There’s kneading and there’s scratching. Handle them differently.

If he’s scratching, he’s usually standing and stretching around the same time. They need to do this, but you can redirect it to someplace that’s ok for them to scratch.

Quite often you can do this by placing a scratch post near the place they’re nuisance scratching. Something carpeted works well, but I really like the cardboard ones. It looks like a board of cardboard glued together, with a waffle-ish pattern they can really dig into. Another nice thing about cardboard is its nothing like furniture or carpeting, so less likely to confuse the cat about what he’s allowed to scratch.

Kneading is more of an expression of comfort and love. You should nurture this, because it’s adorable and they will do it less intensely as they grow up. If they’re kneading they’re often purring and rhythmically kneading dough.

In both cases, you should be trimming his claws regularly. If you do it calmly and gently from an early age, this should be trivial. I have 2 cats and trim their claws every couple of weeks. It takes about 30 seconds per cat.

This does require confidence on your part (cats smell your hesitation and stuff body language and hate it), and it requires your cat to trust you enough to let you handle his paws.

Look up a handful of guides and videos online on the technique. Jackson Galaxy is a popular YouTuber that probably has some content on this.

My mom has a semi-feral cat who simply will not tolerate her claws being trimmed. As a result she’s a nightmare - damaged furniture, accidental scratches, and she’s constantly getting caught on fabric. Don’t let that happen!