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Cloud sessions are in research preview for Pro, Max, and Team users, and for Enterprise users with premium seats or Chat + Claude Code seats.
A cloud session runs Claude Code on cloud infrastructure instead of your machine, Anthropic-managed by default. This quickstart starts one from claude.ai/code in your browser. You can also start one from the Claude mobile app, the Desktop app, or your terminal with claude --cloud. 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. Cloud sessions work 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.

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How sessions run

The steps below describe Anthropic-hosted sessions. In a self-hosted environment, the clone and everything after it run on your organization’s own runners, where network boundaries, setup, and push behavior are operator-configured. When you submit a task:
  1. Clone and prepare: your repository is cloned to an Anthropic-managed VM, and your setup script runs if configured.
  2. Configure network: internet access is set based on your environment’s access level.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

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Compare ways to run Claude Code

Claude Code behaves the same everywhere. What changes is where the session runs and whether your local configuration is available: See the terminal quickstart, Desktop app, or Remote Control docs to set up local sessions.

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Connect GitHub

Connecting GitHub is a one-time step. If you already use the GitHub CLI, you can do this from your terminal instead of the browser.
On Team and Enterprise plans, the Sign in with GitHub step works only after an Owner of your Claude organization turns on the GitHub connector at Admin settings > Connectors. Until then, that step shows “GitHub access is required for Claude Code on the web” instead of a sign-in button. After the connector is on, reload claude.ai/code and start again from the first step. A second toggle, Quick web setup at Admin settings > Claude Code, is optional: with it on, /web-setup works and onboarding creates the environment for members.
1

Visit claude.ai/code

Go to claude.ai/code and sign in with your claude.ai account.
2

Sign in with GitHub

After you sign in, claude.ai/code prompts you to connect GitHub. Follow the prompt, and claude.ai/code sends you to GitHub’s authorization page. Approve the authorization request, and GitHub returns you to claude.ai/code. Cloud sessions work with existing GitHub repositories. To start a new project, create an empty repository on GitHub first.With this connection, a session can clone any public repository, but can work in a private repository only when the Claude GitHub App is installed on it. Install the Claude GitHub App on each GitHub account or organization whose private repositories you want to use. On a GitHub organization, an organization owner may need to approve the installation. Installing it also enables Auto-fix, which lets Claude respond to CI failures and review comments on pull requests in those repositories.If onboarding prompts you to install the Claude GitHub App at this point and you’d rather do it later, click Skip.
3

Set up your Default environment

A cloud environment is the saved configuration that controls what network access Claude has during sessions and what runs when a session starts. What happens after you connect GitHub depends on your plan:
  • Pro and Max: onboarding creates an environment named Default for you.
  • Team and Enterprise: onboarding shows a Create your first cloud environment form. Leave the prefilled name and network access unchanged and click Create & finish to create the Default environment. If an Owner has turned on Quick web setup, onboarding creates Default for you instead.
Default uses Trusted network access: sessions reach common package registries and other allowlisted domains, and nothing else through the session’s network. See Installed tools for what’s available without any configuration.For a first project, the Default environment works as is. To change its network access, add environment variables, or run a setup script before sessions start, edit it or create additional environments.

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Connect from your terminal

If you already use the GitHub CLI (gh), you can connect GitHub for cloud sessions from your terminal. This requires the Claude Code CLI. On Team and Enterprise plans, /web-setup is available only after an Owner turns on Quick web setup. When you run /web-setup, Claude Code reads the token that gh auth token prints, asks you to confirm, and sends the token to Anthropic. Anthropic stores it encrypted with your claude.ai account, and your cloud sessions use it for GitHub access until you remove it. A cloud session you start yourself can then access any repository that token can access, with no Claude GitHub App installation. Threads in a project still need the Claude GitHub App. If you already connected GitHub in the browser, /web-setup warns you that continuing replaces that connection for your cloud sessions.
Organizations with Zero Data Retention enabled cannot use /web-setup or other cloud session features. If the GitHub CLI isn’t installed or isn’t authenticated, Claude Code opens the browser onboarding flow instead.
1

Authenticate with the GitHub CLI

In your shell, authenticate the GitHub CLI if you haven’t already:
2

Sign in to Claude

In the Claude Code CLI, run /login to sign in with your claude.ai account. Skip this step if you’re already signed in with a claude.ai account. Authenticating with an API key doesn’t count. To check, run /status and confirm the Login method row shows a claude.ai account.
3

Run /web-setup

In the Claude Code CLI, run:
Confirm the prompt to send your gh token to your Claude account. On success, Claude Code prints Connected as <your-github-username> and opens claude.ai/code in your browser. 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 afterward. Once /web-setup completes, you can start cloud sessions from your terminal with --cloud or set up recurring tasks with /schedule.

