By the end of this guide, you'll have a professional development environment on your Mac—the same setup used by engineers at top tech companies.

Pro Tip

Already have some tools installed? Use the checklist below to skip sections you've already completed.

Your Setup Checklist

VS Code installed and working from terminal
Homebrew (Mac's package manager)
Git configured with your identity
GitHub account with SSH authentication
Node.js for development tools
Claude Code extension signed in
Python or R (optional, for data analysis)

What We're Setting Up

Each tool unlocks the next

Part 1: VS Code — Your Code Editor

VS Code is where you'll spend most of your time. It's free, fast, and has an incredible ecosystem of extensions.

1
Download and Install
1. Go to code.visualstudio.com
2. Click Download for Mac
3. Open the downloaded .zip file
4. Drag Visual Studio Code.app to your Applications folder
Note
If you see a security warning, go to System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Open Anyway.
2
Enable Terminal Command
This lets you open VS Code by typing code in the terminal—a huge time saver.
1. Open VS Code
2. Press ⌘ + ⇧ + P (Command Palette)
3. Type shell command
4. Select Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH
Test it — Open Terminal and run:
Bash
code --version
You should see a version number like 1.85.0.

Part 2: Homebrew — Your Mac's Missing App Store

Ever downloaded a sketchy .pkg file from a random website to install a developer tool? Homebrew fixes that. It's how professional Mac developers install everything.

Flowchart

Why Homebrew is better

1
Install Homebrew
Open Terminal (press ⌘ + ␣, type "Terminal", press Enter) and paste this command:
Bash
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
Terminal
You'll be asked for your password. Type it (nothing appears—that's a security feature) and press Enter. Then follow any prompts.
2
Add to PATH
After installation, Homebrew shows you some commands to run. They look like this:
Bash
echo 'eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.zprofile eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"
Run both commands, then verify:
Bash
brew --version
You should see something like Homebrew 4.2.0.

Part 3: Git — Never Lose Your Work Again

Git tracks every change you make to your code. Made a mistake? Go back. Want to experiment? Create a branch. Collaborating? Merge your changes.

Pro Tip

Think of Git as an "infinite undo" for your entire project—but better, because you can also see what you changed and why.

1
Install Git
Bash
brew install git
That's it. Homebrew handles the rest.
2
Configure Your Identity
Git tags every change with your name and email. Set these once:
Bash
git config --global user.name "Your Name" git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"
Warning
Use the same email you'll use for GitHub. This links your commits to your GitHub profile.

Set Sensible Defaults

Bash

1# Use VS Code for commit messages
2git config --global core.editor "code --wait"
3 
4# Default branch name (GitHub standard)
5git config --global init.defaultBranch main
6 
7# Handy shortcuts
8git config --global alias.st status
9git config --global alias.co checkout
10git config --global alias.br branch

Verify everything:

Bash

git config --list

Part 4: GitHub — Your Code's Home in the Cloud

GitHub is where your code lives online. It's also where you'll collaborate with others and showcase your work.

Local vs Remote

Git works locally; GitHub stores your code in the cloud

1
Create a GitHub Account
1. Go to github.com
2. Click Sign up
3. Pick a professional username (this shows up on your profile and contributions)
2
Generate SSH Key
SSH keys let you push code to GitHub without entering your password every time.
Bash
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your.email@example.com"
When prompted:
- File location: Press Enter (accept default)
- Passphrase: Type one (or press Enter for none)
- Confirm: Press Enter

Start SSH Agent

Bash

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

4
Add Key to GitHub
Copy your public key:
Bash
pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
Now add it to GitHub:
1. Go to github.com/settings/keys
2. Click New SSH key
3. Title: "My Mac" (or whatever you want)
4. Key type: Authentication Key
5. Paste with ⌘ + V
6. Click Add SSH key
5
Test the Connection
Bash
ssh -T git@github.com
Success
You should see: "Hi [username]! You've successfully authenticated..."
If you see a warning about authenticity, type yes and press Enter.

Part 5: Node.js — Foundation for Modern Tools

Node.js powers many development tools, including Claude Code. It's a one-liner:

Bash

brew install node

Verify:

Bash

node --version  # Should show v20+ or similar
npm --version   # Should show 10+ or similar

Part 6: Claude Code — Your AI Coding Partner

Now the reason you're here. Claude Code understands your entire codebase and can read files, write code, run commands, and help you ship real projects.

Part 7: Python (For Data Analysis)

Note

Skip this if you're not planning to do data analysis. You can always come back later.

1
Install Python
Bash
brew install python@3.11
2
Create a Virtual Environment
Virtual environments keep each project's packages separate (trust us, you want this):
Bash
mkdir ~/my-first-project cd ~/my-first-project python3 -m venv venv source venv/bin/activate
Your prompt now shows (venv) — you're in the virtual environment.
3
Install Data Science Packages
Bash
pip install pandas numpy matplotlib jupyter
When done working:
Bash
deactivate

Part 8: R (Optional)

Note

Skip this unless you specifically need R for statistical analysis.

Bash

brew install r

For RStudio, download from posit.co/download/rstudio-desktop

Verify Your Setup

Run this checklist to confirm everything works:

Bash

1# Should all return version numbers
2code --version
3git --version
4node --version
5npm --version
6python3 --version  # If installed
7 
8# Should authenticate successfully
9ssh -T git@github.com

Success

All working? You're ready to code with Claude.

Troubleshooting

Quick Reference: Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Open Command Palette	`⌘` + `⇧` + `P`
Open Extensions	`⌘` + `⇧` + `X`
Open Terminal in VS Code	`Ctrl` + `
New Terminal Tab	`⌘` + `T`
Clear Terminal	`⌘` + `K`
Cancel Running Command	`Ctrl` + `C`

What's Next?

Your Mac is ready. Here's where to go:

New to version control? → Git & GitHub Basics
Want to analyze data? → Data Analysis Track
Ready to build apps? → App Builder Track
Have repetitive tasks? → Automation Track

Or try the Quick Start Exercise to test your setup with Claude Code.

Your Setup Checklist

Part 1: VS Code — Your Code Editor

Download and Install

Enable Terminal Command

Part 2: Homebrew — Your Mac's Missing App Store

Install Homebrew

Add to PATH

Part 3: Git — Never Lose Your Work Again

Install Git

Configure Your Identity

Set Sensible Defaults

Part 4: GitHub — Your Code's Home in the Cloud

Create a GitHub Account

Generate SSH Key

Start SSH Agent

Add Key to GitHub

Test the Connection

Part 5: Node.js — Foundation for Modern Tools

Part 6: Claude Code — Your AI Coding Partner

Part 7: Python (For Data Analysis)

Install Python

Create a Virtual Environment

Install Data Science Packages

Part 8: R (Optional)

Verify Your Setup

Troubleshooting

Quick Reference: Keyboard Shortcuts

What's Next?