LaunchKit with Claude Code: The AI Terminal Workflow

Why Claude Code for LaunchKit?

Claude Code is Anthropic's AI coding assistant that runs in your terminal. No IDE required—just your command line, your codebase, and natural language instructions.

For developers who live in the terminal, Claude Code + LaunchKit is the fastest way to ship. You describe what you want, Claude Code reads your files, writes code, runs commands, and handles git—all while you focus on product decisions.

Getting Started

Install Claude Code

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

Clone LaunchKit

git clone https://github.com/your-org/launchkit-template.git my-saas
cd my-saas

Start Claude Code

claude

Claude Code will index your project and you're ready to go.

Initial Setup with Claude Code

Let Claude Code handle the setup:

> Install dependencies, copy .env.example to .env.local,
  and tell me what credentials I need to add

Claude Code will run npm install, copy the env file, and explain each variable you need to configure.

Branding Your Template

> Update config.ts with:
  - App name: "MyStartup"
  - Description: "The easiest way to manage your business"
  - Domain: "mystartup.com"
  - Support email: "hello@mystartup.com"

  Then update the pricing plans to show $29/month and $99/month tiers

Claude Code will read the file, make the changes, and show you a diff before applying.

The Terminal-First Workflow

Claude Code excels at tasks that combine file editing with terminal commands:

> Create a new API route at /api/waitlist that accepts an email,
  saves it to Supabase, and run the dev server to test it

> Add a new dashboard page at /dashboard/settings, then open
  localhost:3000/dashboard/settings in my browser

> Run the build, fix any TypeScript errors, then commit with
  message "fix: resolve type errors"

Multi-Step Feature Development

Claude Code handles complex, multi-file features naturally:

> I want to add a feedback feature:
  1. Create a feedback table in the Supabase seed
  2. Add an API route to submit feedback
  3. Create a feedback form component
  4. Add a feedback button to the dashboard
  5. Test everything works

Claude Code will execute each step, showing you progress and asking for clarification when needed.

Git Workflow

Claude Code integrates seamlessly with git:

> Show me what files I've changed

> Commit all changes with a descriptive message

> Create a new branch called "feature/user-settings" and switch to it

> Push to origin and create a PR

Debugging with Claude Code

> npm run dev is showing an error. Read the error and fix it.

> The Stripe webhook isn't working. Check the handler and
  my .env.local to find the issue.

> Run the build and fix any errors until it succeeds.

Pro Tips

• Use /help — Claude Code has built-in commands for common tasks
• Be specific about files — "Update the Hero component in components/Hero.tsx"
• Chain operations — "Create the file, then run tests, then commit if they pass"
• Ask for explanations — "Explain how the auth flow works before making changes"