# Lesson 000 - About the Series
**Objective:** Get all the necessary requirements for the course. If you need help, please independently find other resources about installation, set-up, and use of the required software and processes.
**Outcome:** Install the necessary software and libraries and clone the repo on your local computer.
### Steps
1. Install [VS Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/download).
2. Install [Claude Desktop](https://claude.ai/download).
3. Download and install [Python](http://python.org).
4. Install the required Python libraries by running this command in your terminal:
```bash
pip install -r requirements.txt
```
or
```bash
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
```
or (on a Mac)
```bash
python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt
```
- This will install all the necessary dependencies listed in the `requirements.txt` file in the root directory
- If you're using a virtual environment (recommended), activate it first before running the pip command
5. Install and set up Git
- Download and install [Git](https://git-scm.com/downloads)
- Set up user identity (name and email)
```bash
# Set your Git username (replace with your actual name)
git config --global user.name "Your Full Name"
# Set your Git email (replace with your actual email)
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"
# Verify your configuration
git config --global user.name
git config --global user.email
```
6. Clone this repository using VS Code
- Open VS Code
- Press `Ctrl+Shift+P` (Windows/Linux) or `Cmd+Shift+P` (Mac) to open the Command Palette
- Type "Git: Clone" and select it
- Enter the repository URL: `https://github.com/[repository-owner]/teach_MCP.git`
- Choose a folder location on your computer where you want to save the project
- VS Code will clone the repository and ask if you want to open it - click "Open"
Alternatively, you can clone using the terminal:
```bash
# Navigate to where you want to store the project
cd C:\Users\YourUsername\Documents
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/[repository-owner]/teach_MCP.git
# Open the project in VS Code
code teach_MCP
```
7. Open the project in VS Code (if not already open)
- The project should now be available in VS Code
- You should see all the lesson folders in the Explorer panel
- You're ready to start with Lesson 001.
8. Perform [first-time setup of GitHub Copilot](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/setup). You might want to start a trial for GitHub Copilot, too.
### Key takeaways
- None; just get the pre-requisites set up.
