5. Check your environment

Before you configure any CLI client, make sure your local machine can run the required tools.

1. Check Node.js

node -v

If a version number prints, Node.js is installed.

If the command is missing, install Node.js from:

Latest Node.js Download

2. Check npm

npm -v

If npm is missing, fix the Node.js installation before continuing.

3. Check Git for Claude Code

Claude Code commonly expects Git to be present.

git --version

If Git is missing, install it from:

Git Download

4. Install the CLI packages you plan to use

npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest
npm i -g @openai/codex@latest
npm i -g @google/gemini-cli@latest

You do not need all three if you only use one client.

5. Confirm the commands open

claude --version
codex --version
gemini --version

On Windows PowerShell, use codex.cmd or gemini.cmd if the short command is blocked.

Common Issues

node or npm is not found

Node.js is either not installed or not available in your shell yet. Reinstall Node.js, then open a fresh terminal and test again.

Claude Code says Git is missing

Install Git, open a fresh terminal, and run git --version before starting Claude Code again.

Continue

Continue to 6. Configure CLI tools.