Installing Claude Code (Prerequisites)

CodeMantis is a visual interface for Claude Code, Anthropic's CLI coding agent. You need Claude Code installed and authenticated on your Mac before CodeMantis can use it.

What is Claude Code?

Claude Code is a command-line tool that lets Claude read your files, write code, and run terminal commands. CodeMantis wraps this CLI in a native macOS interface, adding project management, a visual activity feed, and multi-panel editing.

Subscription Requirements

Claude Code requires an active Anthropic plan:

• Claude Pro ($20/month) — Suitable for moderate usage.
• Claude Max ($100-200/month) — Higher rate limits for heavy development sessions.

You can sign up or manage your plan at claude.ai.

Installation

Make sure you have Node.js 18 or later installed, then run:

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

This installs the claude command globally on your system.

Sign In

After installation, authenticate with your Anthropic account:

claude login

A browser window will open for you to authorize the CLI. Once complete, your terminal will confirm that you are signed in.

Verify the Installation

Run the following command to confirm Claude Code is installed and accessible:

which claude

This should print a path such as /usr/local/bin/claude or /Users/yourname/.npm-global/bin/claude. If it prints nothing, the CLI is not on your system PATH.

Fixing Common PATH Issues

On macOS with zsh (the default shell), the claude binary may not be found if your npm global directory is not in your PATH. To fix this:

Option 1: Add npm global bin to your PATH

echo 'export PATH="$(npm config get prefix)/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Option 2: Use a custom npm global directory

mkdir -p ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

After applying either fix, run which claude again to confirm the path resolves.

Next Steps

Once claude is installed and authenticated, open CodeMantis and it will detect the CLI automatically. Head to Getting Started with CodeMantis to begin your first session.

For the full Claude Code documentation, visit the official Anthropic docs.