Claude Code on the web lets you run Claude Code in the cloud from your browser at claude.ai/code, the Claude mobile app or the desktop app. Anthropic now calls it cloud sessions. The session keeps running after you close your laptop, it's available on Pro, Max and Team plans and some Enterprise seats, and there's no separate charge for the cloud machine.
Anthropic launched it as a research preview and has since made it generally available under the new name. If you've been searching for Claude Code web and landing on pages about cloud sessions, that's why. Here's how it works, what it needs and the details that catch people out.
Who can use it
Anthropic's docs say cloud sessions are available on Pro, Max and Team plans, and for Enterprise users with premium seats or Chat + Claude Code seats. Usage counts toward your plan's normal limits alongside the rest of your Claude and Claude Code use, so a long cloud job eats the same allowance as working locally.
Four ways to start a cloud session
| Where | How |
|---|---|
| Browser | Go to claude.ai/code |
| Phone | Open the Code tab in the Claude app |
| Desktop app | Choose an environment under Cloud when you start a session |
| Terminal | Run claude --cloud followed by your task in quotes |
The older --remote spelling still works, but Anthropic lists it as a deprecated alias for --cloud. While the cloud machine starts, the terminal shows a live checklist of setup steps and queues anything you type until the session's ready.
Connecting GitHub
Cloud sessions need access to your repositories to clone code and push branches. There are two ways in:
- The Claude GitHub App, which you authorise during web onboarding. It covers public repositories and private ones the app's installed on, and it's needed for Auto-fix and Projects.
- The /web-setup command in your terminal, which sends your local gh token to your Claude account. It reaches any repository that token can access, whether or not the app is installed.
Anthropic says your GitHub credentials stay encrypted on its servers and never enter the session's virtual machine; GitHub operations go through a proxy that adds the credential on the server side. On Team and Enterprise plans, an admin setting called Quick setup removes some of these steps for members, and it's off by default.
The detail that trips people up
When you start a cloud session from your terminal, the cloud machine clones your GitHub remote at your current branch, not your local copy. If you've got commits you haven't pushed, the cloud session won't see them. Push first.
Handoff is also one way. You can pull a cloud session down into your terminal with claude --teleport, which checks you're in the right repository, checks out the branch and loads the full conversation. You can't push an existing terminal session up to the cloud.
A good way to use it
Anthropic's own suggestion is to plan locally and execute in the cloud: start Claude in plan mode on your machine, agree the approach, then send the work off to run. It's ideal for bug backlogs, routine fixes and work you'd like done in parallel while you get on with something else.
- Connect GitHub with the app or /web-setup.
- Agree a plan with Claude locally or in the browser.
- Start the cloud session and close your laptop if you like.
- Check progress from the Claude app on your phone and answer any questions it asks.
- Review the diff, leave inline comments, then open the pull request.
If you turn on Auto-fix, Claude watches the pull request for CI failures and review comments automatically. And if Claude asks you a question while you're away, you can still answer when you're back, up to the point the environment expires.
For a rival tool, read Gemini Code Assist.
Sending a repository that isn't on GitHub
In some cases Claude Code uploads your local repository instead of cloning it. For a full clone, the upload includes your history across all branches plus uncommitted changes to tracked files. Larger repositories fall back to bundling only the current branch, then to a single squashed snapshot of your working tree, and the session fails if even that's too large. A session started this way can only push back to GitHub if your GitHub connection has push access to that repository.
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The app version, with its Code tab, is explained in our Claude Code Desktop guide.
What's different from the terminal
Commands that only work in the terminal interface, such as /plugin and /resume, aren't available in cloud sessions. Every session runs in a cloud environment, a saved setup that controls network access, environment variables and setup scripts; your first one is created with Trusted network access. You can share a session by changing its visibility and sending the link. Auto-compaction runs when the context window gets close to full, and agent teams are off by default unless you add the experimental agent teams setting to your environment variables.
If you'd rather keep everything on your own machine, the Claude desktop app runs Claude Code locally and lets you switch to cloud only when it suits. Wondering about cost first? See is Claude Code free.
My verdict
Cloud sessions are the best part of Claude Code for anyone who can't sit watching a terminal all day. Push your work, set the task running, and check in from your phone. Start with small, well-defined fixes until you're happy with how it handles your codebase.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Claude Code on the web?
It's Claude Code running in the cloud, which Anthropic now calls cloud sessions. You start a session from claude.ai/code, the Claude app, the desktop app or the terminal, and it keeps running after you close your laptop.
Which plans include Claude Code on the web?
Pro, Max and Team plans, plus Enterprise users with premium seats or Chat + Claude Code seats. Usage counts toward your normal plan limits, with no separate charge for the cloud machine.
Can I move a Claude Code cloud session to my terminal?
Yes. Run claude --teleport to pick a session, and Claude checks out the branch and loads the conversation locally. You can't push an existing terminal session to the cloud.
Why can't my cloud session see my latest changes?
A session started from the terminal clones your GitHub remote at your current branch, not your local checkout, so unpushed commits aren't included. Push first.
Do I need the Claude GitHub App?
Not always. You can connect with /web-setup instead, but the GitHub App is required for Auto-fix on pull requests and for Projects.
