What You Need Before You Start
Three things. That is the whole list.
1. A folder on your computer
Section titled “1. A folder on your computer”This is where your operating system lives. You create it in the first step of setup. Documents or Desktop are both fine.
2. A code editor
Section titled “2. A code editor”Free. VS Code, Cursor, or Antigravity — pick one. VS Code if you are not sure.
See Where Your Agent Can Live for why this choice matters.
3. A paid Claude subscription
Section titled “3. A paid Claude subscription”Claude Code requires a paid Anthropic plan. There is no free tier that runs it.
| Plan | Notes |
|---|---|
| Pro | Works. You will hit usage limits sooner. |
| Max | Recommended for regular use. |
| Team or Enterprise | For organisations. |
Sign up at claude.ai. Current pricing is on their site.
What you do NOT need
Section titled “What you do NOT need”You do not need to install Git. The deployment prompt tries several methods and falls back to a direct download if Git is not there. You will never type a Git command yourself.
You do not need a GitHub account. The files live on GitHub, but downloading them requires no account. If something prompted you to create one, it was not required.
You do not need to be technical. If you can install an app, make a folder, and paste text, you can do this. The diagnostic itself is just a conversation about your business.
You do not need to know what the Theory of Constraints is. The system uses it. You do not have to.
Optional, and worth it
Section titled “Optional, and worth it”Whispr Flow for voice-to-text. Not required — you can type every answer. But the diagnostic is a conversation, and talking makes it feel like one.
About 15 minutes to install everything, then 15–20 minutes for the diagnostic, then another 15–30 for the change sequence.
Call it an hour from nothing to a validated plan.
Setting Up on Your Computer — or on a Server if you want it always-on.