Fixing 'command not found: claude' After Installing Claude Code

A quick troubleshooting guide for resolving command not found: claude by configuring your shell's PATH environment variable on macOS (Zsh) and Linux (Bash).

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The Solution

Add the directory containing the Claude Code binary (~/.local/bin or npm global bin) to your shell's PATH.

1. Zsh (macOS Default)

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

2. Bash (Linux Default)

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Verify that the CLI is now accessible:

claude --version

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Why This Happens

When you run a command in the terminal, the shell searches directories listed in the $PATH environment variable in order.

When installed via Anthropic's official script (curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash), the binary is placed in $HOME/.local/bin/claude.

On many fresh macOS and Linux systems, ~/.local/bin is not included in the default $PATH, or the change has not yet propagated to your current shell session.

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Diagnostic Checks

1. Identify Your Current Shell

Confirm which shell configuration file to modify:

echo $SHELL

• /bin/zsh ➔ Edit ~/.zshrc
• /bin/bash ➔ Edit ~/.bashrc (or ~/.bash_profile)

2. Verify Binary Existence

Check whether the executable was installed properly:

~/.local/bin/claude --version

If this prints the version number, the installation succeeded and only the PATH registration is missing.

3. If Installed via npm Global

If you installed via npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code, ensure npm's global bin directory is in your PATH:

# Locate npm global bin
npm prefix -g

# Add npm bin to Zsh PATH
echo 'export PATH="$(npm prefix -g)/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

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Command Reference

• export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH": Prepends ~/.local/bin to $PATH, prioritizing local user binaries.
• source ~/.zshrc: Reloads the configuration file in your active terminal session without requiring a restart.