Set up Claude — your head start before launch

ClaudeWork opens soon. The members who earn fastest are the ones who walk in ready. This is your free 30-minute head start: get Claude set up, connect it to your tools, and learn the basics — so on day one you're taking bounties, not reading manuals.

Step 1 — Create your Claude account

Go to claude.ai and sign up. The free plan is enough to learn on. Once you're earning, the Pro plan (about $20/month) removes the usage limits — most members simply pay for it out of their first bounty.

Claude is the AI you'll do the work with. It writes, researches, analyzes data, codes, summarizes, and reasons at an expert level — but it does its best work when a skilled human is steering. That human is you. That's the whole job.

Step 2 — Decide how you'll work

There are two paths, depending on the kind of bounties you want:

• Non-coding work — writing, research, data, customer support, analysis. The claude.ai web app is all you need. You can skip to Step 4.
• Coding & technical work — automations, integrations, agents, code. You'll want Claude working inside a real code editor. Continue to Step 3.

Step 3 — Add Claude to Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is the free code editor most developers use, and Claude works directly inside it through Claude Code — Anthropic's agentic coding tool.

1. Install VS Code. Download it free from code.visualstudio.com and run the installer.
2. Install Node.js. Claude Code needs it. Get the LTS version from nodejs.org.
3. Install Claude Code. Open VS Code, open its built-in terminal (menu: View → Terminal), and run:
   npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
4. Start it. In that same terminal, type claude and press Enter. Sign in with your Claude account when prompted. Claude Code connects to VS Code automatically — it can now read and edit whatever project you have open.

Prefer a one-click route? Open the VS Code Extensions panel, search "Claude Code", and install the official extension. The complete, always-current instructions live in Anthropic's Claude Code documentation.

Step 4 — Learn to brief Claude well

This is the real skill — and the reason customers will pay you instead of doing it themselves. Claude is powerful but it is not on autopilot. It needs clear context, concrete examples, and a defined goal. Give it those and it delivers expert work. Skip them and it guesses.

Spend an afternoon with Anthropic's free learning guides, then practice on real tasks. You'll quickly feel the gap between a vague prompt and a precise one — and closing that gap is exactly what your customers are paying for.

Step 5 — Pick your lane

Choose the work that matches what you already know:

• Writers — articles, product descriptions, documentation, marketing copy
• Researchers & analysts — market research, data cleanup, summaries, reports
• Support & operations people — support bots, FAQ systems, workflow automation
• Developers — API integrations, MCP servers, Claude Code builds, autonomous agents

Your old job is usually your best lane. You already have the domain judgment that Claude doesn't — pair it with the tool and you're a one-person professional service.

You're ready

That's the whole on-ramp. When ClaudeWork opens, create your free profile, browse the open bounties, pick one you're confident you can deliver well, and ship it with Claude. Get paid, build your rating, and repeat. The countdown is running — use it.

← Back to ClaudeWork — join the waitlist

External links (claude.ai, code.visualstudio.com, nodejs.org, anthropic.com) are third-party sites operated by their respective companies. ClaudeWork is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with Anthropic.