Start Claude Code

Right-click any folder in macOS Finder and launch a Claude Code session in a new iTerm window, already cd'd into that folder.

Two menu items are installed:

• Start Claude Code — runs claude
• Start Claude Code (skip permissions) — runs claude --dangerously-skip-permissions

The safe variant is the default; the permission-skipping variant is a clearly separate, intentional click.

Requirements

• macOS
• iTerm2
• Claude Code on your PATH (the claude command)

Install

git clone https://github.com/ryanjn/start-claude-code.git
cd start-claude-code
./install.sh

Then right-click any folder in Finder → Start Claude Code. It may appear under a Quick Actions submenu. If it doesn't show up immediately, relaunch Finder:

killall Finder

You can also enable, disable, or assign keyboard shortcuts to the actions in System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Services → Files & Folders.

Uninstall

./uninstall.sh

How it works

Each action is a standard macOS Automator Quick Action (a .workflow bundle) installed to ~/Library/Services. It receives the selected folder as an argument and runs a small shell script that drives iTerm via AppleScript:

tell application "iTerm"
    activate
    set newWindow to (create window with default profile)
    tell current session of newWindow
        write text "cd " & quoted form of thePath & " && claude"
    end tell
end tell

The bundles contain no machine-specific paths — they call claude from your shell PATH, so they're portable across machines. Selecting multiple folders opens one iTerm window per folder.

Rebuilding the bundles

The .workflow bundles in quick-actions/ are committed directly, so installing needs nothing but cp. If you want to regenerate them (e.g. to change the command or use a different terminal), edit and run the generator:

python3 tools/build.py   # writes the bundles into ~/Library/Services

then copy the updated bundles back into quick-actions/.

A note on --dangerously-skip-permissions

That flag bypasses Claude Code's tool-permission prompts. It's convenient in trusted, sandboxed, or throwaway directories, but it lets Claude run tools without asking. Use the plain Start Claude Code action for normal work and reach for the skip-permissions variant deliberately.

Why not a Zed extension?

Zed's extension API (as of mid-2026) covers languages, themes, and slash commands — there's no hook to add a custom item to the project-panel right-click menu. A Finder Quick Action is editor-agnostic and works on any folder anywhere in Finder.

License

MIT