The Claude Code Beginners Workshop

About the Course:

Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding tool that operates directly in your terminal and IDE, reading your codebase, running tests, and iterating on solutions with minimal hand-holding. This beginner workshop is the fastest possible on-ramp for .NET and C# developers who have heard about AI coding assistants but have not yet moved from curiosity to daily practice.  

In three and a half hours, you will install Claude Code on your machine, configure it correctly for a .NET project, author your first CLAUDE.md file to give the tool project-specific context, and complete a series of guided labs that cover codebase exploration, code generation, and basic debugging workflows. Every exercise runs against a real ASP.NET Core repository, not a contrived snippet. 

By the end of the session, you will understand how Claude Code differs from inline copilot suggestions, when to reach for it versus a conventional IDE feature, and how to craft the prompts and context files that produce accurate, idiomatic C# output rather than generic boilerplate. You will leave with a configured environment, a working CLAUDE.md template you can adapt for any project, and enough hands-on experience to continue learning independently the moment the workshop ends.

Course Objectives:

Upon completing this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Install Claude Code and authenticate it from the terminal on Windows, macOS, or Linux
• Configure Claude Code settings and understand how context and token limits affect its behavior
• Author an effective CLAUDE.md file that gives Claude Code accurate context about a .NET project
• Use the Claude Code CLI to explore an unfamiliar codebase and summarize its architecture
• Generate idiomatic C# code from natural-language prompts and iterate on the output
• Use Claude Code to locate and explain bugs in existing .NET code
• Understand when Claude Code is the right tool versus a conventional IDE feature
• Recognize common beginner mistakes and prompt patterns that lead to poor output

Who is the Target Audience?

• NET and C# developers at any level who have never used Claude Code or have only experimented briefly, Technical leads, and solution architects who want to understand how agentic AI tools fit into modern .NET development workflows
• Senior developers mentoring teams that are beginning to adopt AI-assisted software development
• Independent consultants and freelancers building .NET applications who want to improve delivery speed and productivity
• DevOps engineers and platform engineers interested in terminal-based AI workflows integrated with developer tooling
• Software engineering managers evaluating developer productivity tooling before broader organizational rollout
• QA automation engineers and SDET professionals working with C# test frameworks who want to use AI for debugging and test generation
• Full-stack developers using ASP.NET Core on the backend who want practical AI-assisted development workflows
• Backend engineers transitioning from traditional IDE-only development into AI-native engineering practices
• Developers migrating from GitHub Copilot or other autocomplete tools who want to learn a more agentic CLI-driven workflow
• Corporate engineering teams running internal AI adoption or developer enablement initiatives
• Startup engineering teams seeking faster prototyping and codebase onboarding capabilities
• Developers returning to .NET after time away and looking to modernize their workflow with AI tooling
• Technical trainers and developer advocates who need hands-on familiarity with Claude Code for internal education or community workshops
• Open-source contributors working in C# repositories who want faster codebase comprehension and contribution workflows
• Developers working in legacy .NET Framework or large enterprise codebases who need assistance understanding unfamiliar systems
• Bootcamp graduates or junior developers with foundational .NET skills looking to become AI-assisted developers early in their careers
• Cross-platform developers using Windows, macOS, and Linux who want a terminal-first AI coding experience
• Engineering innovation teams are piloting AI-assisted SDLC practices within enterprise environments
• Developers interested in prompt engineering specifically for software development workflows
• Teams adopting ASP.NET Core microservices architectures who want AI-assisted repository navigation and debugging
• Technical product builders and indie hackers using C# for SaaS or internal tooling projects
• Developers are curious about integrating AI into their daily coding habits, but are unsure where to begin practically
• Pair-programming enthusiasts looking to use AI as a collaborative development partner rather than a simple autocomplete engine
• Cloud-native .NET developers using Docker and modern development environments who want AI-enhanced workflows
• Enterprise developers working in regulated environments who need structured, context-aware AI usage practices
• Developers preparing for future AI-native engineering roles or internal AI transformation initiatives
• IT professionals and system integrators with scripting or programming experience who want to expand into AI-assisted software development
• University instructors or computer science educators teaching modern software engineering practices with AI tools
• Hackathon participants and rapid prototyping teams who want faster iteration using terminal-based AI agents
• Developers interested in learning practical context engineering using CLAUDE.md files and repository-specific instructions
• Software engineers who have tried AI coding assistants but have not yet built a consistent workflow around them
• Developers preparing to attend the Claude Code Expert Workshop who want a solid foundation first
• Engineering teams are evaluating Claude Code for team-wide adoption and looking for a structured introduction

Basic Knowledge:

• Working knowledge of C# and .NET
• Basic terminal / command-line comfort
• Anthropic Console account at console.anthropic.com, free to create. API access requires a paid plan or a Claude Pro/Max subscription. Estimated workshop spend: under $5.
• GitHub account (personal account sufficient) for lab repository access.

System Requirements:

• Visual Studio 2022 (latest stable), VS Code (latest), or JetBrains Rider. The Claude Code VS Code extension will be installed during the workshop.
• Windows 10/11 (64-bit), macOS 12 Monterey or later, or Ubuntu 20.04+ / Debian 10+. Windows users should install WSL2 before the workshop.
• RAM: 16 GB minimum; 32 GB recommended if running Docker Desktop alongside your IDE.
• Disk Space: 20 GB free minimum for SDK, tooling, Docker images, and the workshop repository.
• Local administrator rights required to install Claude Code and other tooling.
• A stable broadband internet connection is required throughout. All API calls and lab exercises require internet access.

Instructor Note:

Participants must complete the environment setup before the workshop. A pre-workshop setup guide with step-by-step installation instructions will be distributed one week in advance. The Claude Code Expert Workshop is the recommended follow-on for attendees who want to go deeper.