Setting Up Claude Code in Five Minutes: A Practical Guide with ZCF

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A plain-English walkthrough for developers who want Claude Code running today without wrestling with config files.

1. Why ZCF Exists in One Sentence

Claude Code is powerful, but its files are scattered. ZCF (Zero-Config Claude-Code Flow) gathers them, fills in the blanks, and hands you a working environment in a single command.

2. Two Commands Cover 90 % of Use-Cases

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Tip: u is short for update. It leaves your keys and MCP settings untouched.

3. What the Installation Actually Looks Like

The following transcript shows every prompt you will see. Copy and paste is not required—just read along once and you will know what to expect.

Step 1: Pick the language of the installer

? Select script language / 选择脚本语言:
  ❯ 简体中文
    English

This choice affects only the questions that follow. The final config files can still be in Chinese or English.

Step 2: Pick the language of the final config

? 选择 Claude Code 配置语言:
  ❯ 简体中文 (zh-CN)
    English (en)

• zh-CN – easier to read for native speakers.
• en – slightly smaller token footprint.

Step 3: Automatic installation of Claude Code

If the CLI does not find claude on your path:

? 检测到 Claude Code 未安装，是否自动安装？(Y/n)

Press Enter. ZCF will run npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code.

Step 4: API configuration

Two options:

1. Configure now – paste the endpoint and key.
2. Skip – set it up later with claude auth.

Step 5: Handle existing files

? 检测到已有配置文件，如何处理？
  ❯ 备份并覆盖全部
    仅更新工作流相关并备份旧配置
    合并配置
    跳过

• Backup and replace – safest for first-timers.
• Workflow only – equal to zcf u.
• Merge – keeps unknown keys, overwrites known ones.

Step 6: Select MCP services

? 选择要安装的 MCP 服务（空格选择，回车确认）
  ❯ ◯ 全部安装
    ◯ Context7 文档查询
    ◯ DeepWiki
    ◯ Playwright 浏览器控制
    ◯ Exa AI 搜索

Tick what you need. All services can be toggled later in settings.json.

Step 7: Provide service keys (if requested)

For example, Exa will ask:

? 请输入 Exa API Key（可从 https://dashboard.exa.ai/api-keys 获取）

Paste the key; ZCF writes it into the right slot.

Final message

🎉 配置完成！使用 'claude' 命令开始体验。

That is the entire installation.

4. Directory Layout After Installation

~/.claude/
├── CLAUDE.md          # system prompt for Claude Code
├── settings.json      # API keys, model, permissions
├── agents/            # pre-built planner and ui-ux-designer agents
├── commands/          # custom commands such as /feat and /workflow
└── backup/            # timestamped backups created by every update

Each project you open will also receive a local .claude/ folder for task plans and scratch files. Add .claude/ to .gitignore.

5. CLI Cheat-Sheet

6. First Three Tasks to Try

Open any project folder and run:

claude

Inside the Claude Code prompt:

1. /init – lets Claude understand the repo structure.
2. <your task> – asks Claude to fix or build something directly.
3. /feat <description> – runs a two-stage flow: plan first, then implement.

7. Deep Dive into the Six-Stage Workflow

When you type /workflow <task>, Claude Code follows:

1. Research – gathers context.
2. Ideation – proposes multiple approaches.
3. Planning – breaks the chosen approach into steps.
4. Execution – writes code, tests, docs.
5. Refinement – improves quality without adding scope.
6. Review – final checklist and summary.

Each stage pauses for your confirmation, so you stay in control.

8. MCP Services Explained in Plain Words

All services are optional. Enable or disable them in settings.json.

9. Common Questions (FAQ)

Q1: I already use Cursor or GitHub Copilot. Do I still need Claude Code?

Cursor is an IDE; Copilot is an inline suggestion engine. Claude Code is a terminal-based pair programmer. They solve different problems and coexist peacefully.

Q2: My company laptop blocks global npm installs.

ZCF uses npx, which downloads and runs the package in a temporary directory without admin rights. You can also copy the ~/.claude/ folder to another machine.

Q3: How do I remove everything?

npm uninstall -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
rm -rf ~/.claude/

Delete local .claude/ folders if you no longer need them.

Q4: How do I disable a single MCP service?

Edit ~/.claude/settings.json, set "enabled": false for the service, and restart claude.

10. Troubleshooting Checklist

11. Integrating ZCF into Docker

Add two lines to your Dockerfile:

RUN npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
COPY .claude/ /root/.claude/

The image will start with Claude Code pre-configured; no interactive steps needed.

12. Keeping Configs in Git Without Leaking Secrets

Commit templates, agents, and commands to a private repo.
Ignore settings.json and any file that contains keys:

# .gitignore
.claude/settings.json
.claude/*.key

13. Real-World Example: Adding a Login Page

1. Inside your project:

   claude
   

2. Type:

   /feat add a login page with email and password
   

3. Claude Code will:

   • List the files it plans to create or modify.
   • Ask for confirmation.
   • Generate React components, tests, and a Storybook story.

All artifacts land in .claude/plan/ so you can review them before merging into src/.

14. Updating Prompts Without Losing Work

Run:

npx zcf u -c en

• u ensures API keys are untouched.
• -c en switches prompts to English for lower token usage.

Your previous backups remain in ~/.claude/backup/.

15. Final Thoughts

ZCF does not hide complexity—it packages it. After installation you still own every file, can edit every line, and can roll back at any time. The gain is measured in minutes saved and errors avoided.

Open a terminal, run npx zcf, and you will have a professional Claude Code environment before your coffee finishes dripping.