Claude Code feels intimidating for about 20 minutes, and then it clicks. The hard part is just knowing which video to start with, so here are the 4 I'd actually send a friend, plus the order to watch them in. ๐ฑ
the order
Watch them in this order
1. Start here: Nate Herk, Master 95% of Claude Code in 36 Mins (as a beginner) ๐ฑ
- ๐ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saggDHHnmtQ
- โฑ๏ธ About 36 minutes.
- ๐ก Assumes zero terminal experience. The single best "I've never opened this before" starting point: structured, low pressure, and you'll have Claude Code doing real things by the end.
2. Then the official one: Anthropic (Boris Cherny), Mastering Claude Code in 30 Minutes ๐ฏ
- ๐ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOfogJZ70OQ
- โฑ๏ธ About 30 minutes.
- ๐ก Straight from the person who built Claude Code. Real workflows and tricks (like onboarding onto a codebase by asking it questions first). Light on theory, high on oh, that's how you're meant to use it.
3. Go deep: Nick Saraev, CLAUDE CODE FULL COURSE 4 HOURS: Build and Sell (2026) ๐จ
- ๐ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoQBzR1NIqI
- โฑ๏ธ About 4 hours.
- ๐ก The full zero to deployment journey plus the money angle: setup, building, agent teams, Git worktrees, cloud deployment, MCP servers, and packaging and selling what you build. Save this for when you're ready to commit a weekend.
4. Level up: Nate Herk, How to Use Claude Code Better Than 98% of People โก
- ๐ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzLV8sfFdMM
- โฑ๏ธ About 30 minutes.
- ๐ก The now that you've started, get good video: skills, workflows and getting more out of Claude Code. Watch it once the first three feel comfortable.
before you press play
Before you press play ๐
๐ Install Claude Code first so you can follow along, it's the fastest way to actually retain any of this. You'll need Node.js and a Claude account (both free to set up).
๐ Watch #1 and #2 back to back (about an hour total). That alone gets you past the I don't know where to start wall.
๐ Then build one tiny real thing before moving on. Momentum beats more watching.
start in 15 min
๐ The quick starter (begin in 15 minutes)
Before the videos, the fastest way to actually start:
- ๐ป Install Claude Code: run
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code (you'll need Node.js), or use it in the browser at claude.ai/code. Sign in with a Claude Pro or Max plan.
- ๐ Open your terminal, go into any folder (or make a new one), and type
claude to begin.
- ๐ ๏ธ Give it one small real job, like "build me a simple habit tracker as a single HTML file" or "organize the files in this folder." That first build is the moment it clicks.
- ๐ Add a
CLAUDE.md file to your project with a few notes about you and what you're building, so it remembers your context every time.
- ๐๏ธ Try
/voice to talk to it instead of typing.
That's genuinely it, you're now using Claude Code. The videos below take you the rest of the way.
go deeper
๐ Bonus: 10 more top Claude Code videos (all 300k+ views)
The most-watched Claude Code videos from the biggest creators, if you want to go deeper (view counts approximate and still climbing):
- ๐ฅ Fireship, "Claude 3.7 goes hard for programmers" (~1.9M): youtube.com/watch?v=x2WtHZciC74. The video that put Claude Code in front of the whole dev world.
- ๐ Tech With Tim, "Claude Code: Full Tutorial for Beginners" (~1.4M): youtube.com/watch?v=ntDIxaeo3Wg. The most complete beginner walkthrough, install to first app.
- ๐ ThePrimeagen, "Claude Code got leaked" (~655k): youtube.com/watch?v=GdgRpiQRsis. A senior dev breaks down how Claude Code works under the hood.
- ๐ค Anthropic (official), "Introducing Claude Code" (~586k): youtube.com/watch?v=AJpK3YTTKZ4. The original launch demo, straight from the source.
- ๐ก Alberta Tech, "Why devs are OBSESSED with Claude Code" (~464k): youtube.com/watch?v=LACyqdAfnaw. The why-everyone-switched explainer.
- ๐ง John Kim, "How I use Claude Code (Meta Staff Engineer Tips)" (~460k): youtube.com/watch?v=mZzhfPle9QU. 50 practical tips from a Meta engineer's daily use.
- ๐ Anthropic (official), "Claude Code best practices" (~456k): youtube.com/watch?v=gv0WHhKelSE. Official best practices: CLAUDE.md, permissions, workflows.
- ๐ฑ Greg Isenberg, "Claude Code Clearly Explained" (~365k): youtube.com/watch?v=zxMjOqM7DFs. A beginner-friendly crash course.
- ๐ Alex Ziskind, "I Ran Claude Code for FREE" (~365k): youtube.com/watch?v=Cyn_Dm05_eU. How to run Claude Code with a free local model.
- ๐ฑ NetworkChuck, "Claude Code on your Phone is OFFICIAL" (~316k): youtube.com/watch?v=ocQ7ZKhHU5Q. Driving a Claude Code session from your phone.
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@cindiezhu for more AI tips every single day ๐ฑ