Cortexa Academy · Free guide
Getting Started with Claude.
A free 58-page guide from Cortexa Consulting: what Claude is genuinely good at, how to ask for work you can use, and when to reach for Cowork or Claude Code. Plain language throughout; no email wall.
Download the guide
58 pages · Edition 2026.2 · facts verified July 2026 · free, no email wall
What's inside
Nine short parts, in the order you'll need them.
01
Getting oriented
The three ways into Claude, which plan fits, and how to pick a model.
02
Claude Pro on the web
Account setup and security, your first chats, Projects, files, and memory.
03
Claude Cowork
From answering to doing: Claude working with real files on real tasks.
04
Claude Code
The automation surface — install, first session, and when it's worth it.
05
Your context files
The small files that make Claude sound like it already knows your work.
06
Prompt engineering
The anatomy of a request that gets good work back, with examples.
07
The prompt library
Ready-to-adapt prompts for research, writing, analysis and planning.
08
Top Skills to try
The add-ons worth switching on first, and what each one is for.
09
Pitfalls & ethical use
Where AI goes wrong, the cheap fixes, and the standard for honest use.
A look inside
The same care as client work.
Plain-language pages in the Cortexa document system: dark section dividers, light content pages, and nothing that needs a glossary.
Who it's for
Written for the people doing the work.
- Professionals starting with Claude who want one honest, ordered walkthrough instead of forty tabs
- Teams standardizing on Claude who need a shared baseline before hands-on training
- Anyone deciding between the free plan, Pro, and the surfaces beyond chat
Keep going
Where this guide leads.
Common questions
Straight answers.
- Is the guide really free?
- Yes. No email wall, no gate — download the PDF straight from this page. It's the same document our chat assistant can send you, and the same baseline our paid Academy workshops build on.
- Do I need a paid Claude plan to use it?
- No. The early sections work on Claude's free plan. The guide flags where a paid plan becomes relevant — Cowork and Claude Code need Pro — and includes an honest plan comparison so you can decide when, or whether, to upgrade.
- How is this different from the Claude Cowork Setup Guide?
- This guide is the orientation: all of Claude, from first chat to prompting technique. The Claude Cowork Setup Guide is the procedure: a step-by-step first hour that configures Cowork on your Mac or Windows PC. Read this one to understand the landscape, then use the setup guide when you're ready to build.
- Can I share it with my team?
- Please do — send the PDF or this page as-is. If you want the material delivered hands-on and tailored to your stack, that's what Cortexa Academy workshops are for: hello@cortexa-consulting.ai.
- How current is it?
- This is Edition 2026.2, with facts re-verified in July 2026. Model names, prices and menus move fast, so where the guide and the app in front of you disagree, trust the app.
Bring your team
Want it taught, not just read?
Cortexa Academy delivers this material as live, hands-on workshops, tailored to your stack and your policies.