Install the 6 Tools: Set Up Once, Never Again

A true scene first

Before cooking, lay out the pans — this lesson lays out the pans. The six tools every later lesson uses get installed once, here; skip any one and the first command of the next lesson jams. The good news: once is forever.

What you’ll have when this lesson is done

Six tools in place, each verified working
A GitHub account with two-factor auth on and recovery codes stored — it is the vault for everything you own in this business (site, content, future ad revenue all hang on it)

Tool 1: the terminal (where you type commands at the computer)

Mac: press Command + Space, type “Terminal”, hit return.
Windows: Start menu, type “PowerShell”, hit return.

You’ll see: a blinking cursor with your computer name and a ~ or >. Whenever this manual says “type in the terminal”, it means here, then Enter.

Tool 2: GitHub account + two-factor auth (your vault)

Open github.com, hit Sign up in the top right, register free with your email. Pick a serious username — it appears in your site’s address.

Then, immediately do two things (30 seconds): Settings → Password and authentication → enable Two-factor authentication; store the recovery codes in a password manager or on paper. Why the hurry: if your GitHub account is stolen, your site, your articles, and your future ad income all change hands; with 2FA on, a stolen password alone gets the thief nothing. Recovery codes are the only door back if you lose your phone — lock them somewhere only you know.

You’ll see: you can log in, your avatar shows top right, and 2FA reads enabled.

Tool 3: Node (the engine base)

Node is the base software that runs this template — version 22.13 or newer required.

Open nodejs.org, download the LTS build on the left, install, next-next-finish.
Then open a fresh terminal (old ones must be closed and reopened), type node -v.

You’ll see: something like v22.14.0 — starting with 22 or higher.

Tool 4: pnpm (the installer — one command for all site parts)

In the terminal:

npm install -g pnpm

You’ll see: a few lines of progress, no red error at the end. Type pnpm -v — a version number means done.

Tool 5: Git (the transporter)

Mac: try git -v first — many Macs ship with it; if not, brew install git (no brew? install it from brew.sh first).
Windows: download and install from git-scm.com, next-next-finish.

You’ll see: git -v prints a version number.

Tool 6: an AI coding assistant (your writing partner)

Install one of ZCode / Claude Code / Codex / Cursor (all have free tiers). Unused this lesson — it becomes the star at page production.

You’ll see: the app opens and you know how to start a new conversation.

Three classic mistakes (made for you in advance)

pnpm / node says command not found: almost always “installed but never reopened the terminal” — old terminals don’t know new tools. Close and reopen.
Node’s site won’t open, downloads crawl: switch networks, or download the installer over phone hotspot and move it across. Without Node everything stalls — worth ten extra minutes.
brew install git errors on Mac: first check whether git -v already works (many Macs ship Git — then skip brew); if you truly need brew, copy the command on brew.sh’s front page character for character.

Three words to know (just these)

Terminal: the window where you command the computer by typing — every later lesson operates here.
Repository (repo): a GitHub place holding one complete set of site files — your shop’s storeroom.
LTS: Long-Term Support — the most stable, longest-maintained build. Always pick it.

✅ Acceptance (all must hold)

☐ Terminal opens; you know where to type
☐ node -v shows 22+, pnpm -v and git -v both print versions
☐ GitHub login works, 2FA is on, recovery codes are stored
☐ AI assistant installed; you can start a conversation

Next lesson

Tools ready. Next lesson copies the whole store into your name and gets a website running in your browser within 30 minutes. Go to Lesson 10 · Run Your Site