🤖 Claude AI - Crash Course
Claude AI — Cheat Sheet
One line: Claude is Anthropic's AI. It does not just answer questions. It thinks, builds, and acts on your behalf.
🛠️ The Tools
👥 Claude.ai — For everyone
- The main interface: web, mobile, desktop
- Writing, research, coding help, brainstorming
- Where most people start
- ✅ Free plan available
⚙️ Claude Code — For developers
- A command-line tool you run in your terminal
- Describe a task in plain language. It writes the code, edits files, and fixes bugs
- Fully autonomous. It plans and executes, not just suggests
- Grew to $1B revenue in 6 months after launch
- 🔒 Requires Pro or Max plan
📋 Cowork — For non-developers
- Claude Code's power, but in a desktop app (no terminal needed)
- Reads, edits, and creates files directly on your computer
- Good for: reports, spreadsheets, research, organising files
- "You define the goal. Claude figures out how to get there."
- 🔒 Requires Pro or Max plan and the Claude Desktop app
🌐 Claude in Chrome — For everyone
- Claude uses your internet browser for you
- It clicks, navigates, fills forms, and gets data from websites
🎨 Claude Design — Research preview
- Create wireframes, mockups, pitch decks, and prototypes
- Export to Canva, PDF, PPTX, or hand off to Claude Code
- 🔒 Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise only
🔧 Claude API — For builders
- Build your own products powered by Claude
- Full access to models, tools, file handling, and streaming
- Powers thousands of third-party apps
🧠 Key Concepts
💬 Prompting
How you talk to Claude. Better prompt = better output.
| ✅ Do this | ❌ Not this |
|---|---|
| Be specific and give context | "Help me with this" |
| Give examples of what you want | Vague one-liners |
| Tell it the format you need | No structure or goal |
🪟 Context Window
How much Claude can hold in mind at once.
- Everything in the conversation takes up space
- Very long chats slow Claude down
- Tip: Start a fresh conversation for a new topic
📄 Artifacts
Standalone outputs Claude can create inside the chat:
- Code files
- Web pages
- Interactive tools
- Documents and reports
📁 Projects
A saved workspace where Claude remembers your files and instructions.
- Upload files and set instructions once
- Claude keeps them every time you return
- Great for: ongoing courses, codebases, client work
🔌 MCP (Model Context Protocol)
The standard for connecting Claude to other tools and apps.
- Connect Claude to: calendar, email, Notion, Slack, GitHub, and more
- Over 100 million downloads every month
- Developers build the connections. Users just plug them in.
🤖 Agentic AI
Claude does not just answer. It acts.
- Breaks big tasks into smaller steps
- Executes each step on its own
- You choose: Claude asks before acting, or it works on its own
🧩 Skills and Plugins
Custom bundles of tools and instructions.
- Makes Claude work the way your job or team works
- Teams can build private plugins for their own processes
📊 Plans at a Glance
| Plan | Who it is for | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Beginners | Claude.ai chat, basic features |
| Pro ($20/month) | Regular users | Claude Code, Cowork, stronger models |
| Max ($100/month) | Power users | More usage, early access to new tools |
| Team | Small teams | Admin controls, shared workspace |
| Enterprise | Companies | Full control, compliance, SSO |
🧭 The Mental Model
| Tool | How it works |
|---|---|
| Claude.ai | You talk. Claude responds. |
| Claude Code | You describe. Claude builds. (Developers) |
| Cowork | You assign. Claude executes. (Everyone) |
| Claude API | You build your own product using Claude. |
⚡ 5 Starter Prompts — Try These Now
- "Explain [topic] in simple words"
- "Review this and tell me what is wrong: [paste your work]"
- "I want to build [thing]. What is the fastest way to start?"
- "Rewrite this to be shorter and clearer: [paste your text]"
- "Give me a step by step plan to do this today: [your goal]"
Sources: Anthropic.com, claude.ai, support.claude.com. May 2026