Claude Code on Windows

Stuck somewhere? Regular Claude, in the chat at claude.ai, will walk you through it step by step. Just give it the link to this page and tell it which step you're on — it'll figure it out with you.

You can also use VS Code (code.visualstudio.com) instead of Antigravity — they're very similar apps, and every step below works the same way. I just use Antigravity because I like it better.

Step 1

Install Antigravity

In your browser, go to antigravity.google/download.
Choose Antigravity IDE (not CLI) and download the Windows version.
Run the installer and follow the standard steps.
Open Antigravity from the Start menu or your desktop.
Sign in with your Google account and go through the welcome setup.

Antigravity is built on VS Code, so the layout, extensions, and built-in terminal will feel familiar if you've used VS Code or Cursor.

Step 2

Install Claude Code

In Antigravity, open the built-in terminal: Terminal → New Terminal. Then pick the option that matches your terminal.

Option A: PowerShell — recommended

If the prompt looks like PS C:\Users\YourName>, you're in PowerShell. Run:

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

Option B: CMD

If the prompt looks like C:\Users\YourName> with no PS, you're in CMD. Run:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

Alternative: WinGet

You can also install it with WinGet:

winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

Note: a WinGet install doesn't update itself; to update, run:

winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode

Step 3

Check the install

Once it's installed, open a new terminal window and run:

claude --version

If you see a version number, you're all set. For a health check, you can also run:

claude doctor

If Windows says the claude command isn't found, open a new terminal window. If the error doesn't go away, check that the install location was added to your PATH.

Step 4

Sign in to Claude Code

In your project folder, run:

claude

An interactive session will start and a browser sign-in will open. Sign in to your Claude account with a Pro/Max/Team/Enterprise plan, or use an Anthropic Console API key.

If you'd rather use an API key, run this in PowerShell:

$env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = "your_key"
claude

Claude Code will offer to use that key when it starts.

Step 5

Recommended: Git for Windows

For a native Windows install, it's recommended to add Git for Windows. It includes Git Bash, which Claude Code can use to run Bash commands.

Download Git for Windows: git-scm.com/downloads/win.
Install it with the default settings.
Restart Antigravity or open a new terminal window.

If Claude Code can't find Git Bash, set the path manually in settings.json:

{
  "env": {
    "CLAUDE_CODE_GIT_BASH_PATH": "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\bin\\bash.exe"
  }
}

Without Git for Windows, Claude Code will run commands through PowerShell — that works, but the Bash tool won't be available.

Step 6

Connect it to Antigravity

In Antigravity, open the Extensions panel: Ctrl + Shift + X.
Search for Claude Code.
Install the official Claude Code for VS Code extension by Anthropic.
Open your project: File → Open Folder, and pick the folder — for example, your WordPress project.
Open the Claude Code panel in the sidebar and start a New session.
In the Claude Code chat, type:

/ide

This links the running Claude Code to your current Antigravity window, so it can see the open project and work with its files.

Step 7

First run in your project

In the Antigravity terminal, go to your project folder and run:

cd C:\Projects\my-site
claude

Then, in Claude Code, run:

/init

Claude will create a CLAUDE.md file with your project's context. For WordPress work, it helps to start with something like:

This is a WordPress project. First, study the structure of the theme and plugins. Don't change any files without a plan. Propose a plan for the changes.

Good to know

Antigravity and Claude Code are separate accounts. You sign in to Antigravity with Google, and to Claude Code with Anthropic. One login can't be "plugged into" the other.
Claude Code isn't free: you need Pro/Max/Team/Enterprise, or Console with an API key.
Don't run the installer as administrator — you don't need to.
The native Windows install of Claude Code updates itself in the background.
If you get claude: command not found, open a new terminal window; if that doesn't help, run claude doctor.
When installing the extension, make sure the publisher is Anthropic, not a third-party clone.

Once that's done, you've got the full setup: Antigravity as your editor + Claude Code as your agent — it can read your project, suggest edits, run commands, and help with WordPress/PHP/JS tasks.