Claude Code Guide

You only need 5 commands. Everything else, Claude Code handles for you.

These commands work the same on both Windows (PowerShell) and Mac.

The Only Navigation You Actually Need

The first time, you need to create your project folder. After that, you just navigate to it.

First time — create the folder and start Claude Code:

Windows:

Mac:

Every time after that — just two commands:

Windows:

Mac:

When to Use This vs. Just Asking

Must-Have (For the First Session)

• 5-10 sample RFQ emails — Copy-paste into .txt files. Include standard requests, AOG urgency emails, follow-ups, corrections. Sanitize customer names if needed — part numbers and format matter most.
• Inventory snapshot — Export from ERP as CSV or Excel. Columns: part number, description, quantity on hand, condition (new/OH/SV/AR), aircraft type, acquisition cost, location.

Nice to Have (Makes It Way Better)

• 5-10 sample quote responses — Shows Claude how you format and price quotes
• Transaction history — What sold, when, to whom, at what price. Even 6 months reveals patterns.
• Customer list — Which customers, what aircraft types, approximate volume. Can be anonymized.
• Aircraft types served — e.g., 737-700/800, A320ceo, CRJ-200
• Sample IPC page — One or two pages showing how parts map to aircraft types

How to Organize It

Create this folder structure in your project:

Create this structure by pasting into your terminal:

Then drag files from your Downloads into the right folders, or save them directly there.

SDD is a methodology created specifically for working with AI coding tools. Instead of just typing “build me a thing” and hoping for the best, you go through a structured process that produces dramatically better results. Think of it like the difference between telling a contractor “build me a house” vs. giving them blueprints, a materials list, and an inspection checklist.

Learn more: Spec-Driven Development Guide · GitHub Spec Kit

Step 1: Install the Prerequisites

You need two tools: uv (a Python package manager) and spec-kit itself.

Install uv:

Windows (PowerShell):

Mac:

Close and reopen your terminal after installing uv.

Install Spec Kit:

Verify it worked:

Step 2: Initialize Your Project

Navigate to where you want your project (create the folder first if it doesn’t exist), then run the init command:

Windows:

Mac:

If the projects folder already exists, that’s fine — mkdir will just tell you it already exists. No harm done.

This creates a project folder with the SDD structure:

If you already have a project folder with data in it, init in place:

Windows:

Mac:

Step 3: Start Claude Code (Must Be in the Project Directory)

Windows:

Mac:

If the /speckit.* commands don’t work: type pwd to check you’re in the right directory. On Windows you should see something like C:\Users\Gus\projects\aviation-platform. On Mac it would be /Users/gus/projects/aviation-platform. If you’re somewhere else, type /exit, navigate to your project, and start claude again.

Step 4: Set Your Constitution

The constitution defines the non-negotiable principles for your project — the rules that every feature, plan, and piece of code must follow. Think of it like a company’s operating agreement: it establishes the ground rules before any work begins.

Claude will ask you about your project’s core principles. For your aviation platform, you might establish:

• Data accuracy is non-negotiable — An incorrect quote is worse than a slow quote
• Human review before customer-facing output — AI drafts, human approves
• Security first — Customer data, pricing, inventory levels are confidential
• Aviation compliance — FAA 8130-3 documentation requirements must be respected
• Small operator focus — Design for 5-50 employee shops, not enterprise

The constitution gets saved to .specify/memory/constitution.md and Claude Code references it for every future feature. Without it, different features might make conflicting assumptions.

Step 5: Your First Feature — The Full Workflow

The Full Flow at a Glance

For your first feature, go through all the steps. For subsequent features, skip the constitution (it’s already set) and repeat specify → clarify → plan → tasks → implement.

Why This Works Better Than Just Asking

You could skip all of this and just tell Claude Code “build me an email parser.” And it would build something. But without the structured process, it guesses at requirements, picks tools without researching alternatives, misses edge cases, and produces no documentation.

The SDD process takes maybe 15-20 extra minutes upfront. But it saves hours of rework, produces better results, and creates documentation that makes every future feature easier.

You already know this instinctively from running logistics operations — preparation saves time, documentation prevents errors, and structured processes beat ad-hoc firefighting every time.

Resources