you do not have to build alone.

This step is optional. unparty works without a large language model, and it always will. But the next few steps (installing tools, creating a database, deploying your site) are where most people get stuck, usually on one confusing error message. A partner that can read that error, explain it in plain words, and tell you the next click changes how those steps feel. That partner is what this step sets up, and we recommend Claude.

unparty-app was built with Claude, mostly through the API in a terminal, one session at a time. You stay in control: Claude suggests, you decide. More on that in KNOW YOUR LLM.

🧭 Two Ways to Use Claude

	Claude (chat)	Claude Code
What it is	A conversation in your browser or the desktop app	Claude working directly inside your copy of the code
Good for	Explaining errors, screenshots, and setup screens	Finding, explaining, and changing files in your project
How you pay	Free works	Pro or higher, or API credits
When to set it up	Now	Now, or after you get your copy

What it is

Claude (chat)A conversation in your browser or the desktop app

Claude CodeClaude working directly inside your copy of the code

Good for

Claude (chat)Explaining errors, screenshots, and setup screens

Claude CodeFinding, explaining, and changing files in your project

How you pay

Claude (chat)Free works

Claude CodePro or higher, or API credits

When to set it up

Claude (chat)Now

Claude CodeNow, or after you get your copy

BUILD.

✓ Success: you have a partner.

this is a work in progress

1️⃣ Create Your Account

Go to claude.ai and sign up with your email or Google account. Use the same business email you used for GitHub so everything about your build lives in one place. Then get the desktop app from claude.com/download. It keeps Claude one click away while you work, and it can run Claude Code without a terminal.

2️⃣ Choose How You Pay

There are three ways in, and you can switch any time. Claude Code is not included in the Free plan. Prices below are as of September 2026. Check claude.com/pricing for current ones.

	Free	Pro	API credits
Cost	$0	$20 a month, or $17 a month billed yearly	Pay for what you use, from prepaid credits
Chat	Yes	Yes	Playground only (in the Console)
Claude Code	No	Yes, within your plan's usage limits	Yes, billed per use
Claude in GitHub, as your copy ships	No	No	Yes (see below)
Best for	Getting explanations while you click	Steady weekly building at a fixed price	Building in bursts, and automations

Cost

Free$0

Pro$20 a month, or $17 a month billed yearly

API creditsPay for what you use, from prepaid credits

Chat

FreeYes

ProYes

API creditsPlayground only (in the Console)

Claude Code

FreeNo

ProYes, within your plan's usage limits

API creditsYes, billed per use

Claude in GitHub, as your copy ships

FreeNo

ProNo

API creditsYes (see below)

Best for

FreeGetting explanations while you click

ProSteady weekly building at a fixed price

API creditsBuilding in bursts, and automations

Start on Free if you mostly want someone to explain things while you do the clicking. Upgrade when you want Claude inside your code
Choose Pro for a predictable monthly price. Usage resets on a schedule, so a heavy day can hit a limit, and it resets
Choose API credits if your building comes in bursts. Sign up at platform.claude.com, then Settings → Billing → Buy credits. Credits are non-refundable and expire one year after purchase, so start small
Were you given a guest pass? Redeem it when you sign up, and note when its trial ends

You can have both. I use Pro and API credits side by side. Just know which one a session is billing (see the tip under step 3).

3️⃣ Install Claude Code

Skip this if you are staying on Free. The easiest way is the desktop app you just installed, which runs Claude Code without a terminal. If you would rather use the terminal (you will be in it for the next steps anyway), paste the command for your computer:

bash

# Mac (Terminal app)
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

# Windows (PowerShell)
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Close the terminal, open a new one, and check that it worked. A version number means you are set. The first time you run claude, it opens your browser to sign in: choose your Claude account for Pro, or your Anthropic Console account for API credits.

bash

# Prints a version number if the install worked
claude --version

# Start Claude Code inside a project folder
cd ~/Projects/your-project
claude

See which account you are billing — type /status inside Claude Code
See what a session cost (API credits) — type /usage, or check platform.claude.com/usage
Cap your spend (API credits) — your first Console sign-in creates a workspace called "Claude Code". Set a spend limit on it in the Console
Watch for ANTHROPIC_API_KEY — if that variable is set in your terminal and you approve it, Claude Code bills your API credits instead of Pro. Run unset ANTHROPIC_API_KEY to go back to your plan

🐙 Claude in Your GitHub (Optional, API Credits)

Your copy of unparty-app comes with Claude wired into GitHub. Two workflows are already in your repository, and neither does anything until you ask:

Mention @claude in an issue or a pull request comment, and Claude answers there, reading your code and your CI results
Add the LLM. label to a pull request, and Claude reviews it for bugs, security, and performance

As they ship, they run on API credits, so they need an API key saved in GitHub. Once your repository arrives in the next step:

In the Console at platform.claude.com, create an API key and copy it
In your repository on GitHub, open Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
Click New repository secret, name it ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, and paste the key
Test it: comment @claude what does this repository do? on any issue

🔑 Safe Habits With Any LLM

Never paste your keys — your API key goes in GitHub secrets, and the values in your .env file (database, sign-in, payments) stay out of every chat. Describe a key instead: "my Clerk secret key"
Ask before it changes anything — start with "explain, don't change anything yet," then approve changes one at a time
Read what you approve — Claude Code asks before editing files or running commands. That pause is for you, so use it
Check its work — Claude can be confidently wrong. If an answer does not match what you see on screen, say so and ask again
Clear between tasks — type /clear when you switch to something unrelated. Long conversations cost more on every message

🤖 Your First Prompts

Start with the setup itself. These work in the chat and in Claude Code:

prompt

I am a non-technical founder setting up a Next.js website from a
codebase I bought. I will go step by step and paste errors as I hit
them. Explain each one in plain words before suggesting a fix.

Here is a screenshot of the screen I am stuck on. What does it want
from me, and what should I click next?

(In Claude Code, inside your copy)
Give me a tour of this project. Which folders matter for changing
what my homepage says? Explain, don't change anything.

✅ You Are Done When

You can open Claude and get an answer to a question
You know how you are paying: Free, Pro, or API credits
If you chose Pro or API credits: claude --version prints a version number, and /status shows the account you expect

Keep Claude open for the rest of setup. Next up is Get your copy: your repository arrives in the GitHub account you set up in the last step, and then Claude Code has something to work in.

“Ask for the explanation before the answer.”
— unparty-app