LaunchPad — Learn Claude Code the Right Way

What is LaunchPad?

The training wheels for AI-assisted coding

LaunchPad wraps a real terminal in a two-panel browser UI. You type real commands on the left; an AI mentor explains what's happening on the right.

Most people struggle to get started with Claude Code because they've never used a terminal before. LaunchPad solves that. Three course tracks take you from "what's a terminal?" to CLAUDE.md best practices and MCP integrations — all in a guided, step-by-step experience that runs on your own machine.

launchpad — terminal

~ $ mkdir my-project

~ $ cd my-project

my-project $ claude

Claude Code v1.0

Welcome! How can I help?

> Build me a portfolio site

Features

Everything you need to learn

Three pillars that make LaunchPad different from watching yet another tutorial video.

Real Terminal

No simulations or sandboxes. LaunchPad runs a real shell on your machine. Every command you type creates real files and produces real results. You learn the actual tool, not a toy version.

AI Mentor

An always-on AI assistant that explains every command in plain language as you go. Confused about what just happened? The mentor panel breaks it down — no jargon, no assumptions about what you know.

Guided Courses

Structured, step-by-step tracks that take you from zero to confident. Each course is broken into clear phases with progress tracking, so you always know where you are and what's next.

Course Tracks

Pick your starting point

Whether you've never opened a terminal or you're an experienced dev exploring Claude Code, there's a track for you.

Beginner

Terminal to First Project

~30 minutes

Terminal basics and navigation
Environment setup (Git, Node.js, VS Code)
Installing Claude Code
Building your first project from scratch
Understanding files, folders, and paths

Intermediate

Build Something Real

~15 minutes

Quick environment check
Jump straight into Claude Code
Build a real project with AI assistance
Tips and tricks for effective prompting
Workflow best practices

Advanced

Power User Techniques

~10 minutes

CLAUDE.md best practices
Slash commands and shortcuts
MCP server integrations
Hooks and automation
Multi-agent workflows

Get Started

Up and running in 60 seconds

LaunchPad runs locally on your machine. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and you're in.

terminal

          
# One-line install — clones, installs, and starts LaunchPad
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vvrsh29/NTHSHAckathon/main/setup.sh | bash

Manual install

            terminal
          
git clone https://github.com/vvrsh29/NTHSHAckathon.git launchpad
cd launchpad
npm install
npm run dev

Then open http://localhost:3000 in your browser. That's it.
Requires Node.js 18+ and an Anthropic API key (set as ANTHROPIC_API_KEY env var).

Clone & Install

Pull the repo and install dependencies with npm. Takes about 30 seconds.

Set Your API Key

Export your Anthropic API key as an environment variable, or enter it in the app during onboarding.

Start Learning

Pick your track, follow the guided steps, and build something real with Claude Code.