# Basics on Code/Git for Non-Devs

A plain-language introduction to code and git for product managers and designers who want to use a coding agent without a dev background.

You do not need to be a developer to get value from a coding agent. This page covers the two things non-developers most often need: getting a copy of your team's code onto your machine, and knowing where to put documents so they are shared with the team through git.

### Working with Code

Coding agents like Claude Code and Codex can read and write code that lives on your machine. To get your team's code locally:

1. Install [GitHub Desktop](https://desktop.github.com/) (or another git client).
2. Ask your dev team for read-only access to the codebase.
3. Use GitHub Desktop to clone (download) the repository to your computer.

Once the code is local, you can open it as a project in Nimbalyst and ask a coding agent questions about it: what a feature does, what has changed recently, or where a piece of behavior lives. If you are a PM working alongside engineers, [Claude Code for product managers](https://nimbalyst.com/claude-code-for-product-managers/) covers the same ground without a terminal.

### Moving Plans or Other Documents into Git

Git only shares files that are inside the repository and not git-ignored. If you want a plan or other document to be synced with git so teammates can see it, move it into a folder that is not git-ignored.

For example, your organization might have a folder for specifications or shared plans. When a plan you are working on is ready for others to see and reference, move it into that folder.