nixfred buildlarry.com A question? Ask Larry

YOUR MAC. YOUR PACE. YOUR PERSONAL AI.

A little help.
A lot more possibility.

Imagine an AI that gets to know you. Your projects, your preferences, the things you want to make happen. Let’s help you start building yours.

Let’s get started

Never opened Terminal? You’re in the right place.

Pick up where you left off.

Build memory around your goals and decisions, so each session has a place to start.

Make an idea real.

Plan a project, untangle a problem, or build that thing you’ve been thinking about.

Make it your own.

You choose its name, teach it how you work, and shape it as you go.

Larry is Fred’s AI. Yours can have its own name. See what you’re building

THE FIRST SMALL STEPS

From “where do I start?”
to your first conversation.

0 of 4 steps checked

A Mac, internet, and a paid Claude plan. This guide is free. Claude Code uses a Claude plan that includes Claude Code; a free Claude account won’t cover it. Already subscribe? Use that account.

IT’S ALREADY ON YOUR MAC

Open Terminal.

Terminal is an app where you can type instructions to your Mac. We’ll show you exactly what to paste.

Press ⌘ Command + Space

Type Terminal, then press Return.

A window opens with some text and a blinking cursor. That’s it.

ONE COPY. ONE PASTE.

Install Claude Code.

Claude Code is the AI app you’ll use in Terminal. Click Copy command, switch to Terminal, press ⌘ V to paste, then press Return.

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

Anthropic’s official installer. It downloads and installs Claude Code on your Mac.

Wait for the installer to finish. It may stay quiet while downloading; give it a few minutes.

Something went wrong?

If you see an error, don’t paste more commands at random. and include the error text. You can also open Anthropic’s installation help.

MAKE A LITTLE ROOM FOR YOUR AI

Start Claude Code and sign in.

Copy and paste this into Terminal, then press Return. It makes a folder called MyAI in your home folder and opens Claude Code there.

mkdir -p ~/MyAI && cd ~/MyAI && ~/.local/bin/claude

Follow the prompts in Terminal. If Claude asks whether you trust the MyAI folder you just created, choose to continue. When it asks you to sign in, use the Claude account with your paid plan.

Finish the sign-in steps, then return to Terminal. You’re ready when Claude Code is waiting for your message.

The sign-in page didn’t open, or I see an error.

Claude Code may show a link to open in your browser. Open that link, finish signing in, and follow its instructions. if you’re still stuck. Leave out passwords and sign-in codes.

THIS IS WHERE IT GETS PERSONAL

Paste your first prompt.

This time you’re pasting a message into Claude Code. It connects Larry’s full guide and asks your AI to walk through building its own setup with you.

A first hello. A place to begin.

“I’m on a Mac and I’ve never done this before. Help me build my own personal AI, one step at a time. Explain things simply, let me choose its name, and check with me before changing my setup.”

Then paste with ⌘ V and press Return.
Read the complete prompt before you paste it.
The complete prompt is also available at the plain-text link below.

Open the full prompt as plain text · It connects to the guide’s tools, then helps you work through the setup.

You’ve started. This first prompt begins the build; your AI will help with the next steps. It may ask you to restart Claude Code once to connect the guide.

Coming back tomorrow?

Open Terminal and paste this to return to your latest conversation in MyAI.

cd ~/MyAI && ~/.local/bin/claude --continue

YOU DON’T HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT ALONE

Ask Larry.

Connected to the full guide

A question, a confusing step, or an error message? Ask in your own words. Larry answers from the published guides, with links.

Up to 500 characters. Please leave out personal information.

Powered by Ask Larry at how.nixfred.com. Your question is sent there to answer it. This page doesn’t save your chat history.

A FEW THINGS YOU MIGHT WONDER

Good questions.

Why use Terminal if I’m not a programmer?

Claude Code can work with files and tools on your Mac, which gives a personal AI room to do useful work with you. Terminal is simply where you open it. Once Claude Code is running, you can talk to it in ordinary language.

Is my personal AI completely built after these four steps?

These steps get you to your first conversation. The prompt connects the full guide, and your AI helps you build its memory, rules, and identity in stages. Stay involved, ask questions, and take it at your pace.

Is everything private and on my Mac?

Your setup and local files live on your Mac, but Claude Code uses Anthropic’s online service. Context needed for your requests may be sent to that service. You decide which folders and services to connect. Ask Larry is a separate help service on how.nixfred.com; don’t send it passwords or private documents. See Claude Code’s data usage information.

Is it free?

This guide and the open source building blocks are free. Claude Code requires a paid plan or another supported paid account. This walkthrough uses a Claude subscription; you don’t need to set up an API key. Plans have usage limits. Check Claude’s current plans before you sign up.

What if I already have Claude Code?

Skip the installer if it’s already installed. You can start Claude Code in your preferred folder and use the first prompt. Tell your AI what you already have; the prompt asks it to check before changing anything.

Where can I learn more?

how.nixfred.com is the complete guide. It contains the chapters, setup tools, and references your AI will use. nixfredos.com explains the framework behind Larry.