Quick Start

Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with Claude Autopilot in under 5 minutes! This guide will walk you through setting up your first "set it and forget it" automated Claude Code workflow.

💤 The Claude Autopilot Promise

Work smarter, not harder. Claude Autopilot is designed to let you:

• ✅ Queue up tasks Friday evening, enjoy your weekend, return Monday to completed work
• ✅ Start a large refactoring before dinner, come back to a transformed codebase
• ✅ Begin code generation while kids are awake, finish playing with everything done
• ✅ Sleep peacefully while Claude Autopilot handles hundreds of tasks automatically

Before You Begin

Ensure you have:

• ✅ VS Code 1.74.0 or later
• ✅ Claude Code CLI installed and accessible
• ✅ Python 3.8 or later
• ✅ Claude Autopilot extension installed

Need help with installation? See the Installation Guide.

Step 1: Open Your Workspace

1. Open VS Code
2. Open a folder/workspace where you want to use Claude Autopilot
3. Ensure you have some files to work with (code files, documents, etc.)

Step 2: Start Claude Autopilot

Method 1: Command Palette

1. Press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P to open Command Palette
2. Type "Claude: Start Claude Autopilot"
3. Press Enter

Method 2: Quick Access

• Look for the Claude Autopilot icon in the VS Code sidebar
• Click to open the Claude Autopilot panel

Step 3: First Dependency Check

When Claude Autopilot starts, it automatically checks your dependencies:

• 🟢 Green checkmarks: Everything is ready
• 🟡 Yellow warnings: Minor issues (often safe to ignore)
• 🔴 Red errors: Must be fixed before proceeding

If you see red errors, check the Troubleshooting Guide.

Step 4: Add Your First Message

1. In the Claude Autopilot panel, click "Add Message"
2. Enter a simple task, for example:

   Please analyze the current directory structure and create a brief summary of the main files and their purposes.
   

3. Click "Add to Queue"

Step 5: Start Processing

1. Click the "Start Processing" button
2. Watch as Claude Autopilot:
   • Sends your message to Claude Code
   • Processes the response
   • Shows results in real-time

Step 6: View Results

1. Real-time Output: Watch the processing in the main panel
2. History Tab: Click "History" to see completed tasks
3. Queue Tab: Monitor pending and completed messages

Example Workflows

Workflow 1: "Friday Evening → Monday Morning" Setup

Perfect for weekend productivity:

Message 1-50: "Convert each .js file in /src/components/ to TypeScript with proper interfaces"
Message 51-75: "Add comprehensive JSDoc comments to all converted TypeScript files" 
Message 76-100: "Generate unit tests for each converted component using Jest"

Result: Start your weekend with a JavaScript codebase, return Monday to a fully-typed, documented, and tested TypeScript project.

Workflow 2: "Dinner Time Processing"

Great for family time:

Message 1-25: "Refactor all class components in /src/ to functional components with hooks"
Message 26-50: "Add error boundaries to all converted functional components"
Message 51-60: "Generate comprehensive PropTypes documentation for each component"

Result: Start cooking dinner with legacy code, eat with family, return to modern React codebase.

Workflow 3: "Overnight Code Generation"

Ideal for large-scale generation:

Message 1-30: "Generate CRUD operations for each model in /models/ directory"
Message 31-60: "Create corresponding API endpoints for each CRUD operation"
Message 61-90: "Generate comprehensive integration tests for all API endpoints"
Message 91-100: "Create detailed API documentation with examples for each endpoint"

Result: Go to sleep with basic models, wake up to a complete API with tests and documentation.

Understanding the Interface

Main Panel Sections

1. Status Bar: Shows current processing status
2. Queue Section: Lists pending and processing messages
3. Output Section: Displays real-time results
4. Controls: Start/stop processing, add messages

Queue Operations

• ➕ Add: Add new messages
• ✏️ Edit: Modify existing messages
• 🗑️ Delete: Remove messages
• 📋 Duplicate: Copy messages
• ↕️ Reorder: Change message order

Status Indicators

• 🟢 Ready: System ready for processing
• 🟡 Processing: Currently working on tasks
• 🔴 Error: Issue requires attention
• ⏸️ Paused: Processing paused (manual or auto-resume)

Best Practices for Beginners

1. Start Small

• Begin with simple, single-task messages
• Gradually increase complexity as you learn

2. Use Clear Instructions

✅ Good: "Add error handling to the login function in src/auth.js"
❌ Vague: "Fix the authentication stuff"

3. Break Down Complex Tasks

Instead of:

"Refactor the entire application to use TypeScript and add comprehensive testing"

Try:

Message 1: "Convert src/utils/helpers.js to TypeScript"
Message 2: "Add type definitions for the main User interface"
Message 3: "Create Jest tests for the helpers module"

4. Monitor Progress

• Keep an eye on the processing status
• Review outputs before adding dependent tasks
• Use the history feature to track what's been completed

Configuration for Beginners

Start with these essential settings:

{
  "claudeLoop.session.skipPermissions": true,
  "claudeLoop.sleepPrevention.enabled": true,
  "claudeLoop.queue.autoMaintenance": true,
  "claudeLoop.developmentMode": false
}

Common First-Time Issues

Issue: "Claude not found"

Solution: Ensure Claude Code is installed and in your PATH

claude --version  # Should show version number

Issue: Queue won't start processing

Solution: Check the dependency status indicators

Issue: No output appears

Solution: Wait a moment - Claude Code responses can take time

Issue: Permission errors

Solution: Enable claudeLoop.session.skipPermissions in settings

Next Steps

Now that you have Claude Autopilot running:

1. Explore Configuration: Customize settings in Configuration Guide
2. Learn Advanced Features: Check out Use Cases for inspiration
3. Optimize Your Workflow: Read Best Practices
4. Join the Community: Visit GitHub Discussions

Quick Reference Commands

Action	Command
Start Claude Autopilot	Claude: Start Claude Autopilot
Stop Claude Autopilot	Claude: Stop Claude Autopilot
Add Message	Claude: Add Message to Queue
Open Settings	Cmd/Ctrl + , → Search "Claude Autopilot"

Getting Help

If you run into issues:

1. Check the status indicators in the Claude Autopilot panel
2. Review the Troubleshooting Guide
3. Enable debug logging and check for error messages
4. Ask for help in GitHub Discussions

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Congratulations! You've completed your first Claude Autopilot workflow. You're now ready to automate your Claude Code tasks efficiently.

Quick start guide last updated: July 2025