Harlem Labs — AI Tools
A practical guide for Harlem Labs clients, partners, and team members. Get set up in 20 minutes and start building real things.
Get Set Up → Learn MoreTime to set up
15 – 20 minutes
Technical experience required
None — describe it, Claude builds it
What you can ship
Live websites, tools & automations
Overview
Claude Code is an AI assistant that runs directly in your terminal. Tell it what you want to build in plain English — it writes the code, fixes the bugs, and ships the result. No prior technical experience needed.
Describe what you need in plain English. Claude Code builds it. Ship it live — in a single session.
Works at all skill levels. The only requirement: know what you want to build and who it's for. Harlem Labs will guide you through the rest.
Setup Guide
Complete these steps before your first session. If you run into issues, see the Troubleshooting section below.
Claude Code requires Node.js to run. Go to nodejs.org and download the LTS version. Run the installer. Once installed, open your Terminal (Mac) or Command Prompt (Windows) and verify:
node --version
You should see a version number like v20.x.x. If you do, move to Step 2.
Mac: Download the .pkg installer from nodejs.org and run it · Windows: Download the .msi installer and run it
In your Terminal or Command Prompt, run the following command. This installs Claude Code globally so you can use it anywhere on your machine:
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
This may take 1–2 minutes. Once complete, move to Step 3.
Launch Claude Code for the first time. It will prompt you to connect your Anthropic account:
claude
Follow the prompts — you'll be directed to a URL to authorize access. Once you see the confirmation in your terminal, you're authenticated and ready to build.
Vercel is the platform Harlem Labs uses to deploy and share live websites. Install the CLI to ship from your terminal:
npm install -g vercel
Then log in to your Vercel account:
vercel login
Enter your email when prompted. You'll receive a confirmation link. Once confirmed, setup is complete.
Troubleshooting
If something doesn't work as expected, check here first. Most issues are resolved in under two minutes.
Node.js didn't install correctly or your terminal doesn't know where to find it.
Fix: Re-download Node.js from nodejs.org and run the installer again. After it finishes, close your terminal completely, reopen it, and try node --version again.
Your system is blocking the install due to folder permissions. Run the command with admin access:
sudo npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
You'll be asked to enter your Mac password. It won't show as you type — that's normal. Press Enter when done.
Try these steps in order:
1. Close and reopen your terminal.
2. Re-run the command that failed.
3. Copy the exact error message you're seeing.
Still stuck? Reach out to your Harlem Labs contact with the error message and a screenshot of your terminal. We'll get you sorted quickly.
What to Build
You don't need to know how to code. You need to know what you're building and who it's for. Pick one of the following before your first session with Harlem Labs.
A focused one-page site that presents a service, offer, or brand to a specific audience. Lead gen, credibility, or conversion.
A lightweight app your team uses internally — trackers, dashboards, intake forms, or approval workflows.
Adding to something that already exists — a pricing page, a contact section, a new product offering page.
A process that runs automatically — data pipelines, integrations, scheduled reports, or notification systems.
You only need two things: what you want to build and who it's for. Claude Code handles everything else. Harlem Labs helps you get it live.
Next Steps
Once your setup is done, here's how to move forward with Harlem Labs.