| title | Get started with Claude Code on the web |
|---|---|
| source | https://code.claude.com/docs/en/web-quickstart |
| category | code |
| generated | true |
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://code.claude.com/docs/llms.txt Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Claude Code on the web is in research preview for Pro, Max, and Team users, and for Enterprise users with premium seats or Chat + Claude Code seats.Run Claude Code in the cloud from your browser or phone. Connect a GitHub repository, submit a task, and review the PR without local setup.
Claude Code on the web runs on Anthropic-managed cloud infrastructure instead of your machine. Submit tasks from claude.ai/code in your browser or the Claude mobile app.
You'll need a GitHub repository to get started. Claude clones it into an isolated virtual machine, makes changes, and pushes a branch for you to review. Sessions persist across devices, so a task you start on your laptop is ready to review from your phone later.
Claude Code on the web works well for:
- Parallel tasks: run several independent tasks at once, each in its own session and branch, without managing multiple worktrees
- Repos you don't have locally: Claude clones the repo fresh every session, so you don't need it checked out
- Tasks that don't need frequent steering: submit a well-defined task, do something else, and review the result when Claude is done
- Code questions and exploration: understand a codebase or trace how a feature is implemented without a local checkout
For work that needs your local config, tools, or environment, running Claude Code locally or using Remote Control is a better fit.
When you submit a task:
- Clone and prepare: your repository is cloned to an Anthropic-managed VM, and your setup script runs if configured.
- Configure network: internet access is set based on your environment's access level.
- Work: Claude analyzes code, makes changes, runs tests, and checks its work. You can watch and steer throughout, or step away and come back when it's done.
- Push the branch: when Claude reaches a stopping point, it pushes its branch to GitHub. You review the diff, leave inline comments, create a PR, or send another message to keep going.
The session doesn't close when the branch is pushed. PR creation and further edits all happen within the same conversation.
Claude Code behaves the same everywhere. What changes is where code executes and whether your local config is available. The Desktop app offers both local and cloud sessions, so its answers below depend on which you choose:
| On the web | Remote Control | Terminal CLI | Desktop app | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Code runs on | Anthropic cloud VM | Your machine | Your machine | Your machine or cloud VM |
| You chat from | claude.ai or mobile app | claude.ai or mobile app | Your terminal | The Desktop UI |
| Uses your local config | No, repo only | Yes | Yes | Yes for local, no for cloud |
| Requires GitHub | Yes, or bundle a local repo via --remote |
No | No | Only for cloud sessions |
| Keeps running if you disconnect | Yes | While terminal stays open | No | Depends on session type |
| Permission modes | Auto accept edits, Plan | Ask, Auto accept edits, Plan | All modes | Depends on session type |
| Network access | Configurable per environment | Your machine's network | Your machine's network | Depends on session type |
See the terminal quickstart, Desktop app, or Remote Control docs to set those up.
Setup is a one-time process. If you already use the GitHub CLI, you can do this from your terminal instead of the browser.
Go to [claude.ai/code](https://claude.ai/code) and sign in with your Anthropic account. After signing in, claude.ai/code prompts you to connect GitHub. Follow the prompt to install the Claude GitHub App and grant it access to your repositories. Cloud sessions work with existing GitHub repositories, so to start a new project, [create an empty repository on GitHub](https://github.com/new) first. After connecting GitHub, you'll be prompted to create a cloud environment. The environment controls what network access Claude has during sessions and what runs when a new session is created. See [Installed tools](./code-claude-code-on-the-web.md#installed-tools) for what's available without any configuration.The form has these fields:
* **Name**: a display label. Useful when you have multiple environments for different projects or access levels.
* **Network access**: controls what the session can reach on the internet. The default, `Trusted`, allows connections to [common package registries](./code-claude-code-on-the-web.md#default-allowed-domains) like npm, PyPI, and RubyGems while blocking general internet access.
* **Environment variables**: optional variables available in every session, in `.env` format. Don't wrap values in quotes, since quotes are stored as part of the value. These are visible to anyone who can edit this environment.
* **Setup script**: an optional Bash script that runs before Claude Code launches. Use it to install system tools the cloud VM doesn't include, like `apt install -y gh`. The result is [cached](./code-claude-code-on-the-web.md#environment-caching), so the script doesn't re-run on every session. See [Setup scripts](./code-claude-code-on-the-web.md#setup-scripts) for examples and debugging tips.
For a first project, leave the defaults and click **Create environment**. You can [edit it later or create additional environments](./code-claude-code-on-the-web.md#configure-your-environment) for different projects.
If you already use the GitHub CLI (gh), you can set up Claude Code on the web without opening a browser. This requires the Claude Code CLI. /web-setup reads your local gh token, links it to your Claude account, and creates a default cloud environment if you don't have one.
```bash theme={null}
gh auth login
```
```text theme={null}
/web-setup
```
This syncs your `gh` token to your Claude account. If you don't have a cloud environment yet, `/web-setup` creates one with Trusted network access and no setup script. You can [edit the environment or add variables](./code-claude-code-on-the-web.md#configure-your-environment) afterward. Once `/web-setup` completes, you can start cloud sessions from your terminal with [`--remote`](./code-claude-code-on-the-web.md#from-terminal-to-web) or set up recurring tasks with [`/schedule`](./code-routines.md).
With GitHub connected and an environment created, you're ready to submit tasks.
