Remote Claude Code on VPS

Run Claude Code on a VPS and access it from your phone, tablet, or any device with a terminal app. Code from anywhere.

What You'll Need

• A VPS (Hostinger, Hetzner, DigitalOcean, etc.) - $5/mo tier is plenty
• 4GB RAM minimum, 8GB+ recommended
• A mobile SSH client (Termius recommended)

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Quick Start

1. Spin Up Your VPS

If using Hostinger, select the "Claude Code" app template during setup - it comes pre-installed.

For manual installation on any VPS:

# SSH into your VPS
ssh root@your-vps-ip

# Install Node.js and npm
apt update && apt install -y nodejs npm

# Install Claude Code globally
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

# Start Claude Code
claude

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2. Secure Your VPS (Important!)

Before accessing from mobile, lock down your server:

# Disable password authentication (SSH keys only)
sudo sed -i 's/^#*PasswordAuthentication.*/PasswordAuthentication no/' \
  /etc/ssh/sshd_config /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/*.conf && \
  sudo systemctl restart ssh

# Install fail2ban to block brute force attacks
sudo apt install fail2ban -y

# Enable firewall - only allow SSH
sudo ufw allow 22 && sudo ufw enable

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3. Set Up Mobile Access

1. Download Termius on your phone (iOS/Android) - it's free
2. Add a new host with your VPS IP address
3. Connect using your SSH key or password

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4. Session Persistence with tmux

Keep your Claude Code session alive even when your phone disconnects:

# Install tmux
sudo apt install tmux -y

# Start a new named session
tmux new -s claude

# Run Claude Code inside the session
claude

Enable mouse scrolling (so you can scroll with your finger):

echo "set -g mouse on" >> ~/.tmux.conf && tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf

Reconnect to your session after disconnect:

tmux attach -t claude

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Quick Reference

Command	What it does
tmux new -s claude	Start a new tmux session named "claude"
tmux attach -t claude	Reconnect to your session
tmux ls	List all sessions
Ctrl+B, D	Detach from session (leave it running)

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Troubleshooting

OAuth/Authentication Issues on Headless VPS

If Claude Code can't complete OAuth login:

# Option 1: SSH port forwarding (run from your local machine)
ssh -L 15735:localhost:15735 user@your-vps-ip

# Option 2: Use API key directly
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-key-here
claude

Can't Scroll in tmux on Mobile

Make sure mouse mode is enabled:

echo "set -g mouse on" >> ~/.tmux.conf
tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf

Session Dies When Phone Sleeps

This is why we use tmux! Your session keeps running. Just reconnect with:

tmux attach -t claude

Memory Issues on Long Sessions

Claude Code can use significant memory. Monitor with htop and restart Claude periodically if needed.

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VPS Recommendations

Provider	Price	Notes
Hostinger	~$5/mo	Has Claude Code pre-installed template
Hetzner	~$5/mo	Great value, Europe-focused
Vultr	~$12/mo	Fast performance
DigitalOcean	~$6/mo	Developer-friendly

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Resources

• Claude Code Documentation
• Termius - Mobile SSH client
• tmux Cheat Sheet

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License

MIT - Do whatever you want with this.