Claude Code on Windows — download and install in 5 minutes, no VPN

Claude Code is Anthropic's official CLI agent that runs in PowerShell. It brings Cursor-style capabilities to any terminal: file reads, project search, patches, validation, Git operations. On Windows, installation takes 5 minutes if you follow the steps — and zero minutes on VPN or foreign cards, because Anthropic API access comes through LiteAI with a flat per-token tariff.

This article is a step-by-step guide for Windows 10/11 specifically. For macOS or Linux, see «Claude Code in Russia». If you want a GUI app rather than a CLI, see «Claude Desktop on Windows and macOS».

TL;DR — three steps

1. Install Node.js 18+ (once, via winget or the nodejs.org installer).
2. Install Claude Code via npm: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code.
3. Connect your LiteAI key through settings.json or environment variables.

After that, claude runs from any terminal with the claude command.

What you'll need

Component	Minimum	Where to get it
OS	Windows 10 (1809+) or Windows 11	—
Architecture	x64 or ARM64	Settings → System → About → System type
Node.js	18 LTS or newer	nodejs.org or winget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS
PowerShell	5.1 (built into Windows 10/11) or PowerShell 7+	Already installed
LiteAI key	sk-bf-…	Buy Claude API tokens (from $1 per 1M)

Check whether Node.js is already installed:

node --version
npm --version

If Node.js is below 18, update it. Claude Code requires Node 18+.

Step 1. Install Node.js (if not already installed)

Option A: winget (recommended)

Open PowerShell as Administrator (right-click on Start → «Terminal (Admin)» or «Windows PowerShell (Admin)»):

winget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS

After installation, close and reopen the terminal — PATH updates only apply to new sessions. Verify:

node --version
# v20.x.x or newer
npm --version
# 10.x.x or newer

Option B: installer from nodejs.org

1. Go to nodejs.org/en/download and download the Windows Installer (.msi) for your architecture (x64 or ARM64).
2. Run the .msi → «Next» → make sure «Add to PATH» is checked (default) → install.
3. Restart the terminal.

Option C: nvm-windows (if you need multiple Node versions)

If you already have some Node version and need a specific version side-by-side, install nvm-windows:

nvm install 20
nvm use 20

Step 2. Install Claude Code

Once node --version shows 18+, install Claude Code globally:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Verify:

claude --version
# 1.x.x (or newer)

If claude is not found — close and reopen the terminal (npm adds a path to PATH, but the current session won't pick it up). If it still doesn't work, see the «PATH issues» section below.

Step 3. Connect your LiteAI key

LiteAI is a proxy provider for Anthropic API. The sk-bf-… key is sold at a flat rate per token. Open liteai.tech/pricing and buy the starter 1M tokens for $1. The key arrives in your email within 30 seconds.

There are three ways to plug in the key — pick one.

Method A: settings.json (persistent)

The most reliable option — config through ~/.claude/settings.json. On Windows the home directory is C:\Users\<your-user>\.claude\settings.json.

Create the file in PowerShell:

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.claude"
@'
{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.liteai.tech/anthropic",
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "sk-bf-your-key",
    "ANTHROPIC_MODEL": "claude-opus-4-8"
  }
}
'@ | Set-Content -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.claude\settings.json"

Replace sk-bf-your-key with your actual sk-bf-… key.

After that, claude picks up LiteAI from any terminal, without exporting variables.

Method B: environment variables (per-session)

For a quick test:

$env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL = "https://api.liteai.tech/anthropic"
$env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN = "sk-bf-your-key"
$env:ANTHROPIC_MODEL = "claude-opus-4-8"
claude

Variables live until you close the terminal window. Good for a test, awkward for daily work.

Method C: user-level environment variables (persistent)

To make Claude Code work from any PowerShell, CMD, Windows Terminal, or VS Code window without extra setup:

[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL", "https://api.liteai.tech/anthropic", "User")
[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN", "sk-bf-your-key", "User")
[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_MODEL", "claude-opus-4-8", "User")

Then restart all open terminals — old processes don't pick up new variables.

