You should be using Claude Code or Codex
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PSA: You should be using Claude Code or Codex. Even if you’re not a programmer.
Let me explain:
Most people are still using the regular chat versions of ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, etc. You talk back and forth; you’re constantly copying text and files in and out and repeating yourself. These tools have some memory, but it’s all very manual and hard to keep up-to-date. And if you want it to interact with your other apps, you have to handhold it every time.
That’s the old way. The new way — which actually isn’t so new anymore — is the so-called agentic coding tools, mainly:
- Claude Code by Anthropic
- Codex by OpenAI
These names sound intimidating — they sound like they’re only for software engineers. But really, they’re just much more powerful AI for anyone willing to invest a bit of time in setting them up.
They use the same underlying brains (AI models) as the chatbots. The difference is, they aren’t boxed in. For example, they can:
- Run operations across your files and computer
- Connect to your apps behind-the-scenes — email, calendar, CRM, etc.
- Build their own software and install software from the Internet
- Build their own skills for repeatable processes
(This is a lot of power, so there are security and privacy considerations — more on that another time.)
Setup can be intimidating for non-coders, but there’s a solution: just lean on AI. Ask your favorite AI chatbot how to set up Claude Code (make sure it’s surfing online, so that it has up-to-date information). If you get stuck, just screenshot or copy-paste the error back in. If you’re confused, just say so — it can walk you through every step.
Once it’s set up, a good next step is to organize a hierarchy of basic context in folders and text files that the AI can sit on. That way it always knows the essentials about you and your business. Subsequent prompts can be short, because the AI already has access to your branding, your voice, your workflows, your tech stack, your preferences, etc. It isn’t much work to get this started — the AI can even help you build this organized context and keep it up-to-date automatically.
There’s a lot more I could say — which apps to use with it, how to talk to it, what it can actually handle day-to-day. But the only way to really understand it is to try it for yourself.
Bad names. Good tools. Try them.