Claude Code 101
by Anthropic
Anthropic's free starter course on Claude Code: install it, work in the explore-plan-code-commit loop, and customize it with CLAUDE.md, subagents, skills, MCP and hooks
Overview
Claude Code 101 is a free course from Anthropic, available on its Claude Academy site and its Skilljar course catalog, that teaches Claude Code, Anthropic's agentic coding tool, from installation through customization. It is organised into four sections totalling 12 lessons and about 1.5 hours, followed by a course quiz and a completion badge. 'What is Claude Code?' explains what an AI coding agent is and how Claude Code works, including the agentic loop and the context window. 'Your first prompt' covers installing Claude Code across platforms and writing a first prompt. 'Daily workflows' teaches the explore, plan, code, commit loop, context management, and using Claude Code for code review. 'Customizing Claude Code' is the largest section, with lessons on the CLAUDE.md project file, subagents, skills, MCP servers for connecting external tools, and hooks for deterministic control over what the agent does. The course is written for two audiences: developers who are new to software engineering, and experienced engineers who have not yet used an AI coding agent. It assumes basic familiarity with a code editor and the command line but no prior experience with AI tools, and following along hands-on requires a Claude Pro, Max or Enterprise account or an API key. It is part of the 2026 Claude Academy catalog, and an independent ranking of that catalog recommends it as the first course for developers, followed by Claude Code in Action for longer, hands-off sessions and Building with the Claude API for production applications. The material is specific to Claude Code, although the agentic-loop and context-management ideas carry over to other coding agents.
At a Glance
- Topic
- Agentic
- Level
- Beginner
- Format
- Course
- Cost
- Free
- Duration
- ~1.5 hours, self-paced (12 lessons plus a quiz)
- Provider
- Anthropic
- Hands-on
- Yes — code/exercises
- Certificate
- Available
What You’ll Learn
- ✓Explain what an AI coding agent is and how Claude Code's agentic loop works
- ✓Understand how the context window shapes an agent session and how to manage it deliberately
- ✓Install Claude Code on your platform and write an effective first prompt
- ✓Follow the explore, plan, code, commit workflow for day-to-day feature work
- ✓Use Claude Code to review code changes before you commit or merge them
- ✓Write a CLAUDE.md file that gives the agent persistent project conventions and commands
- ✓Build subagents and skills to delegate tasks and package reusable instructions for the agent
- ✓Connect external tools through MCP servers and write hooks for deterministic control of the agent
Highlights
- •Written by Anthropic, the team that builds Claude Code, so the workflow and configuration guidance tracks the shipping product
- •Short and complete: 12 lessons in about 1.5 hours, ending with a quiz and a completion badge
- •Covers the whole customization surface in one pass (CLAUDE.md, subagents, skills, MCP and hooks), which most introductory tutorials skip
- •An independent ranking of the Claude Academy catalog puts it first for developers, ahead of Claude Code in Action and Building with the Claude API
Who It’s For
Best For
- ✓Developers trying an AI coding agent for the first time
- ✓Experienced engineers moving from chat-based assistants to an agent that works in the terminal
- ✓Team leads standardizing how a team configures Claude Code with CLAUDE.md, skills and hooks
Prerequisites
- •Basic familiarity with a code editor and the command line
- •A Claude Pro, Max or Enterprise account, or an Anthropic API key, to follow along hands-on
- •No prior experience with AI tools is required
FAQ
What is Claude Code 101?
Claude Code 101 is Anthropic's free, self-paced introduction to Claude Code, its agentic coding tool, written for developers new to AI coding agents as well as experienced engineers who have not yet adopted one. Afterwards you can install Claude Code, run the explore, plan, code, commit workflow, manage context, and customize the agent with CLAUDE.md, subagents, skills, MCP and hooks.
Is Claude Code 101 free?
Claude Code 101 is free to access.
What level is Claude Code 101 for?
Claude Code 101 is aimed at a beginner audience. Recommended background: Basic familiarity with a code editor and the command line, A Claude Pro, Max or Enterprise account, or an Anthropic API key, to follow along hands-on, No prior experience with AI tools is required.
How long does Claude Code 101 take?
Expect roughly ~1.5 hours, self-paced (12 lessons plus a quiz). Most learners work through it at their own pace.
What will I learn from Claude Code 101?
You'll learn: Explain what an AI coding agent is and how Claude Code's agentic loop works; Understand how the context window shapes an agent session and how to manage it deliberately; Install Claude Code on your platform and write an effective first prompt; Follow the explore, plan, code, commit workflow for day-to-day feature work; Use Claude Code to review code changes before you commit or merge them; Write a CLAUDE.md file that gives the agent persistent project conventions and commands; Build subagents and skills to delegate tasks and package reusable instructions for the agent; Connect external tools through MCP servers and write hooks for deterministic control of the agent.
Topics
Sources
This page was written from 3 sources, 2 on domains other than academy.claude.com.