CLI Walkthrough

This is the terminal-based setup for the Epstein Files AI investigator. Same databases, same tools, same results — for users who prefer the command line.

You'll need Git installed. On Windows, install Git for Windows first. Claude Code runs in your terminal and has full access to the project directory.

~17 GB free disk space  ·  Paid Claude subscription
Not comfortable with the terminal? Use the no-code Desktop walkthrough instead.

  1. Install Claude Code

    Run the installer for your platform:

    # macOS / Linux / WSL curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash # Windows (PowerShell) irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex # or via Homebrew brew install --cask claude-code

    See the Claude Code documentation for full installation details and troubleshooting.

  2. Create your project directory

    mkdir ~/epstein-files && cd ~/epstein-files

  3. Launch Claude Code

    Start Claude Code from inside your project directory:

    claude

    You'll be prompted to sign in with your Claude account on first launch.

  4. Download the data

    Paste the following prompt into Claude Code. It will clone both repositories and download all database releases.

    Paste this to Claude
    Hi there! Can you please clone both of the following two repos, download the DB releases, then read CLAUDE.md to set everything up for me here? https://github.com/rhowardstone/Epstein-research-data and https://github.com/rhowardstone/Epstein-research

    Claude will ask permission to run each command. You can approve individually, or use --dangerously-skip-permissions if you're comfortable with that. The first setup takes 15–30 minutes for the database downloads.

  5. Orient the AI

    Once the download completes, paste this to have Claude index all available data:

    Paste this to Claude
    Please read the CLAUDE.md files, take a look around the repos to orient yourself, then store in your memories enough to index and understand the repository structures, and how we can use this data to search about anything to do with the Epstein files.

  6. Start investigating

    You're set up. Ask anything in plain English. Claude will search all databases, cross-reference findings, and cite specific EFTA document numbers verifiable on justice.gov.

Good to know

If something breaks

Exit with Ctrl+C, then run claude again from the same directory. No re-download needed.

Disk space

The full setup requires approximately 17 GB for all databases and report files.

Subscription

Claude Code requires a paid Claude subscription. It works with whichever model tier your subscription provides.

Resume sessions

Use claude --continue to pick up where you left off in the last conversation.

Update prompt

Paste this whenever you want to pull the latest reports and data:

Hey, can you make sure our local versions are up-to-date with: https://github.com/rhowardstone/Epstein-research-data and https://github.com/rhowardstone/Epstein-research please, including all data releases?

If you have found any of this work helpful, I would greatly appreciate if you would ❤️ buy me a coffee.

Source Data Investigation Reports DOJ EFTA CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Contact
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