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Installation

Completing the CS 124 machine project (MP) requires several pieces of software that you may not already have installed on your machine:

This guide will walk you step-by-step through the process of installing these tools on your development machine. Note that Android Studio, Git, and Node.js are free software, but Claude Code requires a monthly subscription.

Laptop
Laptop

You will need a laptop or other personal computer to work on the MP. Most laptops are able to run Android Studio without too much trouble, although the emulator may be slow on older models.

If you don’t have access to a personal computer, please see our laptop loaner program information for details about university programs that provide free laptop loans for the semester. Both the Engineering IT and ATLAS programs provide laptops with full administrative access, allowing you to install Android Studio and all required software.

Android Studio cannot be installed on the lab machines on campus, and you need administrator privileges to install it on your development machine. Both laptop loaner programs described on our resources page provide machines with the necessary permissions.

If you are really stuck gaining access to a personal computer to complete the MP, please reach out to Geoff for help.

GitHub
GitHub

If you don’t already have a GitHub account, start here to create one. It’s quick, free, and painless. Note that if you sign up with your @illinois.edu email address there are usually some freebies thrown in…

If you already have a GitHub account, just keep using it for your CS 124 assignments. There is no requirement that you identify yourself as a CS 124 or Illinois student with GitHub.

Once you’re done, link your GitHub account with your CS 124 identity using the button below.

Claude Account
Claude Account

To use Claude Code, you’ll need to sign up for at least the Claude Pro plan, which costs $20 per month. You should plan to purchase two months of the Pro subscription for a total cost of $40, as detailed in the syllabus required materials section. You can cancel your subscription after the MP is complete if you don’t want to continue using Claude.

Overview
Overview

As an overview, we’ll first install Git, then Node.js, then Android Studio, and finally Claude Code. The process can take a bit of time, so please be patient, and proceed slowly and carefully step-by-step. Installing new software is generally a very safe process, and these are widely-used tools, but it’s still possible for things to go wrong. Reach out to the course tutors for support if and when needed.

Version Information
Version Information

For Fall 2025 we are using Android Studio Narwhal 4 Feature Drop | 2025.1.4, which is the latest available as of October 2025. If an upgrade is released, the course staff will let you know if it is safe to use. Patch updates are generally safe to install, but to be completely safe, don’t upgrade until you get the OK from us, since even minor upgrades may affect your ability to work on the machine project.

For the other tools, any recent version of Git should work fine, and we recommend installing the latest LTS (Long Term Support) version of Node.js, though any recent version should work. Claude Code will update itself automatically, so you don’t need to worry about manually updating it.

Windows
Windows

Here are the links you’ll need for the installation on Windows:

We’ll install Claude Code using the Android Studio terminal.

Note that some of these steps may fail if you do not have administrator access on your development machine.

We’ll install Claude Code using the Android Studio terminal using the following command: npm install --global @anthropic-ai/claude-code. Note that the command must be entered exactly as written in order to work.

When you’re done, proceed to the final steps described below.

Mac
Mac

Here are the links you’ll need for the installation on Mac:

We’ll install Git using Xcode and Claude Code using the Android Studio terminal, using the following commands. Note that the commands below must be entered exactly as written in order to work:

When you’re done, proceed to the final steps described below.

Linux
Linux

Here are the links you’ll need for the installation on Linux:

We’ll install Git using the Ubuntu terminal and Claude Code using the Android Studio terminal, using the following commands. Note that the commands below must be entered exactly as written in order to work:

When you’re done, proceed to the final steps described below.

Android Studio Setup
Android Studio Setup

We’re almost done! To finish, we’ll install a few Android Studio plugins and then make sure that we can run the emulator. These steps are the same regardless of whether you’re using Windows, Mac, or Linux, so I’m just recording one demo video.

Specifically, to finish the installation we’ll install the following Android Studio plugins:

  1. For everyone, the official CS 124 plugin
  2. For everyone, the beta Claude Code plugin
  3. If you’re using Java, the checkstyle IntelliJ plugin
  4. If you’re using Kotlin, the detekt IntelliJ plugin

Then we’ll make sure that you can run the Android emulator. This is critical! You will not be able to complete the MP without using the Android emulator unless you have a personal Android device that you can use.