Initial Setup (macOS)

Setup
One-time installation of VS Code, Git, Python 3.13, and Homebrew on macOS.
Published

December 30, 2025

Initial Setup Guide (macOS)

Creating with AI in the Loop — One-time macOS setup

This guide installs the core tools you need for the course. You only need to do this once.

Course standard: Python 3.13.x (we’ll support/debug primarily on 3.13).

What you need

  • macOS (recent version)
  • Admin access for installs
  • A GitHub account

1) Install Apple Command Line Tools (includes git)

Open Terminal and run:

xcode-select --install

Verify:

git --version

One-time Git identity setup

git config --global user.name "First Last"
git config --global user.email "you@school.edu"
git config --global --list

2) Install Homebrew

Run the official installer:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

If the installer prints a line that starts with eval "$(...)", copy/paste it into Terminal (this adds Homebrew to your PATH).

Verify:

brew --version

3) Install Git Credential Manager (GCM)

GCM securely stores your GitHub credentials so you don’t have to re-authenticate on every push.

Install:

brew install git-credential-manager

Verify:

git-credential-manager --version

The first time you git push, GCM will open a browser window to authenticate with GitHub. After that, your credentials are stored securely.

4) Install Python 3.13.x via Homebrew

Install:

brew install python@3.13

Verify:

python3.13 --version
python3.13 -m pip --version

If python3.13 is not found, run:

brew info python@3.13

and follow the “caveats” it prints (Homebrew will tell you what to add to your PATH).

5) Install VS Code

Option B: Homebrew

brew install --cask visual-studio-code

6) Install VS Code extensions

In VS Code, go to Extensions:

  • Python (Microsoft)

Optional:

  • GitHub Pull Requests (GitHub)

You’re done with one-time setup!

For each assignment, follow the GitHub Classroom Workflow Guide.

Troubleshooting

Homebrew: brew: command not found

Re-run the PATH line the installer printed (the eval ... line), then restart Terminal and try:

brew --version

Python 3.13 not found (python3.13: command not found)

Run:

brew info python@3.13

and follow the “caveats” (it tells you exactly what to add to your PATH). Then open a new Terminal and retry:

python3.13 --version

VS Code: code: command not found

In VS Code:

  • Cmd+Shift+P → Shell Command: Install ‘code’ command in PATH Restart Terminal.

If you’re stuck, include these in your help request

git --version
python3.13 --version
brew --version
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