Claude Code for Non-Coding Projects/Work: A Complete Getting Started Guide

Most people think Claude Code is just for developers. **It's not**. Claude Code is actually one of the most powerful personal automation tools available, and you don't need to write a single line of code to use it. A lot of people on this sub are exploring ways to use the power of Claude Code for non-coding use cases. This is the guide for you! I have also been around this sub touting the benefits of [Output Styles](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/output-styles), so hopefully this can help for you too! I've been using Claude Code, since it came out in early 2025, to manage my personal knowledge base (Obsidian vault), process meeting notes, track media, and automate workflows across my work and my life (and yes, also to do some code too, but thats not for this guide!). Here's how you can get started: # 1. Setup Create a project folder and run Claude Code from it, from your OS Terminal app: mkdir ~/Documents/MyProject cd ~/Documents/MyProject claude That's it. You're in an interactive Claude Code session. **Why the folder matters**: Claude Code operates within your current directory. All configuration files live here. *Different folders = different projects/work with different configurations.* **First run**: Claude will help you authenticate. After that, just type `cd` to any project folder and run `claude`. **Pro tip**: Once you're proficient and trust your setup, you can skip permission prompts (***DO NOT DO THIS WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THE RISKS!***): claude --dangerously-skip-permissions # 2. The Key Insight **Claude Code can fully configure itself, you just have to ask.** It won't proactively suggest creating configuration files. You need to know what to request. |Building Block|What It Does|Question It Answers| |:-|:-|:-| |**CLAUDE.md**|Project memory|*What's the purpose of this project/work?*| |**Output Style**|Changes Claude's behavior|*How should Claude behave?*| |**Skills**|Specialized workflows|*What are your specific workflows?*| |**Subagents**|Delegated assistants|*What tasks need dedicated focus?*| You can also run `/init` to bootstrap a basic CLAUDE.md, but you'll want to expand it. **Starter prompt** — Copy this to kick off your setup: >I'm setting up Claude Code for ***\[describe your project/work\].*** >Help me design the right configuration: \- What should my CLAUDE.md contain for this use case? \- Help me create a Claude Code output style that would work best for this work. \- What skills would help us work more efficiently? \- Would any custom subagents be useful? >Ask me questions to fully understand my workflow before making any recommendations. Check the Claude docs for the latest specs on all of these configuration items. # 3. CLAUDE.md — What's the purpose of this project/work? The CLAUDE.md file is your project's memory. It tells Claude everything about your project/work and your preferences. Claude reads this at the start of every session. **Location**: `./CLAUDE.md` or `./.claude/CLAUDE.md` **What to include**: * Project/work overview and purpose * Folder structure (if managing files) * Common workflows and how to handle them * Templates and formatting preferences * Domain-specific terminology **Example prompt**: >"Help me create a CLAUDE.md file for this project/work. I'm using this folder for personal knowledge management. Ask me questions about my workflow so you can set it up properly. Check the Claude docs to ensure the CLAUDE.md file is built correctly" **Quick tip**: Tell Claude during a session to add notes to your CLAUDE.md: Remember that I prefer bullet points over numbered lists 📚 **Docs**: [https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/memory](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/memory) # 4. Output Style — How should Claude behave? Output Styles customize *how* Claude responds. This is where you shift Claude away from its default software-engineering/coding focus. **Location**: `~/.claude/output-styles/` (personal) or `.claude/output-styles/` (project) **Example prompt**: >"Help me create a custom output style for knowledge management. I want Claude to focus on organizing information, not writing code. Ask me questions about the way I want you to behave when we are working on this. Save it to my output-styles folder. Check the Claude Docs to ensure output style is built correctly" **To switch styles**: `/output-style` for the menu. (*After any changes to the output style, be sure to* `/exit` *Claude Code and then* `claude -c` *to continue the previous chat*) # Disabling Coding Focus The key is `keep-coding-instructions: false` in the frontmatter. This is the **default** for custom output styles, so Claude's system prompt will: * Exclude instructions for efficient code output * Exclude coding verification and testing patterns * Focus entirely on your custom instructions In practice, an Output Style with clear [CLAUDE.md](http://CLAUDE.md) instructions is usually enough... 