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Remove the /web-setup token

To remove the token from your Claude account, disconnect GitHub at claude.ai/customize/connectors. Disconnecting deletes the GitHub credentials your cloud sessions use, whether they came from the browser or from /web-setup, so cloud sessions lose GitHub access until you connect again. Your local gh stays signed in, and the token remains valid on GitHub. To invalidate the token itself, revoke it on GitHub. If you signed in to gh through the browser, the token belongs to the GitHub CLI entry under Settings > Applications > Authorized OAuth Apps on GitHub, and revoking that entry also signs the GitHub CLI out on your machines. Cloud sessions then lose GitHub access until you run gh auth login and /web-setup again.

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Start a task

With GitHub connected and an environment created, you’re ready to submit tasks.
1

Select a repository and branch

From 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.
2

Choose a permission mode

The mode dropdown next to the input shows the mode the session will run in:
  • Auto: a classifier reviews Claude’s actions instead of asking you. Appears when your organization allows auto mode and the selected model supports it
  • Accept edits: Claude makes changes and pushes a branch without stopping for approval
  • Plan: Claude proposes an approach and waits for you to approve it before editing files
Cloud sessions don’t offer Manual or Bypass permissions. See the full list of permission modes for what each one allows.
3

Describe the task and submit

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.

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Pre-fill sessions

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. URL-encode each value. The example below opens the form with a prompt and a repository already selected:

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Review and iterate

When Claude finishes, review the changes, leave feedback on specific lines, and keep going until the diff looks right.
1

Open the diff view

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.The diff compares the session’s changes against its base branch by default. To compare against a different branch, select Compare against and pick one.
2

Leave inline comments

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.
3

Create a pull request

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.
4

Keep iterating after the PR

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.

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Troubleshoot setup

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No repositories appear after connecting GitHub

If you connected GitHub in the browser, sessions can clone any public repository, but a private repository appears only when the Claude GitHub App is installed on the account or organization that owns it and the installation’s repository access includes it. Install the Claude GitHub App there, or ask an organization owner to install or approve it. If you connected with /web-setup, sessions reach every repository your gh token can access. Run gh repo view OWNER/REPO in your shell to check that your GitHub CLI login can see the repository, and run /web-setup again if you’ve switched gh accounts since connecting.

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The page only shows a GitHub login button

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 your browser or phone.

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”Not available for the selected organization”

Enterprise organizations may need an Owner to enable cloud sessions. Contact your Anthropic account team.

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/web-setup says “Not signed in to Claude”

If /web-setup responds with “Not signed in to Claude. Run /login first.”, the CLI doesn’t have a valid claude.ai sign-in. This can also happen when a previous sign-in has expired. Run /login, sign in with your claude.ai account, then run /web-setup again.

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/web-setup warns that your token doesn’t have the workflow scope

If /web-setup says your GitHub CLI token doesn’t have the workflow scope, you can continue, but GitHub can reject some pushes made with that token, such as pushes that change GitHub Actions workflow files. To add the scope, run gh auth refresh -s workflow in your shell, then run /web-setup again.

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/web-setup shows “No commands match” or “Unknown command”

/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 the command menu shows No commands match "/web-setup", or submitting it returns Unknown command: /web-setup, the command is hidden because a requirement isn’t met. The cause is usually that you’re authenticated with an API key or third-party provider instead of a claude.ai subscription. Run /login to sign in with your claude.ai account. On Team and Enterprise plans, the command is hidden by default: the Quick web setup toggle is off until an Owner turns it on. While it’s off, connect GitHub from the browser instead. The command is also hidden in two other cases:

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”Could not create a cloud environment” or “No cloud environment available” when using --cloud

Cloud 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. If you see “No cloud environment available”, your CLI predates automatic creation. In either case, run /web-setup in the Claude Code CLI, or add an environment from the environment selector at claude.ai/code.

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Setup script failed

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. Trusted covers most package managers; None blocks 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.

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New sessions hang or time out during setup

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 final wait instead 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.

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Session keeps running after closing the tab

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.

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Next steps

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 in the cloud: the full reference, including teleporting sessions to your terminal, session sharing, and auto-fixing pull requests
  • Configure cloud environments: network access levels, environment variables, and setup scripts for cloud sessions
  • 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, /mobile shows a QR code for claude.ai/mobile that opens the right app store for your phone.