From [claude.ai/code](https://claude.ai/code) or the Code tab in the Claude mobile app, click the repository selector below the input box and choose a repository for Claude to work in. Each repository shows a branch selector. Change it to start Claude from a feature branch instead of the default. You can add multiple repositories to work across them in one session. The mode dropdown next to the input defaults to **Auto accept edits**, where Claude makes changes and pushes a branch without stopping for approval. Switch to **Plan mode** if you want Claude to propose an approach and wait for your go-ahead before editing files. Cloud sessions don't offer Ask permissions, Auto mode, or Bypass permissions. See [Permission modes](./code-permission-modes.md) for the full list. Type a description of what you want and press Enter. Be specific:* Name the file or function: "Add a README with setup instructions" or "Fix the failing auth test in `tests/test_auth.py`" is better than "fix tests"
* Paste error output if you have it
* Describe the expected behavior, not just the symptom
Claude clones the repositories, runs your setup script if configured, and starts working. Each task gets its own session and its own branch, so you don't need to wait for one to finish before starting another.
You can prefill the prompt, repositories, and environment for a new session by adding query parameters to the claude.ai/code URL. Use this to build integrations such as a button in your issue tracker that opens Claude Code with the issue description as the prompt.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
prompt |
Prompt text to prefill in the input box. The alias q is also accepted. |
prompt_url |
URL to fetch the prompt text from, for prompts too long to embed in a query string. The URL must allow cross-origin requests. Ignored when prompt is also set. |
repositories |
Comma-separated list of owner/repo slugs to preselect. The alias repo is also accepted. |
environment |
Name or ID of the environment to preselect. |
URL-encode each value. The example below opens the form with a prompt and a repository already selected:
https://claude.ai/code?prompt=Fix%20the%20login%20bug&repositories=acme/webapp
When Claude finishes, review the changes, leave feedback on specific lines, and keep going until the diff looks right.
A diff indicator shows lines added and removed across the session, for example `+42 -18`. Select it to open the diff view, with a file list on the left and changes on the right. Select any line in the diff, type your feedback, and press Enter. Comments queue up until you send your next message, then they're bundled with it. Claude sees "at `src/auth.ts:47`, don't catch the error here" alongside your main instruction, so you don't have to describe where the problem is. When the diff looks right, select **Create PR** at the top of the diff view. You can open it as a full PR, a draft, or jump to GitHub's compose page with a generated title and description. The session stays live after the PR is created. Paste CI failure output or reviewer comments into the chat and ask Claude to address them. To have Claude monitor the PR automatically, see [Auto-fix pull requests](./code-claude-code-on-the-web.md#auto-fix-pull-requests).A cloud session can use any repository the connected GitHub account can see, regardless of which repositories the Claude GitHub App is installed on. If a repository is missing, verify the connected GitHub account has access to it on GitHub. If you also want Auto-fix for a repository, install the App on it: on github.com, open Settings → Applications → Claude → Configure and verify the repository is listed under Repository access. Private repositories need the same authorization as public ones.
Cloud sessions require a connected GitHub account. Connect via the browser flow above, or run /web-setup from your terminal if you use the GitHub CLI. If you'd rather not connect GitHub at all, see Remote Control to run Claude Code on your own machine and monitor it from the web.
Enterprise organizations may need an admin to enable Claude Code on the web. Contact your Anthropic account team.
/web-setup runs inside the Claude Code CLI, not your shell. Launch claude first, then type /web-setup at the prompt.
If you typed it inside Claude Code and still see the error, your CLI is older than v2.1.80 or you're authenticated with an API key or third-party provider instead of a claude.ai subscription. Run claude update, then /login to sign in with your claude.ai account.
"Could not create a cloud environment" or "No cloud environment available" when using --remote or ultraplan
Remote-session features create a default cloud environment automatically if you don't have one. If you see "Could not create a cloud environment", automatic creation failed. {/* max-version: 2.1.100 */}If you see "No cloud environment available", your CLI predates automatic creation. In either case, run /web-setup in the Claude Code CLI to create one manually, or visit claude.ai/code and follow the Create your environment step above.
The setup script exited with a non-zero status, which blocks the session from starting. Common causes:
- A package install failed because the registry isn't in your network access level.
Trustedcovers most package managers;Noneblocks them all. - The script references a file or path that doesn't exist in a fresh clone.
- A command that works locally needs a different invocation on Ubuntu.
To debug, add set -x at the top of the script to see which command failed. For non-critical commands, append || true so they don't block session start.
If new sessions stall on the setup script step or fail with a generic container error before the script finishes, the script is likely exceeding the roughly five-minute time budget for building the environment cache. Heavy steps such as pulling large Docker images, syncing full dependency trees, or downloading model weights often push the total over the limit, especially when they run one after another.
To fix this, trim the script so it reliably finishes in under five minutes:
- Run independent installs in parallel with
&and a finalwaitinstead of running them serially. - Move the largest downloads out of the setup script and into a SessionStart hook that launches them in the background, so the session becomes usable while they finish.
- Remove long retry sleeps from the setup script, since a stalled retry loop counts against the budget.
This is by design. Closing the tab or navigating away doesn't stop the session. It continues running in the background until Claude finishes the current task, then idles. From the sidebar, you can archive a session to hide it from your list, or delete it to remove it permanently.
Now that you can submit and review tasks, these pages cover what comes next: starting cloud sessions from your terminal, scheduling recurring work, and giving Claude standing instructions.
- Use Claude Code on the web: the full reference, including teleporting sessions to your terminal, setup scripts, environment variables, and network config
- Routines: automate work on a schedule, via API call, or in response to GitHub events
- CLAUDE.md: give Claude persistent instructions and context that load at the start of every session
- Install the Claude mobile app for iOS or Android to monitor sessions from your phone. From the Claude Code CLI,
/mobileshows a QR code.