Connect with Claude Code
Anthropic's terminal agent. Run it on the box and it keeps working through a long build while you do something else.
Finish Connect to your box first. Everything below assumes ssh rapidbox works from your terminal.
Claude Code is a conversation in a terminal. You describe what you want, it reads files, writes code, runs commands, and reports back. There is no window to arrange and no mouse involved, which suits long builds and anyone who already lives in a shell.
Decide where it runs
Two options, and the first is the one we recommend.
| On the box (recommended) | On your laptop | |
|---|---|---|
| How | SSH in, then run claude there | Install locally, connect out to the box |
| Where your data goes | Files and query results stay on the box | File contents travel to your laptop as it works |
| Long builds | Survive a laptop reboot when run inside tmux | Stop when you close the lid |
| Setup effort | One install on the box, shared by your team | One install per person |
Confirm with your coach Whether Claude Code is already installed on your box and which account it should sign in with. Some deployments ship with it preinstalled and preauthorized under the organization's own account, which makes Steps 1 and 2 unnecessary.
Step 1: Install it on the box
Connect first, then install. The installer runs on Linux, which is what your box runs.
ssh rapidbox
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
Confirm it landed:
claude --version
The command prints a version number followed by (Claude Code).
Installing on a company-managed box is a change worth flagging. If your IT team reviews software on machines touching production data, loop them in before running the installer. The Platform & Trust page has the material they will ask for.
Running it from your laptop instead
If you chose the laptop route, install locally:
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
Homebrew and WinGet also work: brew install --cask claude-code or winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode. Those two do not update themselves, so run the upgrade command occasionally.
Step 2: Sign in
Start Claude Code and it prompts you on first use.
claude
Follow the prompts to authenticate. Because the box has no browser of its own, it prints a URL. Open that URL in the browser on your laptop, approve the sign-in, and the terminal picks it up. Your credentials are stored after that, so this is a one-time step.
Inside a running session, type /login to switch accounts later.
Confirm with your coach Which account your organization uses for Claude Code: a company Claude subscription, a Claude Console account, or an enterprise cloud provider. Signing in with a personal account works, and it bills to that person and sits outside your organization's governance.
Step 3: Start in your workspace
Claude Code works on the folder you launch it from. Always start it inside your workspace.
cd /opt/stacks/<your-client-code>-app claude
You get a prompt with the version, the current model, and the working directory above it. That directory line is your confirmation you are in the right place.
Keeping a long build alive
A build that runs for an hour outlives most SSH sessions. Run it inside tmux and the work
continues even if your connection drops or you close the laptop.
tmux new -s build cd /opt/stacks/<your-client-code>-app claude
Press Ctrl + B then D
to detach and leave it running. Come back later with ssh rapidbox followed by
tmux attach -t build.
$ tmux new -s build $ cd /opt/stacks/couleetech-app $ claude ✻ Welcome to Claude Code cwd: /opt/stacks/couleetech-app >
Step 4: Your first prompt
Type in plain English and press Enter. Start with the same inventory question everyone should ask first.
Before we build anything, give me an inventory of what this box can already see. List every connected data source. For each one, tell me: - the system it comes from and how it connects (API, CSV, or SQL) - how fresh the data is and how often it refreshes - the main tables or entities available, in plain business language - the date range actually present Then suggest the five dashboards you would build first for a CEO, given what is here. Keep it to one paragraph each and no code yet.
Then build something from the prompt library. Claude Code shines on the larger jobs, so it is a good fit for the multi-stage app builds too.
Set the goal once, up front. A single well-specified first message produces better results than the same information delivered across six short turns. Say what you want, who reads it, and what "done" looks like, then let it work.
Commands worth knowing
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
claude | Start an interactive session in the current folder. |
claude "task" | Start with a task already typed in. |
claude -c | Continue the most recent conversation in this folder. |
claude -r | Pick an older conversation to resume. |
/help | List everything available inside a session. |
/clear | Start fresh. Use it when you change topics. |
| Shift + Tab | Cycle permission modes. Controls whether it asks before each file change. |
/exit | Leave the session. Your work stays on the box. |
Leave the default permission mode on until you trust the workflow. Default mode shows each proposed change and waits for your approval. That review step is where most surprises get caught, and it costs a keystroke.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
claude: command not found |
The install finished after your shell started, so the path is stale. | Type exit, run ssh rapidbox again, and retry. |
| The sign-in URL will not open | You are copying a wrapped line out of the terminal. | Widen the terminal window so the URL prints on one line, then copy it again. |
| It edits files but sees no data | You launched it from your home folder rather than the workspace. | Quit, cd /opt/stacks/<your-client-code>-app, and start again. |
| Session dies mid-build | The SSH connection dropped and took the session with it. | Use tmux as shown in Step 3. Then reconnect and tmux attach -t build. |
Talk to a human instead.
Every RapidDashboard client gets direct access to the team that built the box. Most questions take under ten minutes on a call.