How to run Claude Code on a server (and keep it running with the laptop closed)

Q: "claude: command not found" after installing

The installer adds ~/.local/bin to your PATH for new shells. Log out and back in, or run source ~/.bashrc.

Q: The agent stops when I close SSH

It was started outside tmux. Start tmux new -s agent first and run claude inside it.

Steps

Get a server you can reach over SSH

Any Linux server works: Ubuntu 24.04 is the safe choice. Take at least 4 GB of memory: that is what Claude Code asks for, and the builds and tests it runs need more.
```
$ ssh [email protected]
```
Create a user for the agent

Do not run the agent as root. A separate user keeps its mistakes inside one home folder.
```
$ adduser dev
$ usermod -aG sudo dev
$ su - dev
```
Install Claude Code

The official installer puts the claude command into your home folder. Then check that it runs.
```
$ curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
$ claude --version
```
Start a tmux session

tmux keeps programs running after you disconnect. Everything you start inside it survives a closed SSH window.
```
$ sudo apt install -y tmux git
$ tmux new -s agent
```
Sign in with your subscription

Run claude in the project folder and choose your Claude account. It prints a link: open it on your laptop, approve, and paste the code back into the terminal.
```
$ git clone https://github.com/you/your-project.git && cd your-project
$ claude
```
Give the task and detach

Describe the task as you would to a colleague. Then press Ctrl+B, then D: you leave tmux, and the agent keeps working. Close the laptop.

Check that it works

Connect again later and attach to the same session. You see the agent where it is now, with everything it did while you were away.

$ ssh [email protected]
$ tmux attach -t agent

The short way: a computer that is ready for it

On Uno you skip steps 1–4. Get a computer, sign in to Claude in Uno Work, give the task in a chat and close the laptop. Check the result from any browser.

See how it works

Plus: $20 a month

Common problems

"claude: command not found" after installing

The installer adds ~/.local/bin to your PATH for new shells. Log out and back in, or run source ~/.bashrc.

The agent stops when I close SSH

It was started outside tmux. Start tmux new -s agent first and run claude inside it.

A build is killed halfway

The server ran out of memory. Builds and test runs need room: move to a bigger plan, or add a swap file.

The sign-in link does not open on the server

It is not meant to. Copy the link to the browser on your laptop, approve, and paste the code back into the server's terminal.

How to run Claude Code on a server

Steps

Get a server you can reach over SSH

Create a user for the agent

Install Claude Code

Start a tmux session

Sign in with your subscription

Give the task and detach

Check that it works

The short way: a computer that is ready for it

Common problems

Next