when the setup tools won't cooperate
connecting the edgeful API takes about 10 minutes, and you only do it once — but a few tool hiccups can stop you before you pull any data. none of these are edgeful problems; they're the kind of thing that trips up anyone setting up a coding tool for the first time.
here are the ones that come up most, with the fix for each. if you haven't started yet, the full walkthrough is in setting up the edgeful API with VS Code + Claude Code.
"claude is not recognized" / "command not found"
you typed claude in a terminal and got back something like "'claude' is not recognized" (Windows) or "command not found: claude" (Mac). it means the terminal can't find the tool yet — not that anything's broken.
the usual fixes, in order:
run Claude Code from inside VS Code, not a raw terminal. if you followed the setup article, you installed the Claude Code extension — you use it from the Claude Code panel inside VS Code, not by typing
claudein a separate terminal windowfully close and reopen VS Code (or your terminal). a freshly installed tool only registers once the app restarts — the window you had open before the install won't see it
confirm the install actually finished. reopen the extensions panel and check Claude Code shows as installed, not mid-install
once Claude Code is open inside VS Code, you're past this — you type your requests into its panel, not into a terminal.
the sign-in prompt never appeared
after installing the extension, Claude Code should walk you through signing into your Claude account. if that prompt never showed up:
open the Claude Code panel manually — click the Claude Code icon in the VS Code sidebar to bring it up; the sign-in flow starts from there
reload the VS Code window — close and reopen VS Code so the extension initializes cleanly, then try again
confirm you installed the official extension — there are look-alikes; make sure it's the official Claude Code one
check your Claude subscription — the extension needs an active Claude plan to sign in. if your account isn't on one, that's where the flow stalls
once you're signed in, the panel switches from the sign-in screen to a prompt box — that's your confirmation it worked.
it keeps asking permission for every step
by default, Claude Code asks for your OK before each action — creating a file, running a command, making a request. for a first-timer that feels like getting stopped at every turn, and it's the most common reason people stall mid-setup.
that's normal, and it's a safety feature — it's showing you what it's about to do. read the first few prompts so you can see the pattern, and once you're comfortable, switch Claude Code to auto mode so it runs without pausing each time. only do that once you trust the workflow and you've seen what it's running.
prefer to stay cautious? keep approving each step — it's slower, but nothing's wrong. the permission prompt is a choice, not an error.
using Codex (ChatGPT) instead of Claude Code?
the regular ChatGPT app and chatgpt.com can't do this setup — they can't read the docs, create files, or run commands on your machine. for that you need OpenAI's Codex app, their coding-agent version of ChatGPT.
download it at developers.openai.com/codex/app, then use the same setup prompt from the setup article. if you pasted the prompt into plain ChatGPT and nothing happened, this is why.
you don't need to send screenshots
one more thing that trips people up: you never paste screenshots of reports for the agent to read. Claude Code (or Codex) pulls the real numbers straight from the edgeful API — it's working with the live data, not an image of it.
so there's no babysitting it with screenshots, and a dashboard isn't something you update by hand. when you want fresh data, just ask the agent to pull again and rebuild. more on that in building custom dashboards with the edgeful API + Claude Code.
still stuck
if none of the above clears it, reach out via the in-app chat. include:
your operating system (Mac or Windows)
which tool you're using (Claude Code in VS Code, or the Codex app)
the exact error text, or where it stalls
one note: this article is about the setup tools. if setup is done and the API itself is returning an error code, see API errors and troubleshooting instead.