From 8cd998de68a76092e35b28582b372d0ce51efdaa Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: stamsam <stamatiou.sam@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 23 May 2026 00:57:43 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] docs(windows): add npm global path fix (#1272)

---
 docs/non-technical-setup.md | 17 +++++++++++++++++
 docs/quick-start-windows.md | 17 +++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 34 insertions(+)

diff --git a/docs/non-technical-setup.md b/docs/non-technical-setup.md
index 498446fb0..d2b3dec14 100644
--- a/docs/non-technical-setup.md
+++ b/docs/non-technical-setup.md
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ At that point, you can ask it to:
 Cause:
 
 - npm installed the package, but your terminal has not refreshed yet
+- on Windows, npm's global bin folder may not be in your user `Path`
 
 Fix:
 
@@ -85,6 +86,22 @@ Fix:
 2. Open a new terminal
 3. Run `openclaude` again
 
+On Windows PowerShell, if that still does not work, add npm's global bin folder
+to your user `Path`, then open a new PowerShell window:
+
+```powershell
+$npmPrefix = npm config get prefix
+$currentUserPath = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "User")
+
+if (($currentUserPath -split ';') -notcontains $npmPrefix) {
+    [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable(
+        "Path",
+        "$currentUserPath;$npmPrefix",
+        "User"
+    )
+}
+```
+
 ### Invalid API key
 
 Cause:
diff --git a/docs/quick-start-windows.md b/docs/quick-start-windows.md
index c35296216..0b93f48b1 100644
--- a/docs/quick-start-windows.md
+++ b/docs/quick-start-windows.md
@@ -103,6 +103,23 @@ Close PowerShell, open a new one, and try again:
 openclaude
 ```
 
+If PowerShell still says `openclaude` is not recognized, npm's global bin
+folder may be missing from your user `Path`. Add it, then open a new
+PowerShell window:
+
+```powershell
+$npmPrefix = npm config get prefix
+$currentUserPath = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "User")
+
+if (($currentUserPath -split ';') -notcontains $npmPrefix) {
+    [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable(
+        "Path",
+        "$currentUserPath;$npmPrefix",
+        "User"
+    )
+}
+```
+
 ## 5. If Your Provider Fails
 
 Check the basics: