-project
git init

Start Claude Code and initialize a new GSD project:

claude
/gsd:new-project

GSD will conduct an interactive session to understand what you're building. Be specific and opinionated during this conversation:

• State your tech stack preferences clearly
• Describe anti-goals (what you don't want)
• Explain who the target user is
• Share any constraints (time, deployment platform, etc.)

The more context you provide upfront, the better GSD can plan and execute your project.

Step 5: First Phase Execution

Once your project is initialized, you're ready to execute your first phase. GSD follows a four-command sequence for each phase:

# 1. Discuss your vision for this phase
/gsd:discuss-phase 1

# 2. Review the generated plans
/gsd:plan-phase 1

# 3. Execute the phase
/gsd:execute-phase 1

# 4. Verify everything works
/gsd:verify-work 1

Discuss Phase: Describe what you want to accomplish in this phase. Answer Claude's questions about features, priorities, and technical approaches. This conversation shapes the plan.

Plan Phase: GSD breaks down the phase into concrete plans with specific tasks, files, and verification criteria. Review these plans to ensure they match your expectations before execution.

Execute Phase: GSD executes each task autonomously, committing work atomically and pausing at checkpoints for your verification. You'll see real-time progress as Claude builds your project.

Verify Work: After execution, GSD runs comprehensive verification to ensure everything works as expected. This catches integration issues and confirms success criteria are met.

After completing Phase 1, repeat this sequence for remaining phases. When all phases are complete, run /gsd:complete-milestone to finalize the milestone.

Step 6: Install Recommended Plugins

The "Sweet Spot" plugin stack enhances GSD with additional capabilities while maintaining a lean context budget. These five plugins work well together:

• GSD: Core project automation (already installed)
• Context7: Intelligent context management to keep Claude focused on relevant files
• Playwright: Automated browser testing and end-to-end test generation
• frontend-design: Design system compliance and component verification
• security hook: Pre-commit security scanning for common vulnerabilities

Install the recommended plugins:

# Context7
git clone https://github.com/context7/plugin.git ~/.claude/context7

# Playwright
git clone https://github.com/playwright-plugin/plugin.git ~/.claude/playwright

# Frontend Design
git clone https://github.com/frontend-design/plugin.git ~/.claude/frontend-design

# Security Hook
git clone https://github.com/security-hook/plugin.git ~/.claude/security-hook

After installing plugins, restart Claude Code to load them. You can verify installed plugins by running claude --plugins.

Troubleshooting

Common issues you might encounter during setup and how to resolve them: