Machine Setup

Open PowerShell as Administrator

Every step in this stage runs inside PowerShell, opened as an administrator, so let's start there.

1. Click the Start menu (or press the Windows key) and type PowerShell.
2. When "Windows PowerShell" shows up in the results, right-click it and choose Run as administrator (or click "Run as administrator" in the panel on the right).
3. If Windows pops up a User Account Control prompt asking for permission, click Yes.
4. One thing to know: when PowerShell opens as administrator, it usually starts you in the Windows system folder rather than your own user folder. You'll fix that with a quick command in the next step.

Create Your Folder Structure

Before installing anything else, let's create a home for everything you're about to build. This makes a main working folder plus a vault folder inside it, which is where your assistant's memory will live in the next stage.

1. Still in the same administrator PowerShell window, run cd $HOME once more if you haven't already.

2. Paste the three-line block below and press Enter. Each line runs one at a time automatically.

3. To double check it worked, type explorer . and press Enter — that opens a File Explorer window right at your new jarvis folder so you can see both folders sitting there.

Unlock PowerShell Script Permissions

By default, Windows blocks PowerShell from running scripts, as a security precaution. That's a problem for us, because the tools we're about to install rely on scripts to work. This command loosens that restriction for your account.

1. Close the PowerShell window from Step 2 completely, then open a fresh administrator window the same way as Step 1 and run cd $HOME again. Steps 3 through 6 install things onto your whole user account, not into the jarvis project folder, so we're keeping them separate by running from your home directory instead.

2. Paste the command below and press Enter.

Install Git

Git is what lets you pull down (clone) project code from GitHub — you'll need it starting in the Voice Line stage, and again in the Visualizer stage. Let's get it installed first, before anything else.

1. In the same administrator PowerShell window, paste the command below and press Enter.

2. If this is your first time using winget, it may pop up asking you to agree to the source terms — type Y and press Enter.
3. Watch the terminal for a progress bar; the install typically takes a minute or two depending on your connection.
4. Once it says the install finished, close the PowerShell window completely (click the X, don't just minimize it) and reopen a new administrator window the same way as Step 1, then run cd $HOME again so it picks up the new install.

Once you've reopened that new administrator window, paste this in to get back to your home folder:

Install Node.js

Node.js is the engine that lets your computer run the command-line tools we'll be using, including the Claude Code CLI itself. The easiest way to install it is with Windows' built-in package manager, winget, which comes preinstalled on Windows 10 and 11.

1. In the same administrator PowerShell window, paste the command below and press Enter.

2. If this is your first time using winget, it may pop up asking you to agree to the source terms — type Y and press Enter.
3. Watch the terminal for a progress bar; the install typically takes a minute or two depending on your connection.
4. Once it says the install finished, close the PowerShell window completely (click the X, don't just minimize it) and reopen a new administrator window the same way as Step 1, then run cd $HOME again so it picks up the new install.

Once you've reopened that new administrator window, paste this in to get back to your home folder:

Install Python

Later stages — including the live visualizer dashboard — run on Python, so let's get it installed now while we're already set up for command-line installs.

1. In the same administrator PowerShell window, paste the command below and press Enter.

2. If this is your first time using winget, it may pop up asking you to agree to the source terms — type Y and press Enter.
3. Watch the terminal for a progress bar; the install typically takes a minute or two depending on your connection.
4. Once it says the install finished, close the PowerShell window completely (click the X, don't just minimize it) and reopen a new administrator window the same way as Step 1, then run cd $HOME again so it picks up the new install.

Once you've reopened that new administrator window, paste this in to get back to your home folder:

Install the Claude Code CLI

This is the actual command-line tool that runs Claude and gives it the ability to read and write files, run commands, and act as your assistant. With Node.js installed, this is a single command.

1. In your freshly reopened PowerShell window, paste the command below to move back into your jarvis folder.

2. Then paste the command below and press Enter.
3. npm will download and install the package — this usually only takes a few seconds to a minute.

4. To confirm it worked, type claude --version and press Enter. You should see a version number printed back.

5. If instead you get a "not recognized" error, close and reopen PowerShell once more and try again — paste this in to get back to your jarvis folder and check:

Fix It If "claude" Isn't Recognized (Environment Variables)

Most people can skip this step. It's only for you if, back in Step 6, typing claude --version gave you an error like "not recognized as the name of a cmdlet." That means Windows doesn't know where to look for the command yet. Here's exactly how to fix it, click by click.

1. Press the Windows key, type environment variables, and click Edit the system environment variables when it appears in the search results.
2. A window titled "System Properties" opens. Click the button near the bottom labeled Environment Variables...
3. A new window opens with two boxes: "User variables" on top and "System variables" below. In the top box, find the row named Path and click it once to highlight it — just one click, don't double-click yet.
4. Click the Edit... button just below that top box.
5. Another small window opens showing a list of folder locations. Click the New button — a blank line appears at the bottom of the list.
6. Paste the value below into that new blank line:

7. Click OK on that small window, then OK again on the Environment Variables window, then OK once more on the System Properties window. This saves and closes everything.
8. Close every open PowerShell window completely (click the X on each one), then open a brand new one the same way as Step 1 — as administrator. Paste this in to get back into your working folder:

9. Paste this in one more time and press Enter — it should now print a version number instead of an error.

Link Your Claude Account

The CLI is installed, but it isn't connected to anyone yet. Before you go any further, open a browser and go to claude.ai. If you don't already have an account, create one there first. Then make sure it's on a paid Pro subscription or higher (Max also works) — a free account alone won't be enough to run Claude Code. Once your account and subscription are sorted, come back here for the one-time step below that links this CLI to that account.

1. Make sure you're still in your jarvis folder in PowerShell. If you're not sure, paste this in and press Enter to get back into it:

2. Now paste this in and press Enter — this starts Claude Code for the very first time.

3. Since you haven't logged in yet, it'll show you a web address and ask you to open it in a browser — either click the link it gives you, or it may open your default browser automatically.
4. In that browser tab, log in with the same email and password you use at claude.ai. If you don't have an account yet, create one there first and make sure billing is set up before coming back to this step.
5. After logging in, you'll see a page asking you to authorize Claude Code — click Allow (or Authorize) to grant access.
6. Switch back to that PowerShell window — Claude Code should detect the login automatically and drop you into its chat prompt right there. You're connected, and this only needs to happen once on this computer.