Build Environment

Build Environment

The slim Docker image intentionally ships without Android SDK / Gradle cache / MCP servers / Playwright. On first boot, the operator installs them once through the Build environment page; subsequent image upgrades preserve everything via the unified ./vibe-coder-data/dev-tools/ bind mount.

Web UI flow (recommended)

1. Sign in → left nav → Build environment (/env-setup).
2. The top "Install/update all" button covers JDK 17 (image-bundled), Node 20 + Claude CLI (image-bundled), Android SDK (volume), and base MCP prompt (you'll be redirected to the catalog).
3. Per-card buttons let you install components individually.
4. The progress page shows live install logs + elapsed time (no progress bar — install duration is unknowable in advance).

CLI equivalents

docker exec -it vibe-coder-server vibe-doctor                  # interactive
docker exec -it vibe-coder-server vibe-doctor check            # diagnostics only
docker exec    vibe-coder-server vibe-doctor install           # bulk non-interactive
docker exec -it vibe-coder-server vibe-doctor android          # SDK only
docker exec -it vibe-coder-server vibe-doctor claude           # Claude auth helper
docker exec -it vibe-coder-server vibe-doctor mcp              # MCP prompt

Component matrix

Component	Auto-installable	Size	Path
JDK 17 (eclipse-temurin)	image-bundled	~200 MB	/opt/java/openjdk
Node 20 + npm	image-bundled	~150 MB	/usr/bin/{node,npm}
Claude Code CLI	image-bundled	bundled in Node global	/usr/local/lib/node_modules/@anthropic-ai/claude-code
util-linux (script)	image-bundled	small	apt
sudo NOPASSWD for vibe	image-bundled	n/a	/etc/sudoers.d/vibe-nopasswd
Android SDK	✅ via doctor	3-4 GB	/opt/android-sdk (bind mount → ./vibe-coder-data/dev-tools/android-sdk/)
Gradle cache	filled on first build	1-2 GB	/home/vibe/.gradle (bind mount → ./vibe-coder-data/dev-tools/gradle/)
MCP servers (npm -g)	✅ via MCP catalog	varies	/home/vibe/.local (bind mount → ./vibe-coder-data/dev-tools/npm-global/)
Playwright browsers	optional, via MCP	~300 MB	/home/vibe/.cache/ms-playwright (bind mount)
Claude auth credentials	✅ via Claude auth UI	a few KB	/home/vibe/.claude (bind mount → ./vibe-coder-data/claude/)

Why v0.7.0 was the unification milestone

Pre-0.7.0:

• Android SDK + Gradle cache were Docker named volumes — vibe-android-sdk, vibe-gradle-cache. They survived docker compose up -d --force-recreate but vanished on docker compose down -v.
• MCP servers (installed by vibe-doctor mcp → npm install -g) lived in the image's system directory /usr/local/lib/node_modules/. On docker compose pull && up -d, the new image had a fresh empty /usr/local/... and the MCPs vanished.
• /home/vibe/.npm, /home/vibe/.cache, /home/vibe/.config had no mount at all.

v0.7.0 changes:

• vibe user's npm prefix moved to /home/vibe/.local (via ~/.npmrc).
• All persistent directories collapsed under ./vibe-coder-data/ (single host directory, no named volumes by default).
• New volumes for npm-global, npm-cache, playwright, config.
• Image upgrade → tools survive guaranteed.

Manual MCP installation (not in the catalog)

You can install any npm-distributed MCP that isn't in the curated catalog:

docker exec -it --user vibe vibe-coder-server bash

# Install your MCP (this goes to /home/vibe/.local — persistent!)
npm install -g some-mcp-server

# Register it in Claude
cat > ~/.claude/.mcp.json <<'JSON'
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "some-mcp-server"],
      "env": { "SOME_TOKEN": "..." }
    }
  }
}
JSON

Since /home/vibe/.local and /home/vibe/.claude are both bind-mounted to ./vibe-coder-data/, your manual installations survive image upgrades.