/start-0-8.en

description: "Lesson command"
chapter: "courses/aiagent/lesson02-setup/ch01-environment"
duration: "~10 min"
prerequisites: []
level: "beginner"
tags: ["setup", "tool-selection", "cursor", "claude-code", "codex"]
nonInteractiveMode: deferred

Lesson 0-8: Tool Selection Guide

Check Setup Progress

**Auto-run by AI:** Run `uv run python tools/setup_progress.py show` to display the current setup progress.

---

What You'll Do

| Item | Details | |------|---------| | Goal | Understand the features of Cursor / Claude Code / Codex and choose the tool that suits you best | | Duration | ~10 min | | Prerequisites | None (can be taken first) | | Course Page | (This lesson has no prerequisites. Setup is covered in each tool's dedicated lesson.) |

> **Hint**: Whichever tool you choose, you can take all lessons in this course. If unsure, we recommend starting with Cursor.

---

Decision Flowchart

Use the following flowchart to find the tool that suits you.

flowchart TD
    A[I want to choose an AI coding tool] --> B{Prefer GUI?}
    B -->|Yes| C[Cursor is recommended]
    B -->|No| D{Comfortable with CLI?}
    D -->|No| C
    D -->|Yes| E{Which AI ecosystem do you want to use?}
    E -->|Anthropic / Claude| F[Claude Code is recommended]
    E -->|OpenAI / GPT| G[Codex is recommended]
    E -->|Either / Not sure| F

    C --> H[Go to /start-0-1]
    F --> I[Go to /start-0-7]
    G --> J[Go to /start-0-6]

---

Tool Comparison Table

| Item | Cursor | Claude Code | Codex | |------|--------|------------|-------| | Interface | GUI (VS Code based) | CLI | CLI | | AI Model | Claude / GPT / Gemini | Claude | GPT | | Pricing | Pro $20/mo, Pro+ $60/mo, Ultra $200/mo | Pro $20/mo, Max $100/mo or API pay-per-use | Pro $10/mo, Pro+ $39/mo, Business $19/user/mo | | Learning Curve | Low (VS Code based) | Moderate | Moderate | | Strengths | Visual, rich extensions | Context understanding, autonomous execution | Sandbox, safety | | Course Compatibility | ★★★ Smoothest | ★★★ Full support | ★★☆ Via skills |

> * Pricing is subject to change. Check each official site for the latest information.

---

Recommendations by Use Case

Beginners and Non-Engineers

We recommend **Cursor**.

• Operate with the familiar VS Code-based GUI
• File tree and editor are visually intuitive
• Rich extension ecosystem makes it easy to add features
• This course's commands (`/start-X-X`) work directly

Frequent Terminal Users

We recommend **Claude Code**.

• Give instructions to AI directly from the terminal
• Automatically understands the entire project context
• Autonomously reads/writes files and executes commands
• Define project rules with CLAUDE.md

Security-Focused Users

We recommend **Codex**.

• Run code safely in a sandbox environment
• Can operate with restricted network access
• Leverage OpenAI's security infrastructure

Using Multiple Tools

You can also use multiple tools together. For example:

• **Cursor + Claude Code**: Verify visually in GUI while running autonomously via CLI
• **Cursor + Codex**: Primarily GUI, using Codex when safe execution is needed

---

Path to Each Tool's Setup

**AskQuestion settings:**

{
  "title": "Choose a tool and proceed to setup",
  "questions": [{
    "id": "tool_choice",
    "prompt": "Which tool would you like to start the course with?",
    "options": [
      {"id": "cursor", "label": "Cursor (GUI, recommended for beginners) -> /start-0-1"},
      {"id": "claude_code", "label": "Claude Code (CLI, autonomous execution) -> /start-0-7"},
      {"id": "codex", "label": "Codex (CLI, sandbox) -> /start-0-6"},
      {"id": "more_info", "label": "I'd like to learn more"}
    ]
  }]
}

(cursor -> Guide to /start-0-1) (claude_code -> Guide to /start-0-7) (codex -> Guide to /start-0-6) (more_info -> Re-display the comparison table and use cases above)

---

Commands to Run

/start-0-8

This lesson is a tool selection guide. Present options with the following AskQuestion and guide to the appropriate setup lesson based on the response.

**AskQuestion settings:**

{
  "title": "Start the Tool Selection Guide",
  "questions": [{
    "id": "start_action",
    "prompt": "Let's start the tool selection guide. What would you like to do?",
    "options": [
      {"id": "compare", "label": "Compare the three tools"},
      {"id": "flowchart", "label": "Diagnose with the flowchart"},
      {"id": "already_decided", "label": "I've already decided which tool to use"}
    ]
  }]
}

(compare -> Display tool comparison table and use cases) (flowchart -> Display the decision flowchart) (already_decided -> Go to the setup path section)

---

Expected Output Example

Tool Selection Guide

Recommendation based on your answers:
  -> Cursor (GUI, recommended for beginners)

Next step: Run /start-0-1 to begin setup

---

Common Troubleshooting

• Don't know which tool to choose -> Follow the flowchart or choose Cursor if unsure
• Want to switch tools later -> You can run a different setup lesson (/start-0-1, /start-0-7, /start-0-6) at any time
• AI response stops -> Type "please continue"

---

Checkpoint

• [ ] Understand the differences between the three tools (Cursor / Claude Code / Codex)
• [ ] Chose the tool that suits you
• [ ] Ready to proceed to the setup lesson for the chosen tool

---

Next Steps

**AskQuestion settings:**

{
  "title": "Choose Next Step",
  "questions": [{
    "id": "next_step",
    "prompt": "You've reviewed the tool selection guide. What would you like to do next?",
    "options": [
      {"id": "cursor_setup", "label": "Start Cursor setup (/start-0-1)"},
      {"id": "claude_setup", "label": "Start Claude Code setup (/start-0-7)"},
      {"id": "codex_setup", "label": "Start Codex setup (/start-0-6)"},
      {"id": "overview", "label": "Review the full course (/overview)"},
      {"id": "finish", "label": "Finish here"}
    ]
  }]
}

(cursor_setup -> Guid