Claude Code for Everyone

Module 02 — The Terminal (Ghostty)

🎯 Goal: Install Ghostty and get genuinely comfortable typing commands. This is the most important "getting over the fear" module. ⏱️ Time: 1–2 hours, spread over a couple of sittings.

What is a terminal?

A terminal is a window where you type commands instead of clicking buttons. You type a command, press Enter, the computer does it and prints a response. That's the entire concept.

Ghostty is just a really nice, fast, modern terminal app. The Mac comes with a built-in one called "Terminal," but Ghostty looks better and behaves better, so we'll use it.

You'll spend a lot of time here once Claude Code is set up, so it's worth having a window that's pleasant to look at.

Install Ghostty

You can't use Homebrew yet (that's the next module), so install Ghostty the normal Mac way:

  1. Go to https://ghostty.org in your browser.
  2. Download the macOS version.
  3. Open the downloaded file and drag Ghostty into your Applications folder, like any other app.
  4. Open it from Applications (or Cmd + Space, type "Ghostty", Enter).
  5. If macOS says "Ghostty cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer" — right-click the app → Open → Open. (On a corporate laptop this may be blocked; if so, this is one to ask IT about.)

You now have a window with a prompt — a line ending in something like % or $ waiting for you to type. That blinking cursor is the computer saying "your turn."

If Ghostty is blocked by IT: you can do this entire course in the built-in Terminal app instead (Module 01 showed you how to open it). Ghostty is a nicer experience, but every command here works exactly the same in Terminal — so don't let a blocked install stop you. Install Ghostty later once IT approves.

The mental model: you are always "in" a folder

The single most important idea in the terminal:

At any moment, the terminal is "standing inside" one folder. Commands act on that folder unless you say otherwise.

It's exactly like Finder, except instead of double-clicking into folders, you type to move around. Let's learn to walk.

Hands-on Lesson 1 — Looking around (15 min)

Type each command, press Enter, read the result. Don't rush.

Command What it does Try it
pwd Print Working Directory — "where am I?" Type pwd
ls List — show files & folders here Type ls
ls -la List everything, with details Type ls -la
clear Wipe the screen clean Type clear

Exercise: Run pwd. You're probably in /Users/yourname (your "home" folder). Run ls. You should see familiar folders like Desktop, Documents, Downloads. See? It's the same folders Finder shows — just listed as text.

Hands-on Lesson 2 — Moving around (20 min)

cd means Change Directory — "walk into a folder."

Command What it does
cd Downloads Walk into the Downloads folder
cd .. Walk back up one level (out of the current folder)
cd ~ Jump straight back to your home folder (~ means home)
cd (alone) Same as cd ~ — go home

Exercise:

  1. cd Downloads then pwd — confirm you moved.
  2. ls — see what's in your Downloads.
  3. cd .. then pwd — confirm you went back up.
  4. cd ~ — return home.

Pro tip — Tab completion (this will save you constantly): Start typing a folder name and press the Tab key. The terminal auto-finishes it for you. Type cd Down then press Tab → it completes to Downloads. Use this always. It prevents typos and is much faster.

Hands-on Lesson 3 — Making and removing things (20 min)

This is a safe playground. Let's create a practice area.

cd ~
mkdir claude-practice
cd claude-practice
  • mkdir = make directory (create a folder).

Now create some files:

touch notes.txt
touch report.txt
ls
  • touch creates an empty file. You should see both files listed.

Now clean up safely:

rm notes.txt
ls
  • rm = remove (delete a file). notes.txt is gone; report.txt remains.

⚠️ The one command to respect: rm deletes immediately and permanently — there's no Trash, no undo in the terminal. Never run rm on something you can't recreate, and never run rm -rf on a folder unless you're 100% sure what it is. When in doubt, ask Claude Code "is this rm command safe?" before running. For now, only rm files you just created in claude-practice.

Hands-on Lesson 4 — Survival skills (15 min)

These small things make the terminal feel less hostile:

Action How
Stop a command that's stuck or running forever Press Ctrl + C
Reuse a previous command Press the Up arrow to scroll through history
Move cursor to start / end of line Ctrl + A / Ctrl + E
Clear the screen clear (or Cmd + K in Ghostty)
Auto-complete a name Start typing a file/folder name, then press Tab
Copy / paste Cmd + C / Cmd + V, like everywhere else

Tip — Tab is your friend. Start typing a file or folder name and press Tab; the terminal finishes it for you. This saves typing and avoids typos. It also handles spaces in names: a folder called My Reports needs quotes (cd "My Reports"), but Tab-completion adds the right quoting automatically.

Exercise: Type a command but don't press Enter — instead press Ctrl + C to cancel it. Then press the Up arrow a few times to see your history scroll by.

Reading a command, decoded

Commands follow a pattern. Take ls -la Downloads:

  • ls → the command (what to do: list)
  • -la → flags/options (how to do it: -l long format, -a all files)
  • Downloads → the argument (what to do it to: the Downloads folder)

You don't need to memorize flags. When you see one in this course or from Claude Code, you can always ask "what does the -la flag do?"

✅ You're done with this module when

You can, without looking:

  • Find out where you are (pwd) and what's there (ls)
  • Walk into a folder and back out (cd Downloads, cd ..)
  • Make a folder and a file (mkdir, touch)
  • Cancel a stuck command (Ctrl + C) and reuse history (Up arrow)
  • Explain why rm deserves respect

Practice challenge: In your home folder, make a folder called test-area, go into it, create three files, list them, delete one, list again, then go back home. Do it twice. When it feels boring, you've got it.

Next: Module 03 — Homebrew.