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Terminal Basics: Prepare for Claude Code with Ollama

The black window with blinking text looks like something only hackers use. It is actually the fastest way to talk to your computer, and the place where AI coding tools live. Learn the handful of commands you need, then run Claude Code with a free local model through Ollama.

By Panha25 mins
TerminalClaude CodeOllama
Terminal Basics: Prepare for Claude Code with Ollama

Every developer you admire has a black window open somewhere on their screen. It looks intimidating: no buttons, no icons, just a blinking cursor waiting for you to type.

But it's really just a conversation. You type a short instruction, the computer does it, and it tells you what happened. Once you know a dozen words, it's faster than clicking, and it's where the newest tools live. AI coding agents like Claude Code were built for the terminal first, and they're at their most powerful there.

By the end of this guide you'll move around your computer from the terminal, install Ollama and Claude Code, and run Claude Code with an AI model that lives entirely on your own machine.

This setup was checked against the official Claude Code and Ollama documentation on September 13, 2026. Installation commands can change, so check the linked documentation if a step behaves differently.

Terminal, Shell, and CLI

A terminal is an application that provides a text interface to your computer. Inside it, a shell reads commands and prints their results. Bash, Zsh, and PowerShell are different shells, so they do not always use the same commands.

Nested boxes: the terminal window holds a shell (bash, zsh, or PowerShell), and the shell runs built-in commands like ls and cd as well as CLI programs like ollama and claude
The terminal is the window. The shell is the listener. CLIs are the programs it runs.

A command-line interface (CLI) is any program you control by typing commands. Both Ollama and Claude Code provide CLIs.

For example, a graphical file manager lets you drag a file into a folder. A shell can perform the same action with a command:

mv notes.txt Documents/

The terminal is precise: it does exactly what the command and current location tell it to do. Before changing or deleting files, confirm where you are and spell out the target.

Open a Terminal

macOS

  1. Press Command + Space to open Spotlight.
  2. Type Terminal.
  3. Press Enter.

A prompt may look like this:

yourname@MacBook ~ %
The prompt dara@MacBook ~/Documents % labelled: who (your user name), where (this computer), location (the folder you're in), and ready (type here); plus the PowerShell form PS C:\Users\Dara>
The prompt tells you who you are, where you are, and that it's listening.

The ~ symbol represents your home folder.

Windows

Claude Code can run in native Windows PowerShell or inside the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

To open PowerShell:

  1. Press the Windows key.
  2. Type PowerShell.
  3. Press Enter.
PS C:\Users\YourName>

If you already use WSL, open your Linux distribution from the Start menu:

yourname@DESKTOP:~$

Use the PowerShell column in this guide when your prompt begins with PS. Use the macOS/Linux/WSL column when you are inside WSL.

Linux

On many Linux desktop environments, Ctrl + Alt + T opens a terminal. You can also search your applications for Terminal.

yourname@computer:~$

Essential Commands

Find Your Current Location

Action macOS, Linux, WSL PowerShell
Show the current folder pwd Get-Location or pwd 
pwd

A macOS result may look like:

/Users/yourname

pwd means print working directory.

List Files and Folders

Action macOS, Linux, WSL PowerShell
List visible items ls Get-ChildItem or ls
Include hidden items ls -la Get-ChildItem -Force

Run this after changing folders so you know what is there before acting on a file.

Move Between Folders

These commands work in both shell families:

Action Command
Enter a folder cd foldername
Go to the parent folder cd ..
Go to your home folder cd ~

If a folder name contains spaces, wrap it in quotes:

cd "My Projects"

Create a Folder or File

Action macOS, Linux, WSL PowerShell
Create a folder mkdir terminal-practice New-Item terminal-practice -ItemType Directory
Create an empty file touch notes.txt New-Item notes.txt -ItemType File

Read a File

Action macOS, Linux, WSL PowerShell
Print a short file cat notes.txt Get-Content notes.txt
Page through a long file less notes.txt `Get-Content notes.txt

When using less, press q to quit.

Copy, Move, and Rename

Action macOS, Linux, WSL PowerShell
Copy a file cp notes.txt notes-copy.txt Copy-Item notes.txt notes-copy.txt
Rename a file mv old.txt new.txt Move-Item old.txt new.txt
Move a file mv notes.txt Documents/ Move-Item notes.txt Documents\

Delete Carefully

Action macOS, Linux, WSL PowerShell
Delete one file rm notes.txt Remove-Item notes.txt
Delete an empty folder rmdir terminal-practice Remove-Item terminal-practice

These commands do not send the target to the Trash or Recycle Bin. Before running one:

  1. use pwd or Get-Location to confirm the current folder;
  2. use ls or Get-ChildItem to confirm the exact target;
  3. avoid recursive deletion commands until you understand their scope.

Clear the Screen and Stop a Command

Action macOS, Linux, WSL PowerShell
Clear the terminal display clear Clear-Host
Stop the running command Ctrl + C Ctrl + C

Clearing the screen does not delete your command history or files.

Use Tab Completion

Type part of a file or folder name, then press Tab. The shell completes the name when it can:

cd Down<Tab>  →  cd Downloads/

Tab completion saves typing and reduces path mistakes.

Practice in a Safe Folder

Animation: commands pwd, cd Documents, mkdir terminal-practice, cd terminal-practice, touch notes.txt, and ls run one by one while a folder tree highlights where you are
Every command runs wherever you're standing. pwd and ls tell you where that is.

