Overview
Claude Code is Anthropic's AI coding agent. It works in your terminal, editor or desktop app, understands whole codebases, edits across many files and lets you choose how much autonomy it has. This course follows its journey in a large organisation: first how an individual developer uses it every day, then how a company deploys it securely and at scale.
The first day covers installation and sign-in, navigating and editing multi-file codebases, approval modes, Git, debugging and bug fixing. The second day covers team and enterprise configuration, CI/CD and automation, performance, troubleshooting, security and compliance, and ends with a rollout plan for your own organisation.
Who it's for
Developers and the people who support them in a larger organisation. It is especially suited to:
- Software developers looking to accelerate development with agentic AI
- Engineering leads evaluating AI-assisted coding tools for teams
- DevOps engineers integrating AI agents into CI/CD workflows
- Security and compliance staff who review how the tool is deployed
Prerequisites
- Experience with software development in at least one programming language
- Basic command-line and terminal usage
- Familiarity with Git and version control workflows
By the end of this course you will be able to
- Install and configure Claude Code across local and remote environments
- Navigate and edit multi-file codebases using natural language commands
- Use approval modes to balance autonomy with control in enterprise-friendly workflows
- Integrate Claude Code with Git, CI/CD and team development processes
- Describe the options for deploying Claude Code in an organisation, with their security and governance controls
- Draft a rollout plan for your own team or company
Course outline
Times show the standard running order and can be adjusted when we tailor the course to your team. The trainer stays available during breaks to help anyone finish an exercise.
Welcome & orientation 10 min
The course project, the lab environment and a quick round of what your organisation wants from Claude Code.
Introduction to Claude Code 40 min
What Claude Code is and how it differs from copilots that suggest code in your editor. Its key features, from whole-codebase understanding and multi-file editing to terminal integration, and an overview of the agent loop and how it plans.
Installation and configuration 55 min
Installing Claude Code with the native installer, Homebrew, WinGet, a Linux package manager or npm (which needs Node.js), signing in with a Claude plan or Console account, or using an API key or a cloud provider. Terminal setup, the VS Code and JetBrains integrations, and managing the context window and token use with /context, /compact and /clear.
Navigating codebases with natural language 45 min
Asking questions of a codebase instead of searching it by hand, with prompts that follow GCES (Goal, Context, Expectations, Source): using references to files, tracing how modules depend on each other, and restructuring code with prompts.
Multi-file editing workflows 50 min
Building a feature that spans several files, keeping dependencies consistent, and testing and validating after every automated edit. Plan mode first, small steps, and checkpoints you can rewind to.
Approval modes and security 45 min
The permission modes from asking before every action to accepting edits, plan mode and the classifier-reviewed auto mode, plus allow and deny rules and sandboxing. Setting boundaries for agent autonomy and reviewing changes before they reach production.
Git integration 45 min
Creating branches and commits with Claude Code, reviewing diffs, resolving merge conflicts with assistance, and generating commit messages and changelogs. Working with the GitHub command-line tool.
Debugging and bug fixing 45 min
Finding the root cause across the codebase from a symptom, applying a targeted patch, running tests, and using the agent for regression testing. Asking for evidence rather than assertions.
Close 10 min
Recap of Day 1 and what we will build on tomorrow.
Welcome back 10 min
Questions from Day 1 and the plan for today.
Team and enterprise features 55 min
Shared context and team configuration through CLAUDE.md, rules and settings checked into repositories, and organisation-wide configuration. Custom rules and style enforcement with hooks. Deployment options: Team or Enterprise plans, the Console, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud, Microsoft Foundry, and gateways and proxies. Single sign-on (SSO) and the access controls that come with each option.
Security and compliance 45 min
Data handling and privacy: what data Claude Code handles and how it is used under commercial terms, protecting credentials and secrets with deny rules and sandboxing, prompt injection, and audit trails and governance through managed settings, OpenTelemetry usage events and your cloud provider's logs.
CI/CD and automation workflows 55 min
Running Claude Code non-interactively (headless mode) with claude -p and the GitHub Actions integration, triggering agent tasks from pipeline events, pre-commit checks through hooks, and automated code review. Keeping automation permissions narrow.
Performance optimisation 40 min
Managing large codebases within context limits with nested memory files, path-scoped rules and subagents; splitting work across sessions and worktrees; prompt caching and saved sessions; and choosing the right model tier for the task.
Troubleshooting 40 min
Diagnosing connection, proxy and sign-in problems, handling agent misinterpretations and bad edits (rewind, clear, restate), and dealing with rate limits and token exhaustion.
Rollout plan workshop 50 min
Pull the course together into a rollout plan: pilot team, deployment option, configuration, permissions, automation, security review, training and the measures that tell you it is working.
Rollout plan review 40 min
Present your plan to another group, take their questions, and revise it. Review of the key features and workflows from the two days, resources for continued learning and community support.
Close: next steps 10 min
The step up to configuring Claude Code for engineering teams (subagents, hooks, skills and plugins), and your first actions.
What you'll need
Claude Code
- A Claude account that includes Claude Code: a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan, or a Claude Console account (the free plan does not include it). Organisations may instead provide access through a cloud provider.
- A laptop that can run Claude Code (a current macOS, Windows or Linux system with at least 4 GB of memory) and an internet connection. Installation is covered at the start of the course.
- Git and a GitHub account. A provided lab environment covers the exercises; if your organisation already deploys Claude Code through a cloud provider, tell us beforehand so we can use your setup.
Practice files are provided for every exercise. You are welcome to use your own non-confidential projects where your organisation's policy allows.