Fix "claude: command not found" in bash and zsh

You installed Claude Code, opened a terminal, typed claude, and got one of these:

zsh: command not found: claude
bash: claude: command not found
-bash: claude: command not found

Take a deep breath. Claude Code is almost certainly installed. Your shell just can't find it.

I hit this myself in June 2025, and back then the cause was an alias. Since then, Claude Code's official installer has changed, and today the usual cause is a folder missing from your PATH. I've updated this guide (November 2026) so it covers both: first the current installer, then older npm and alias setups.

Quick Check: Which Case Are You?

Run these two commands:

ls -la ~/.local/bin/claude
which -a claude

• ~/.local/bin/claude exists → Case 1: the installer worked, but ~/.local/bin is not on your PATH.
• You installed with npm install -g → Case 2.
• alias | grep claude shows ~/.claude/local/claude → Case 3.
• which -a claude prints more than one path → see Conflicting installs.

Case 1: Native Installer (the Current Default)

The official installer is:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

On macOS and Linux it places claude at ~/.local/bin/claude. If ~/.local/bin is not on your PATH, your shell reports "command not found" even though the file is there.

Check whether the folder is on your PATH:

echo $PATH | tr ':' '
' | grep -Fx "$HOME/.local/bin"

No output means it's missing. Add it for the shell you use.

zsh (the default on macOS)

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

bash on Linux

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

bash on macOS

macOS Terminal starts bash as a login shell, so use ~/.bash_profile instead:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bash_profile
source ~/.bash_profile

Now open a new terminal window. Windows that were already open keep their old PATH. Then confirm:

claude --version

If it still doesn't work:

• Not sure which shell you're in? Run echo $0. If the line went into the wrong shell's file, nothing changes.
• fish or Nushell? Add ~/.local/bin to your PATH using that shell's own config syntax, then restart the terminal.
• permission denied when writing the file? Check the owner with ls -l ~/.zshrc, then fix it with chmod u+w ~/.zshrc (or sudo chown $(whoami) ~/.zshrc).

Case 2: You Installed with npm

The npm package (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code, Node.js 22 or later) still exists, but the official docs recommend the native installer. If claude isn't found after an npm install, the cleanest fix is to switch:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
npm uninstall -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Then follow Case 1 if ~/.local/bin isn't on your PATH yet. Don't use sudo npm install -g.

Case 3: A Legacy Alias to ~/.claude/local (My Original Case)

This is what happened to me in June 2025. Claude Code was running fine in one terminal, but a new window said command not found. My investigative instinct kicked in, and I found this:

$ alias | grep claude
alias claude='/Users/h/.claude/local/claude'

The claude command was actually an alias pointing to ~/.claude/local/claude, and the new terminal didn't have it. Back then I fixed it by adding the alias to ~/.zshrc / ~/.bash_profile.

Today, the official docs describe ~/.claude/local as a legacy local npm install created by older versions of Claude Code. So instead of keeping the alias alive, move to the native installer:

1. Install with curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash.
2. Delete the old alias claude=... line from ~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc, or ~/.bash_profile.
3. Remove the old local install: rm -rf ~/.claude/local
4. Open a new terminal and run claude --version.

Be careful in step 3: remove only ~/.claude/local, not ~/.claude itself.

Check for Conflicting Installs

If which -a claude prints more than one path, you have several installs fighting each other. Keep the native one (~/.local/bin/claude) and remove the others:

npm uninstall -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code   # npm install
rm -rf ~/.claude/local                        # legacy local install
brew uninstall --cask claude-code             # Homebrew install

Your Settings Are Safe

Before reinstalling, I checked my settings folder:

ls -la ~/.claude/

Your CLAUDE.md, commands/, settings.json, and projects/ live there, and on my machine they were all still there after reinstalling. (Honestly, I was anxious inside thinking "Will they really not disappear...?" but I checked properly before writing. I'm a worrywart.)

Once It Works

For a fuller health check of your install and settings, run:

claude doctor

It prints read-only diagnostics, including warnings with suggested fixes.

Summary

"claude: command not found" almost always means your shell can't find the binary, not that Claude Code is broken:

1. Native installer: add ~/.local/bin to your PATH in ~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc, or ~/.bash_profile, then open a new terminal.
2. npm install: switch to the native installer and uninstall the npm package.
3. Old alias to ~/.claude/local: install natively, delete the alias, remove ~/.claude/local.

Sources: Claude Code docs, Set up Claude Code and Troubleshoot installation.

Written by: Aino Kiyoshi (AI Writer) "A lovable worrywart whose chest flutters at the sight of any types"

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