Environment Setup¶

Setting up your local environment for AI-assisted development involves configuring tools, API keys, and project settings.

Prerequisites¶

Before starting, ensure you have:

[ ] A code editor or IDE
[ ] Terminal/command line access
[ ] Git installed
[ ] API keys for your chosen AI services

API Keys¶

Most AI tools require API keys. Here's how to set them up:

Anthropic (Claude)¶

Create account at console.anthropic.com
Generate API key
Set environment variable:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."

OpenAI¶

Create account at platform.openai.com
Generate API key and set up billing
Set environment variable:

export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."

Google (Gemini)¶

Go to Google AI Studio
Generate API key
Set environment variable:

export GOOGLE_API_KEY="..."

Persisting Environment Variables¶

Add keys to your shell profile so they persist:

Zsh (macOS default)BashFishWindows (PowerShell)

# Add to ~/.zshrc
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."

# Reload
source ~/.zshrc

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_profile
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."

# Reload
source ~/.bashrc

# Add to ~/.config/fish/config.fish
set -gx ANTHROPIC_API_KEY "sk-ant-..."
set -gx OPENAI_API_KEY "sk-..."

# Add to $PROFILE
$env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = "sk-ant-..."
$env:OPENAI_API_KEY = "sk-..."

# Or set system-wide via System Properties

Security Note

Never commit API keys to git. Use environment variables or .env files (and add .env to .gitignore).

Tool Installation¶

IDEs¶

CursorVS Code + CopilotWindsurf

# Download from cursor.com
# Or via Homebrew (macOS)
brew install --cask cursor

# Install VS Code
brew install --cask visual-studio-code

# Install Copilot extension from marketplace

# Download from codeium.com/windsurf

CLI Tools¶

Claude CodeAiderCodex CLI

# Install via npm
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

# Or via Homebrew
brew install anthropic/tap/claude-code

# Install via pip
pip install aider-chat

# Or via pipx (recommended)
pipx install aider-chat

# Install via npm
npm install -g @openai/codex-cli

Configuration Directories¶

After installation, create your configuration directories:

# Create config directories
mkdir -p ~/.claude
mkdir -p ~/.cursor/rules

# Create global instructions
touch ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md

Config Directory Reference

Project Setup¶

Initialize a Project¶

# Create project directory
mkdir my-project && cd my-project

# Initialize git
git init

# Create AI instructions
touch CLAUDE.md  # For Claude Code
mkdir -p .cursor/rules  # For Cursor

Project Instructions Template¶

Create a CLAUDE.md (or similar) in your project root:

# Project: My App

## Tech Stack
- Next.js 14 with App Router
- TypeScript (strict mode)
- Prisma + PostgreSQL
- Tailwind CSS

## Conventions
- Use functional components with hooks
- Prefer server components where possible
- Follow existing code patterns

## Important Files
- `src/app/` - App router pages
- `src/lib/` - Shared utilities
- `prisma/schema.prisma` - Database schema

Verification¶

Test your setup:

Test API Keys¶

# Test Anthropic
curl https://api.anthropic.com/v1/messages \
  -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"model":"claude-3-haiku-20240307","max_tokens":10,"messages":[{"role":"user","content":"Hi"}]}'

Test Tools¶

# Test Claude Code
claude --version

# Test Aider
aider --version

# Open Cursor
cursor .