← Autonomous AI Agents
0/15 complete

Module 01 · Agent Fundamentals

Setting Up Claude Code as Your First Agent Runtime

25 minfocused lesson5practical steps4grounded questions3source links
Open lesson + course map

On this lesson

Course outline

Claude Code can inspect a repository, run approved tools, edit files, and report results. That makes a disposable practice repository a useful first runtime. It does not justify disabling permission checks or giving an agent access to production secrets.

After this lesson, you can create a contained workspace, a project instruction file, and a reviewable read-test-edit loop.

// concept

Prepare a Safe Workspace

Use a new repository with sample data. Before starting:

  • initialize version control and make a clean baseline commit;
  • exclude .env, credentials, keys, customer exports, and personal files;
  • install dependencies from reviewed manifests;
  • define test, lint, and build commands;
  • restrict the working directory;
  • confirm the company—not a contractor—owns any required account;
  • create a small task with a verifiable result.

Anthropic’s current CLI documents permission modes, allowed/disallowed tools, maximum turns for print mode, and a flag that skips permissions. Do not use the skip-permissions flag in this exercise.

// concept

Write Project Instructions

Create a short repository instruction file:

// prompt — copy me5 lines
Purpose: sample quotation calculator
Allowed: read source/tests, edit src and tests, run npm test
Forbidden: network calls, secrets, production data, deleting outside repo
Quality: preserve public API, add tests, report assumptions
Stop: tests fail twice for same reason, requirement unclear, or scope expands

Instructions guide the model; OS permissions, credentials, and tool controls enforce the boundary.

// concept

Run a Controlled Task

Ask Claude Code to inspect first and propose a plan. Review file scope. Permit read-only commands and tests. Approve edits only inside the sample repository. Inspect the diff, rerun tests independently, and revert using version control if the change is wrong.

Record tool calls, changed files, test output, assumptions, and unresolved risks. The final model message is not test evidence.

// worked_example

Worked Example

The sample app calculates a quotation subtotal but accepts negative quantities. The goal is: reject non-integer or non-positive quantity, preserve valid results, and add tests.

Claude Code reads the calculator and test file, proposes validation, edits only those files, and runs the test command. A human reviews the diff and independently runs tests. The system does not open email, deploy, publish, or access an .env. Completion is a reviewed patch plus passing tests—not “Claude says fixed.”

// failure_cases

Failure Cases to Diagnose

7 cases to diagnose

  • Started in a home directory

    restrict to an isolated repository.

  • Secrets visible to the process

    remove them and rotate if exposed.

  • Skip-permissions flag used for convenience

    restore explicit approval and tool rules.

  • Unbounded task such as “improve everything”

    define files, behavior, and checks.

  • Agent installs random packages

    require dependency review.

  • Generated test merely repeats implementation

    test observable requirements and edge cases.

  • Diff not reviewed

    treat output as a proposal until verified.

// pakistan_angle

Pakistan Angle

Use synthetic PKR amounts, sample phone numbers, and fake customer names. Never practice on a live merchant database or exported WhatsApp contacts. If internet or electricity is unstable, commit the clean state and keep a local test command so recovery does not depend on conversation memory.

For agency work, keep each client in a separate company-authorized workspace. Do not point an agent at a parent directory containing several clients, shared .env files, or personal documents. Access isolation is part of professional delivery.

// hands_on

Hands-On Exercise

5 steps

  1. Create a disposable repository and baseline commit.

  2. Add the project instruction contract.

  3. Run a read-only inspection and review the plan.

  4. Complete one bounded change with tests.

  5. Review diff and tests independently, then document the run.

// completion_rubric

Completion Rubric

6 checks — tick as you verify

0/6

// sources

Sources

3 official sources — check every claim yourself

// check_yourself

Check yourself

4 questions · answers and options are taken word-for-word from this course

0/4

  1. 1 / 4 · diagnose

    Your work shows this failure mode: “Started in a home directory.” What does the lesson tell you to do about it?