📚 **Docs**: [https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/output-styles](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/output-styles) # 5. Skills — What are your specific workflows? [Agent Skills, now an open format](https://agentskills.io/home), are specialized capabilities that Claude activates automatically when your request matches the skill's description. Think of them as "expertise modules." It's Neo in the Matrix learning Kung Fu. **Location**: `.claude/skills/` (project) or `~/.claude/skills/` (personal) **Example prompt**: >"Help me create a skill for processing meeting notes. I prefer my notes to be structured the following way: \[*include examples*\]. Walk me through what else a SKILL.md file needs. Check the Claude Docs to ensure the Agent Skill is built correctly and with the latest specs" **How it works**: When you say "I just had a call with John about the Q1 budget," Claude recognizes this matches the skill's description and automatically loads it. Claude can even create code scripts (because it still knows *how* to code) to validate accuracy of an output as a part of the skill! 📚 **Docs**: [https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/skills](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/skills) # 6. Subagents — What tasks need dedicated focus? Subagents are specialized "assistants" with their own dedicated context windows. They're powerful because: * **Separate context** — They don't bloat your main conversation * **Specialized focus** — Each agent has specific expertise * **Parallel work** — They can research while you continue working **Location**: `.claude/agents/` (project) or `~/.claude/agents/` (personal) # Built-in Subagent Types |Type|Purpose|Best For| |:-|:-|:-| |**Explore**|Fast, read-only searching|Finding files, understanding structure| |**Plan**|Research and analysis|Complex planning, investigation| |**General-Purpose**|Full capabilities|Multi-step tasks needing both research and action| **Example prompt**: >"Help me set up a custom subagent for \[*explain the purpose the agent will handle*\]. Check the Claude Docs to ensure the Subagent is built correctly using the latests specs." **Why this matters for non-coders**: Think of it as hiring focused specialists, who still report up to the manager. Each one stays focused on its job. 📚 **Docs**: [https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/sub-agents](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/sub-agents) # Documentation Links (from Anthropic) **Essential**: * [Getting Started](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/overview) * [Installation](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/setup) * [CLAUDE.md (Memory)](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/memory) * [Output Styles](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/output-styles) * [Skills](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/skills) * [Subagents](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/sub-agents) **Additional**: * [Settings](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/settings) * [Slash Commands](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/slash-commands) * [Hooks](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/hooks) * [MCP Servers](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/mcp) (*Didn't cover, but I prefer Skills > MCP, less token bloat*) # My Setup (Example) Here's some of what I use Claude Code for...zero coding involved: * **Personal Knowledge Base**: Obsidian vault with 400+ notes * **Meeting Processing**: Auto-capture and organize meeting notes from Granola * **Media Tracking**: Movies and TV shows synced with my media server (and fixes issues) * **Smart Home Automation:** With Skills, securely connects to my Home Assistant instance to help me manage, fix issues and build automations * **Research**: Deep dives on topics with web search and synthesis (***Pro Tip***: Use the awesome [NotebookLM](https://github.com/PleasePrompto/notebooklm-skill) and [Playwright](https://github.com/lackeyjb/playwright-skill) skills to extract even more!) * **Writing**: Draft documents, emails, and posts (like this one!) **My Obsidian configuration includes**: * Custom output style for knowledge management * 10+ skills for different workflows * Multiple subagents for research, analysis, and processing * Commands for automating repetitive tasks (**Bonus**, *ask for Commands too!*) # TL;DR - Getting Started Checklist 1. Create a project folder 2. Run `claude` from that folder 3. **Ask Claude** to create a **CLAUDE.md** — *What's the purpose of this project/work?* 4. **Ask Claude** to create an **output style** — *How should Claude behave? (Does it need to code?)* 5. **Ask Claude** to create **skills** — *What are your specific workflows?* 6. **Ask Claude** to create **subagents** — *What tasks need dedicated focus?* **Key insight**: Claude Code can build you all of the tooling you need to help you run Claude Code for any task! All you need to do is ask! This guide tells you *what* to ask for. # Questions? Drop them in the comments. Happy to share more about specific configurations or use cases. Remember, when in doubt....**Ask Claude!** *This post's content was assisted by Claude Code, naturally.*