Use a new folder so the practice commands cannot affect an existing project.

macOS, Linux, or WSL

cd ~
mkdir terminal-practice
cd terminal-practice
touch notes.txt
ls -la
pwd

PowerShell

cd ~
New-Item terminal-practice -ItemType Directory
cd terminal-practice
New-Item notes.txt -ItemType File
Get-ChildItem -Force
Get-Location

You have completed the practice when you can identify the current folder and see notes.txt in its contents.

Install Ollama

Ollama runs supported AI models on your computer and exposes them through a local service. Model size, memory use, and speed vary, so check a model's requirements before downloading it.

The initial installation and model download require an internet connection.

macOS

Download the macOS application from the official Ollama download page and move it to Applications. Check the page's current macOS requirement before installing.

Windows

Download and run the Windows installer from the official Ollama download page.

Linux

The official Linux installer currently uses:

curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh

This command downloads and runs Ollama's installation script. If you do not want to pipe a remote script directly into your shell, follow the manual Linux instructions linked from the download page.

Verify the Installation

Open a new terminal and run:

ollama --version

Then confirm that the local service responds:

ollama list

If the desktop application is not running, you can start the service manually and keep that terminal open:

ollama serve

Install Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropic's command-line coding agent. The current official documentation recommends the native installer, which does not require you to install Node.js first.

macOS, Linux, or WSL

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

Windows PowerShell

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Open a new terminal after installation, then verify it:

claude --version
claude doctor

claude doctor checks the installation and reports configuration problems without starting a coding session.

If you prefer npm, the current package requires Node.js 22 or later:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Do not add sudo to the npm command. Anthropic warns that doing so can create permission and security problems.

For current installation options, read the official Claude Code setup guide.

Run Claude Code With Ollama

Inside your computer: Claude Code sends requests to Ollama's local server at localhost:11434, which runs a local model such as qwen3.5 and sends the answer back
Claude Code thinks it's talking to a server. That server is on your own machine.

Ollama provides an Anthropic-compatible local API that Claude Code can use.

Recommended Setup

Run:

ollama launch claude

Ollama will ask you to choose a model, configure Claude Code, and launch it. Choose a local model if you want inference to run on your computer. Cloud model names use network services and are not offline.

Claude Code works best with a model that supports tool use and a large context window. Ollama currently recommends at least 64k context for local Claude Code sessions. Check the current Ollama integration guide before selecting a model.

Manual Setup on macOS, Linux, or WSL

If you need to configure the connection yourself, set these variables in the terminal session:

export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=ollama
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=""
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=http://localhost:11434

claude --model qwen3.5

The model name is an example. It must match a model available in your Ollama installation.

Manual Setup in PowerShell

$env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN = "ollama"
$env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = ""
$env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL = "http://localhost:11434"

claude --model qwen3.5

These variables apply to the current terminal session. Opening a new terminal clears them unless you save them in your shell configuration.

Start in a Project Folder

Move to a project before launching:

cd ~/Documents/my-project
ollama launch claude

Claude Code can read files, propose edits, and run commands in that project. Read each permission request before approving it.

After Ollama, Claude Code, and the local model are installed, local model inference can work without an internet connection. Features that call web services, cloud models, or update servers still require network access.

Quick Reference

Task macOS, Linux, WSL PowerShell
Show current folder pwd Get-Location
List items ls -la Get-ChildItem -Force
Enter a folder cd foldername cd foldername
Go to parent cd .. cd ..
Create a folder mkdir name New-Item name -ItemType Directory
Create a file touch file.txt New-Item file.txt -ItemType File
Read a file cat file.txt Get-Content file.txt
Copy a file cp a.txt b.txt Copy-Item a.txt b.txt
Move a file mv a.txt folder/ Move-Item a.txt folder\
Delete one file rm file.txt Remove-Item file.txt
Start Ollama manually ollama serve ollama serve
List Ollama models ollama list ollama list
Launch Claude Code through Ollama ollama launch claude ollama launch claude
Check Claude Code claude doctor claude doctor

Common Problems and Fixes

command not found or “not recognized”

Open a new terminal after installation and try again. Check the spelling, then run the tool's verification command. For Claude Code, use claude doctor if claude is available.

Do not assume that a Bash command works in PowerShell. Check which prompt you are using and follow the matching column in this guide.

Permission denied

Do not automatically repeat the command with sudo. First confirm:

  • the current folder;
  • the file or folder you are trying to access;
  • whether your user owns it;
  • whether the command needs execute permission.

For Claude Code installation problems, use the native installer or follow Anthropic's permission troubleshooting instead of installing the npm package as root.

Ollama Reports connection refused

Open the Ollama desktop application or start the service:

ollama serve

In a second terminal, run:

ollama list

If ollama serve says the address is already in use, a service may already be running. Test it with ollama list rather than starting another copy.

Claude Code Opens Anthropic Login or Reports an API Error

Use the recommended launcher again:

ollama launch claude

For manual setup, verify that ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN, ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, and ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL are set in the same terminal where you start claude.

The Model Is Slow or Runs Out of Memory

Stop the command with Ctrl + C. Check the model's hardware and context requirements, then choose a model appropriate for your computer. Claude Code needs a model capable of tool use and enough context for the project; a tiny chat model may run but still perform poorly as a coding agent.

What to remember

You can now:

  • identify your shell and use its matching commands;
  • navigate and inspect files before changing them;
  • practice file operations in an isolated folder;
  • install and verify Ollama and Claude Code;
  • launch Claude Code through Ollama;
  • explain which parts can work locally and which still need a network.

Written by: [Panha] · check more here