Step 4. Verify the installation

Run Claude Code and make sure it sees the key:

claude

At the bottom of the UI, in the status line, you should see the active model — by default Sonnet 4.6. Switch with:

/model claude-opus-4-8

Check via slash command:

/status

In the «API Key» block you should see your sk-bf-… (last 4 characters), in the «Base URL» block — https://api.liteai.tech/anthropic.

If claude starts and accepts commands — everything works. Move on to your first task.

Verify with curl (without UI)

If you want to confirm the key is valid before launching the GUI, run in PowerShell:

curl.exe https://api.liteai.tech/anthropic/v1/messages `
  -H "x-api-key: sk-bf-your-key" `
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" `
  -H "content-type: application/json" `
  -d '{
    "model": "claude-haiku-4-5",
    "max_tokens": 64,
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Say OK if you see this request"}]
  }'

The response should contain "text": "OK…" and a usage block with charged tokens. If 401 — key is invalid. If 402 — balance is 0, top up.

On Windows, use curl.exe, not curl. PowerShell sometimes aliases its own curl (which wraps Invoke-WebRequest) and breaks the syntax.

PATH issues

claude not found after npm install -g

Cause: npm added C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\npm to PATH, but the current PowerShell session doesn't pick up the update.

Solution:

1. Close and reopen the terminal.
2. If that didn't help — check PATH manually:

$env:Path -split ";" | Select-String -Pattern "npm"
# Should return: C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\npm

If the line is missing — add it manually:

[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable(
  "Path",
  [System.Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "User") + ";$env:APPDATA\npm",
  "User"
)

Restart the terminal and check claude --version.

npm not found

Cause: Node.js isn't installed or wasn't added to PATH.

Solution: reinstall Node.js via winget or .msi (see Step 1) and restart the terminal.

PowerShell ExecutionPolicy blocks npm

Symptom: npm install -g … errors with running scripts is disabled on this system.

Solution:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

This allows local scripts and signed remote scripts. A safe default for developers.

Version check and updates

See the current Claude Code version:

claude --version

Update to the latest:

npm update -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Claude Code updates frequently (every 1–2 weeks); there's no auto-update — check the changelog or run npm update manually once a month.

How much does Claude Code cost via LiteAI

Operation	Average spend	Cost via LiteAI
Read a file and generate a patch	5K–30K tokens	$0.005–$0.03
Refactor a module (multiple files)	50K–200K	$0.05–$0.20
Long agent session 30 min	200K–500K	$0.20–$0.50
Full work day	1M–3M	$1–$3

1M tokens for $1 — that's LiteAI's flat rate on any model including Opus 4.8. No input/output split. With direct Anthropic, output is 5× more expensive than input; with LiteAI they're priced the same.

FAQ

Will it work through a corporate VPN?

Yes, no restrictions. Claude Code through LiteAI uses regular HTTPS. If your corporate VPN has a proxy, you may need HTTPS_PROXY in your environment, but LiteAI's endpoint isn't blocked.

What if Node.js is installed but very old (14, 16)?

Upgrade to 18 LTS or 20 LTS. Claude Code requires 18+ — on 16 you'll see errors like SyntaxError: Unexpected token or Cannot find module.

Can I install Claude Code without Node.js (via WSL)?

Yes, through WSL2 (Ubuntu inside Windows). Steps:

# in WSL:
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Claude Code then runs from a WSL bash terminal but sees Windows drives (/mnt/c/...).

How do I see how many tokens I've spent?

After any CLI session, enter /cost:

/cost

Shows total tokens / input / output and the LiteAI charge. The same info is in your LiteAI dashboard.

Do I need to pay for Claude Pro separately?

No. Claude Code works only through the API, not claude.ai. A Claude Pro subscription ($20/mo) gives you access to the web chat at claude.ai — it has no relation to Claude Code. For details, see «Claude Pro vs API».

What's next

Once claude --version shows the version and /status shows your key — you're ready. First useful commands:

• claude "find all TODOs in the project" — codebase search.
• claude "explain what main.go does" — file walkthrough.
• /init — generate a CLAUDE.md describing your project so Claude Code works with context about your codebase.
• /mcp — list MCP servers.

A detailed guide to agent commands lives in «Claude Code: what it is and why developers need it».

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If anything goes wrong, ask in @liteaitech_bot and include the output of claude --version, node --version, and Get-Command claude. We respond within an hour during business hours.