VPS Setup Skill for Claude Code

A Claude Code skill that helps set up fresh Ubuntu VPS servers for web development. Includes automated scripts and step-by-step guides for installing Node.js, Python, Nginx, PM2, Docker, SSL certificates, and security tools.

Installation

Clone this repository to your Claude Code skills directory:

git clone git@github.com:jmilinovich/vps-setup-skill.git ~/.claude/skills/vps-setup

Then restart Claude Code for the skill to take effect.

What's Included

File	Description
SKILL.md	Skill definition - tells Claude when/how to use this
reference.md	Complete manual setup guide
scripts/setup.sh	Automated installation script
scripts/add-site.sh	Helper to add nginx sites + SSL
templates/nginx-site.conf	Nginx configuration templates
templates/CLAUDE.md.template	AI assistant documentation template

Usage

Once installed, Claude Code will automatically use this skill when you ask questions like:

• "Help me set up a new VPS"
• "Configure nginx for my app"
• "Deploy my project to a server"
• "Set up SSL certificates"

Automated Setup Script

On a fresh Ubuntu VPS, you can run the full setup with:

bash ~/.claude/skills/vps-setup/scripts/setup.sh

This installs:

• Node.js 20 LTS + npm
• PM2 process manager
• Python 3 + pip
• Nginx web server
• Docker (optional)
• UFW firewall
• fail2ban
• Certbot (Let's Encrypt)

What Gets Configured

Firewall Ports

Port	Service
22	SSH
80	HTTP
443	HTTPS
3000-3010	Development apps

Directory Structure

/home/projects/          # All projects go here
/etc/nginx/sites-available/  # Nginx configs
~/.pm2/logs/             # PM2 app logs

Quick Reference

# PM2 Commands
pm2 list                 # View running apps
pm2 logs [app]          # View logs
pm2 restart [app]       # Restart app

# Nginx
nginx -t                # Test config
systemctl reload nginx  # Apply changes

# Firewall
ufw status              # View rules
ufw allow 3011/tcp      # Open port

# SSL
certbot --nginx -d domain.com  # Get certificate

Adding a New Site

Use the helper script:

bash ~/.claude/skills/vps-setup/scripts/add-site.sh

This will prompt for domain and port, create nginx config, and optionally get an SSL certificate.

Requirements

• Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04
• Root or sudo access
• Claude Code installed

License

MIT