# Claude Code

Claude Code works in the terminal or as a desktop app, reads CLAUDE.md and .claude from local-configuration, and gets the agent plugin through its marketplace.

> Source: https://www.application-platform.com/en/docs/claude-code/

Claude Code is Anthropic's AI agent. It reads your project, writes changes and runs commands, either as a CLI in the terminal or as a desktop app with the same configuration. The [setup app]({{< relref "local-app" >}}) installs both variants during developer setup and opens projects in it with one click.

## Starting

Start Claude Code in the parent project folder, not inside a single repository. Only there do `CLAUDE.md` and `AGENTS.md` live, and only there does the agent know backend, app and configuration at the same time.

```bash
cd ~/Documents/application-platform/<organization-slug>/<project-slug>
claude
```

## Preconfiguration

On startup, Claude Code automatically reads the `CLAUDE.md` in the current folder. In the project folder it is a symlink from `local-configuration` and points to the central `AGENTS.md`, supplemented by notes that only concern Claude Code. Alongside it sits the `.claude/` directory with Claude-specific configuration, also from `local-configuration`. As a result the agent follows the platform rules without any extra work: start applications via `ap run-local`, leave `.gitlab-ci.yml` and `env/*.generated.env` alone, put custom values in `env/*.custom.env`, and keep secrets out of commits and replies. If you want to add your own rules, you do so in `local-configuration`, as described in [Your own rules for AI agents]({{< relref "ai-instructions" >}}); `CLAUDE.md` itself stays the pointer.

## Agent plugin through the marketplace

So that Claude Code can create projects in your account and import existing folders, install the agent plugin through the Claude Code marketplace:

```bash
claude plugin marketplace add doppelt-digital/application-platform-plugin
claude plugin install application-platform@application-platform --scope user
```

The plugin registers the MCP server `application-platform` through the ap CLI and brings the skills and slash commands for sign-in, project creation and import. After installation, restart Claude Code and sign in with `ap login` if you have not done so yet. The other installation routes, the MCP tools and the failure cases are described in [CLI and agent plugin]({{< relref "cli-and-agent-plugin" >}}).

From then on a prompt in the project folder such as "Import this project into my Application Platform account." or "Start the backend locally." is enough. What the agent does during an import is described in [Import an existing repository]({{< relref "agent-project-import" >}}).