Hilab

Simple Installation & Developer Setup Guide

Installing Claude Desktop

What You'll Need

  • Windows 10/11, macOS 11.0+, or Ubuntu 20.04+
  • At least 8GB RAM (16GB is better)
  • 2GB free space
  • Good internet connection

Quick Install Steps

Windows:

  1. Download the installer from claude.ai/download
  2. Run the .exe file and follow the prompts
  3. Sign in with your Anthropic account

macOS:

  1. Download from claude.ai/download
  2. Open the .dmg and drag Claude to Applications
  3. Launch and sign in

Installing Node.js

Node.js is required for MCP development and custom tool creation.

Windows:

  1. Visit nodejs.org
  2. Download the LTS version installer
  3. Run the installer and follow the prompts
  4. Verify installation by opening Command Prompt and typing: node --version

macOS:

  1. Visit nodejs.org
  2. Download the macOS LTS installer
  3. Run the package and follow installation steps
  4. Alternatively, use Homebrew: brew install node
  5. Verify with: node --version in Terminal

Ubuntu:

  1. Open Terminal
  2. Update package index: sudo apt update
  3. Install Node.js: sudo apt install nodejs npm
  4. Verify installation: node --version
  5. For latest versions, use Node Version Manager (NVM)

Setting Up Developer Mode

To access advanced features like API testing and custom tools:

  1. Open Claude Desktop and sign in
  2. Click the gear icon (Settings) in bottom left
  3. Go to "Developer" tab
  4. Click "Edit config" button
  5. Open "claude_desktop_config.json" in a text editor to add your MCP Servers
  6. Restart Claude Desktop

Windows:

  1. Open Claude Desktop and sign in
  2. Click the collapse menu icon in bottom left
  3. Click “File” => “Settings”
  4. Go to "Developer" tab
  5. Click "Edit config" button
  6. Open "claude_desktop_config.json" in a text editor to add your MCP Servers
  7. Restart Claude Desktop