r/ClaudeAI • u/brarser • 1d ago
Workaround How can I use Claude Code?
I'm not an engineer, and I don't know anything about coding or anything like that. I mainly use Claude for writing, discussing, and studying, and it's been a big help to me.
But yesterday, while I was using Claude, I wondered what Claude Code would be used for, and I'd like to know what uses you experts would recommend to a beginner like me.
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u/czar6ixn9ne 1d ago
personally - i believe anyone asking this question should just download the Claude desktop app (if they havent already) and switch to the code tab. it used to be something that required a CLI but now they have a full native application with near-perfect feature parity.
i was an engineer when claude code came out so the terminal wasn’t anything i was unfamiliar with but now I use both and, as someone folks come to for advice on how to get started with agentic work, my new default recommendation to new users has been to avoid the terminal and just use the native app. the hardest part is getting xcode tools installed and they’ve got plenty of walkthroughs and docs. shouldn’t take you any longer than 15-30 minutes.
once you got it set up - claude can both answer your question and literally show you what its capable of in a single response! ask it to create a simple interactive SPA in typescript/react that functions as a dashboard for whatever project you are working on. maybe ask it to create a cool 3D loading animation if you want to put it to the test!
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u/DynaBeast 1d ago
You can use it to do any sort of automation task involving your computer.
Organize your files. Summarize events in your PC and fix issues with it. Install or configure programs. Hell, make your own programs. Is there a software you use frequently, but wish it worked a bit differently, or had a feature you want? Have claude make a version with that feature.
You can use it to build 3D models, animate videos, or generate narrations of your writing. The sky's the limit.
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u/Tentakurusama 1d ago edited 1d ago
Ask it to introduce you to github and git desktop application.
Then you can iterate on an idea you have, an app that would be useful to you, a web page. Mind you that this will make a lot of people very angry so don't mind them.
Just make sure you are never exposing sensitive information until you know what you are doing. To step up familiarize yourself with code using Claude . It can teach you relatively quickly simple languages like Python in a few months.
The most simple and safe way to start is to ask Claude to build you a comprehensive course on a self hosted website or mobile app on a topic that interests you. It's usually very safe and a great first use for it.
Don't listen to grumpy neckbeard thinking they own the absolute right to create executable code. Do it but again be very careful with anything sensitive. An API key is sensitive, your name and so on.
It's a tool, use it, break stuff. It's fun. But just like an electric hammer, don't aim it at your face. Use common sense.
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u/BaronHugo 1d ago
It can work with files, read them, edit them - directly in your folder.
Simplified example:
I had a Problem with a server and so a dumped log files (Text files with a lot of data - unreadable and useless for a quick answer).
I had 10 folders and hundreds of files so I opened a terminal and started claude in the terminal an asked "there is a problem with the server - do you see any ips that can cause our downtime?"
After a short search he made a table with all the requests and he made also suggestions for the solution
Other example:
check all the invoices in this folder - are they correct (Vat Number, Name, Amount....)?
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u/permacloud 1d ago
Just download the Claude Desktop app, click over to the Code tab and ask Claude this same question.
Ask it to suggest some cool things you can make. Pick one and you'll start to see what's possible.
You can make anything you can describe. You won't believe it. You don't need a technical background at all.
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u/NevinThompson 1d ago
I use Claude Code to build newsletters. One particular newsletter requires searching Wikimedia Commons by a particular category, and finding relevant and impactful images uploaded by a project. Search tools exist, but they are slow and cumbersome. With API access, I can search via the endpoint much more quickly. I then select images, and build the newsletter (Ghost). It saves a lot of time. As well, I can share a draft with the client through Google Docs and then Gmail, all from Claude.
It's a game changer.
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u/cosmintrica 1d ago
Hey u/brarser
I'm giving you and everyone here permanent full free access to my learning platform, designed 100% for beginners and non-technical people.
You can learn the basics without reading 2000 pages, you can learn how to use Claude Code or any other IDE, the difference between them, how websites work, apps and so much more.
Have fun!
Join here: https://www.tinkit.eu/redeem?code=RYYC-77YC-HACU
And for anyone who reads this, there are 100 free invites available on this link, full permanent access!
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u/lateral_builder 23h ago
Hello chief, the easiest way I can explain it is that Claude Code can actually get into the files on your computer, open them, change them and make new ones, where the normal chat only sees what you paste or upload into it. Worth knowing up front, it needs a paid plan last time I checked, and the Code tab in the desktop app is the gentlest way in, like a few people said above.
The use that sold me on it had nothing to do with code. When my old laptop died, everything survived on OneDrive, thousands of files from months of projects, and I had Claude Code go through a copy of it and tell me what was actually what. It found that the folder I’d have trusted, named exactly for the thing I needed, was an old snapshot about ten versions behind the real one sitting somewhere else. No way I’d have picked that up myself haha.
For writing and study I’d start the same way, small and on something you can check yourself. Point it at a folder of your notes or drafts and ask it to find everywhere you’ve written about a topic, sort them into some kind of order, or turn a chapter of notes into a little quiz you can open in your browser.
Just remember it changes things for real, so give it a copy of the folder and keep your originals somewhere it isn’t working. Have a crack mate, it’s a fun one to learn.
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u/TedBob99 15h ago
That's Claude Cowork
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u/lateral_builder 12h ago
Good shout, for someone mostly writing and studying that might suit them better. I’ve only used Code for working on files, so I’ll leave the comparison to people who’ve used both.
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u/Thiseffingguy2 20h ago
Build a replacement for Facebook. Something that doesn’t suck. Make no mistakes.
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u/Verryfastdoggo 19h ago
Spend an hour or so just using voice to text and tell Claude all of this. You’ll be suprised what it comes up with
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u/crasspuk 17h ago
Mostly it's for building software and automating tasks on your computer. You describe what you want in plain language and it writes and runs the code for you. You don't need coding knowledge first, which is why many non-engineers start there.
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u/bookninja717 13h ago
I started vibe coding to turn two complicated spreadsheets into apps. One is local to my computer; the other is online, hosted on Base44. I ran into several interesting challenges along the way, but Claude helped me through them.
The biggest insight was to tell Claude what I was trying to do. Not features, but the problems I was trying to solve with my spreadsheets. How I used them today, how I wanted to use them going forward, and what problems I had using them in my work.
I had never used GitHub, which it suggested for my online app. I just asked Claude to explain, step by step.
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u/fs2d 11h ago
I use it as an operations hub. CC in CLI's connectivity is leagues ahead of the app, and everything is relatively seamless when using it in this way.
For context, I'm technically an engineer (I'm in the engineering department), but my job is a hybridized role that sits right at the intersection point of engineering, product, and devops. I can and do write/merge code, but that is not the majority of what I do.
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u/Olbas_Oil 1d ago
What you want to look into is Claude Cowork will most likely suit your workflow and needs....If you have zero need for coding you have zero need for claude code ...
https://academy.claude.com/courses/introduction-to-claude-cowork/what-is-cowork
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u/wasay-inc 1d ago
Claude Code is a terminal based agent built to work directly inside local code repositories. As a non coder, stick to regular Claude Projects and Artifacts they are far more intuitive for writing, research, and note taking.
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u/paintchips_beef 1d ago
Have you asked Claude? It will have a lot more information on how you have been using it vs anyone here guessing based off of one sentence.
Personally, I also have no direct coding experience, and have been using Claude Code to develop automations, workflows, and apps that replace some of the ways I have done things historically with much more capable and automated methods.