Something not working? Don’t panic! Here are solutions to common problems.

Problem: Your terminal doesn’t recognize Node.js commands.

Solutions:

1. Restart your terminal - Close and reopen Command Prompt/Terminal
2. Check if Node is installed:

   node --version

3. If not installed, go back to the Install Claude Code section

Problem: npm doesn’t have permission to install globally.

Solution: Use sudo:

sudo npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Enter your Mac password when prompted (you won’t see characters as you type).

Problem: Can’t connect to npm servers.

Solutions:

1. Check your internet connection
2. Try again in a few minutes (servers might be busy)
3. If behind a firewall/VPN, try disabling temporarily

Problem: Claude Code isn’t recognized.

Solutions:

1. Restart your terminal
2. Check installation:

   npm list -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

3. Reinstall if needed:

   npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Problem: Can’t log in to Claude Code.

Solutions:

1. Make sure you have a valid Anthropic account
2. Try opening the authentication URL manually in your browser
3. Check that cookies aren’t being blocked
4. Try logging out and back in:

   claude logout
   claude

Problem: Claude Code isn’t responding.

Solutions:

1. Press Ctrl + C to cancel
2. Wait a moment - complex tasks can take time
3. If still stuck, close the terminal and restart Claude Code

Problem: Can’t install or open GitHub Desktop.

Solutions:

• Windows: Make sure you’re running Windows 10 or later
• Mac: Make sure you’re running macOS 10.15 or later
• Download the latest version from desktop.github.com
• Try restarting your computer

Problem: GitHub Desktop won’t accept your credentials.

Solutions:

1. Make sure you’re using your GitHub username and password
2. Check your internet connection
3. If using two-factor authentication, you may need a personal access token:
   • Go to GitHub.com → Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens
   • Generate a new token with ‘repo’ scope
   • Use this token as your password in GitHub Desktop

Problem: GitHub Desktop says it can’t push your changes.

Solutions:

1. Click Repository → Pull to get the latest changes first
2. Then try pushing again
3. If still failing, check that you have internet connection
4. Make sure you have permission to push to this repository

Problem: You made changes but don’t see them in GitHub Desktop.

Solutions:

1. Make sure you’ve saved your files in your code editor
2. Click Repository → Refresh in GitHub Desktop
3. Check that you’re looking at the correct repository (check the name at the top)

Problem: GitHub Desktop can’t find your repository.

Solutions:

1. Make sure the repository exists on GitHub.com
2. Try removing and re-adding the repository:
   • Right-click the repository name
   • Select “Remove”
   • Then File → Clone Repository to add it back

Problem: Pushed changes but can’t see them on GitHub.com.

Solutions:

1. Make sure you clicked “Push origin” after committing
2. Check that the push completed (look for the checkmark)
3. Refresh the GitHub.com page in your browser
4. Verify you’re looking at the correct repository and branch

Possible causes:

1. JavaScript error - Check browser console (F12)
2. Wrong file path - Check your HTML links
3. Syntax error in HTML - Validate at validator.w3.org

Solutions:

1. Check the link path:

   <!-- If CSS is in same folder -->
   <link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
   
   <!-- If CSS is in a css folder -->
   <link rel="stylesheet" href="css/styles.css">

2. Hard refresh the page: Ctrl + Shift + R (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + R (Mac)

3. Check for typos in the filename (case matters!)

Solutions:

1. Check the image path:

   <!-- Same folder -->
   <img src="photo.jpg" alt="Photo">
   
   <!-- In images folder -->
   <img src="images/photo.jpg" alt="Photo">

2. Check the filename - Photo.jpg is different from photo.jpg

3. Verify the file exists in the right location

Solutions:

1. Check browser console (F12 → Console) for red error messages

2. Make sure script is at the end of body:

   <body>
     <!-- content -->
     <script src="script.js"></script>
   </body>

3. Check for typos in element IDs and function names

Solutions:

1. Wait longer - First deployment can take 10+ minutes
2. Check you have index.html in the root of your repository
3. Verify Pages is enabled:
   • Repository → Settings → Pages
   • Should show “Your site is live at…”
4. Check the URL - Should be https://username.github.io/repo-name/

Solutions:

1. Wait 2-5 minutes - GitHub Pages caches aggressively
2. Hard refresh: Ctrl + Shift + R (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + R (Mac)
3. Check Actions tab for deployment status
4. Make sure you pushed:
   • Open GitHub Desktop
   • Look for “Push origin” button - if you see it, click it
   • Changes tab should be empty (everything committed)

Problem: Your site uses HTTPS but some resources use HTTP.

Solution: Change all http:// links to https:// in your code.

Problem: Invalid or missing API key.

Solutions:

1. Check your API key is correct
2. Make sure there are no extra spaces
3. Verify the key is active in your Anthropic console
4. Check environment variable is set:

   echo $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

Problem: You’ve exceeded the rate limit.

Solutions:

1. Wait a minute and try again
2. Add delays between requests in your code
3. Upgrade your plan if needed

Problem: Something went wrong on the API side.

Solutions:

1. Wait a few minutes and try again
2. Check status.anthropic.com for outages
3. If persistent, contact support

1. Read the error message - It often tells you exactly what’s wrong
2. Google the error - Someone else has probably had the same problem
3. Check the browser console - F12 → Console tab
4. Ask Claude Code - Paste the error and ask for help
5. Start small - Undo recent changes and add them back one at a time

• Save often with Git commits
• Test frequently as you make changes
• Keep backups of working versions

1. Ask Claude Code - Describe your problem in detail
2. Check documentation:
   • Claude Code Docs
   • GitHub Docs
   • MDN Web Docs
3. Take a break - Sometimes stepping away helps!
4. Ask a friend - Fresh eyes often spot the problem