Day 04 of 21
GitHub branch first — the one habit that saves everything
Goal: Today you build the single most important habit in AI-assisted building. One step before every session means you never lose working code again.
What to do
Download and install GitHub Desktop
Go to desktop.github.com, download GitHub Desktop, and install it like any normal program. Sign in with a free GitHub account when prompted (create one if needed at github.com).
Add your project to GitHub Desktop
In GitHub Desktop, click "File" then "Add Local Repository." Navigate to your my-first-site folder and click Add. If it asks to initialize a repository, click "Initialize Repository."
Create your first branch
In GitHub Desktop, click "Current Branch" at the top. Click "New Branch." Name it "day-4-practice." Click "Create Branch."
Make a small change with Claude Code
Open your terminal, navigate to your project, and run "claude". Ask Claude Code to change the background color of your homepage to a warm off-white. Watch what it changes.
Merge the branch back to main
In GitHub Desktop, click "Current Branch." Select "main." Then click "Choose a branch to merge into main." Select "day-4-practice" and click "Merge."
Expected result
You created a GitHub branch, made a change with Claude Code on that branch, and merged it back to main. Your first complete safe build cycle is done.
Key takeaway
- GitHub branch first — then Claude Code. Always. A branch is a complete copy of your project. If anything breaks, you delete the branch and your original is perfect.