Claude Code cloud session

Definition

A Claude Code cloud session is a Claude Code session that runs on cloud infrastructure, by default an isolated virtual machine managed by Anthropic, instead of on your own computer.

Also called: Claude Code on the web, cloud session, remote session.

Anthropic's docs also call this Claude Code on the web, after claude.ai/code. A cloud session clones your GitHub repository into its VM, works there and keeps running after you close your laptop; you can check on it or steer it from a browser, the Claude mobile app or the desktop app.

Ways to start one

• claude.ai/code in a browser, or the Code tab in the Claude mobile app.
• The Claude desktop app, choosing Cloud instead of Local.
• The terminal: claude --cloud "Fix the flaky test in auth.spec.ts" (the older --remote still works).

Each session runs in a cloud environment that sets network access, environment variables and a setup script. Sessions need access to your GitHub repositories to clone and push, and they share rate limits with the rest of your Claude usage. claude --teleport pulls a cloud session into your terminal. Remote Control is different: it steers a session that's running on your own Mac.

In Pairbar

Cloud sessions appear in the Chats list with a ☁︎ on the Claude icon, grouped with local chats of the same repo. Pairbar finds them in the Claude app's own cache of its Code sessions list, so a session shows only after you've opened Code in the Claude app once. There's no transcript on your Mac, so search inside the conversation, handoff, fork and check-ins aren't available for them. Claude can't be started in the cloud from outside, so the composer's Cloud option opens Claude's new chat with your text and folder filled in. See Cloud chats.