Search "Claude Code for" and the autocomplete fills in with product managers, students, beginners, Mac, Windows. Nobody's written the GTM version yet, even though the underlying tool doesn't care what your job title is. This is that guide: what to actually install, what to set up before writing a single prompt and what a reasonable first task looks like if you've never touched a terminal before.
What You Need Before You Install Anything
Claude Code isn't included in the free Claude.ai plan. You need a Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise or API account to use it at all, so the first real decision is which one. Pro runs $20 a month and covers light, occasional use. Max 5x is $100 a month and Max 20x is $200 a month, both meant for daily, heavy use rather than the occasional script. For a GTM person testing this out for the first time, Pro is the right starting tier. You can upgrade once you know how often you'll actually reach for it.
Installing It
The native installer is the recommended method as of 2026. It's a single download from Anthropic's site with no separate dependencies to manage. If you're already comfortable with npm, npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code works too, but it requires Node.js 18 or newer already installed. It's also worth avoiding sudo if a permissions error comes up. Either path ends the same way: open a terminal and type claude. If it launches or prints a version number, the install worked. Run claude login next to connect it to your account.
The One File Worth Setting Up Before Your First Prompt
Claude Code automatically reads a file called CLAUDE.md at the start of every session if one exists in your project folder. It's plain text. Its job is to save you from re-explaining your setup every single time. For a GTM use case, a minimal one might just say what CRM you're working with, what format your data usually comes in and any naming conventions you want followed, something like "Contacts are exported from HubSpot as CSV. Company names should always match the CRM's exact spelling, not a shortened version." That one file is the difference between re-typing context every session and having it just already known.
Your First Real Task
Skip the ambitious first project. A good starting task is small, has an obvious right answer and touches data you already understand well enough to check the output yourself. Deduplicating and merging two contact exports, one from your CRM and one from a recent event or webinar list, is a reasonable place to start: describe what "duplicate" means in your specific data (same email, or same company plus same last name), point Claude Code at both files and ask it to produce one clean merged list. It's low-risk because you can eyeball the result against the two source files in a few minutes. It's also a real task GTM teams actually do by hand more often than they'd like to admit.
The One Habit Worth Building Early
For anything that touches more than a couple of files or has more than one real step, use Plan Mode before letting it run. Typing /plan first asks Claude Code to lay out what it intends to do before it does it, which costs a few extra seconds and saves the much larger cost of an incorrect multi-step change that's harder to undo than it was to make. Skipping this step is the most common reason a first attempt at something bigger than a single script goes sideways.
Where to Go From Here
Once the basics work, the fuller list of what GTM engineers actually build with it is the natural next stop, covering waterfall enrichment, ICP-based list building and CRM automation in more depth than a starter guide should try to cover. If the question is whether this is worth the time investment at all before committing further, the real productivity numbers behind that question are worth reading first.
FAQ
Do I need to know how to code to get through this guide?
No. Every step here is either a terminal command you copy exactly as written or a plain-language instruction you type once Claude Code is running. Being able to read the output and notice when something looks wrong matters more than being able to write it yourself.
What if I don't have a terminal or don't know what that means?
On a Mac, it's the Terminal app already installed under Applications, then Utilities. On Windows, it's Command Prompt or PowerShell, both already installed. You don't need to learn terminal commands beyond the handful in this guide to get started.
Is the free trial or free tier enough to test this?
No. Claude Code specifically requires a paid Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise or API account. The free Claude.ai chat plan doesn't include it, so there's no way to try it without at least the $20 Pro tier.
If you get stuck partway through, or you'd rather have someone set this up around your actual CRM and data instead of a generic example, get in touch.