Claude Code Installer for Windows

Automated installer that handles all the common setup issues with Claude Code on Windows, including Git for Windows installation and PATH configuration.

Features

• Interactive GUI: User-friendly menu for selecting installation options
• Automatic prerequisite installation: Installs Git for Windows if not present
• PATH configuration: Automatically adds %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin to PATH
• Git Bash configuration: Sets CLAUDE_CODE_GIT_BASH_PATH environment variable
• Flexible installation: Choose between CLI only, VSCode extension only, or both
• Smart detection: Skips VSCode installation if already present
• Comprehensive logging: Detailed logs for troubleshooting

Prerequisites for Building

• Windows 10/11
• PowerShell 5.1 or higher
• Administrator privileges
• Internet connection (for downloading dependencies)

Building the Installer

Option 1: Using ps2exe (Recommended)

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator
2. Navigate to the installer directory:

   cd C:\Users\acewi\Desktop\CCInstaller

3. Run the build script:

   .\Build-Installer.ps1

4. The installer will be created in the .\build directory

Option 2: Run PowerShell Script Directly (Testing)

For testing purposes, you can run the PowerShell script directly:

# Interactive mode
.\Install-ClaudeCode.ps1

# Silent mode with CLI only
.\Install-ClaudeCode.ps1 -Silent -InstallCLI

# Silent mode with VSCode extension only
.\Install-ClaudeCode.ps1 -Silent -InstallExtension

# Silent mode with both
.\Install-ClaudeCode.ps1 -Silent -InstallCLI -InstallExtension

Using the Installer

End-User Instructions

1. Right-click on ClaudeCodeInstaller.exe
2. Select "Run as Administrator"
3. Follow the on-screen prompts:
   • Option 1: Install Claude Code CLI
   • Option 2: Install VSCode + Claude Code Extension
   • Option 3: Install Both
   • Option 4: Exit

What Gets Installed

For CLI Installation:

• Git for Windows (if not present)
• Claude Code CLI
• Sets CLAUDE_CODE_GIT_BASH_PATH environment variable
• Adds %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin to PATH

For VSCode Extension Installation:

• Visual Studio Code (if not present)
• Claude Code extension for VSCode
• All prerequisites from CLI installation

Post-Installation

After installation completes:

1. Restart your terminal (PowerShell, CMD, or Git Bash)
2. Restart VSCode if it was already running
3. Run claude in your terminal to start using Claude Code CLI
4. Open VSCode and the Claude Code extension should be available

Troubleshooting

Installation Log

Detailed logs are saved to: %TEMP%\ClaudeCodeInstaller.log

Common Issues

Issue: "This installer requires administrator privileges"

• Solution: Right-click the installer and select "Run as Administrator"

Issue: claude command not found after installation

• Solution: Close and reopen your terminal to refresh environment variables

Issue: Git Bash path not detected

• Solution: Check installation log for the detected path. Manually set if needed:

  $env:CLAUDE_CODE_GIT_BASH_PATH="C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe"

Code Signing

To sign the executable for enterprise distribution:

# Using your company's code signing certificate
signtool sign /f "path\to\certificate.pfx" /p "password" /tr http://timestamp.digicert.com /td sha256 /fd sha256 "build\ClaudeCodeInstaller.exe"

Customization

Changing Installation Defaults

Edit Install-ClaudeCode.ps1 and modify the $Script:Config section:

$Script:Config = @{
    GitInstallerUrl = "..."      # Update to specific Git version
    VSCodeInstallerUrl = "..."   # Update to specific VSCode version
    LocalBinPath = "..."         # Change default bin path
    # ... more options
}

Adding a Custom Icon

1. Create or obtain a .ico file (see ICON-GUIDE.md for detailed instructions)
2. Save it as InterWorks-Logo.ico in the installer directory
3. Build the installer - the icon will be automatically included

Or specify a custom path:

.\Build-Installer.ps1 -IconFile ".\path\to\your-logo.ico"

For detailed icon creation instructions, see ICON-GUIDE.md

Branding

Update the build script with your company information:

Company = "Your Company Name"
Product = "Claude Code Installer"
Copyright = "Copyright © $(Get-Date -Format yyyy) Your Company"

Testing Checklist

Test the installer in these scenarios:

• Fresh Windows 11 VM with no prerequisites
• Machine with Git already installed
• Machine with VSCode already installed
• Machine with both Git and VSCode installed
• Machine with Node.js not installed
• Silent installation mode
• Non-administrator user (should show error)

Architecture

Components

1. Install-ClaudeCode.ps1: Main installer script

   • Prerequisite checking
   • Component installation
   • Environment configuration
   • User interface

2. Build-Installer.ps1: Build automation

   • Packages PowerShell into EXE
   • Sets executable metadata
   • Handles versioning

Installation Flow

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Check Administrator Privileges     │
└───────────────┬─────────────────────┘
                │
                ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Show Menu / Parse Parameters       │
└───────────────┬─────────────────────┘
                │
                ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Check & Install Git for Windows    │
└───────────────┬─────────────────────┘
                │
                ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Configure Git Bash Path            │
└───────────────┬─────────────────────┘
                │
                ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Add Local Bin to PATH              │
└───────────────┬─────────────────────┘
                │
                ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Install Selected Components:       │
│  • Claude CLI (via npm)             │
│  • VSCode (if needed)               │
│  • Claude Extension                 │
└───────────────┬─────────────────────┘
                │
                ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Show Completion Message            │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

License

This installer is provided as-is for internal company use. Ensure compliance with licenses for all installed components:

• Git for Windows: GPL v2
• Visual Studio Code: Microsoft Software License
• Claude Code: Anthropic's terms of service

Support

For issues or questions:

1. Check the installation log at %TEMP%\ClaudeCodeInstaller.log
2. Review the troubleshooting section above
3. Contact your IT support team
4. Report bugs to the installer maintainer

Version History

v1.0.0 (Initial Release)

• Interactive installation menu
• CLI and VSCode extension support
• Automatic Git for Windows installation
• PATH configuration
• Comprehensive logging