CloudShell

Web-based terminal with Claude Code integration. Runs a local server with shell terminals, Claude Code sessions, and an AI chat interface — all running in parallel browser tabs.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f9a03208-deb0-4bf6-a5e5-153d06308afc

Install

npm install -g @darrinm/cloudshell

Quick Start

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
cloudshell --open

Or without installing:

npx @darrinm/cloudshell --open

Opens at http://localhost:4444. If a password is set via CLOUDSHELL_PASSWORD, you'll see a login screen first.

Tab Types

All tabs run independently and in parallel — run builds in a Shell while chatting in an Agent tab and monitoring logs in another Shell. Create new tabs with the buttons on the right side of the tab bar.

Shell — Full terminal (zsh/bash) via node-pty with WebGL rendering. Supports colors, vim, tmux — everything your local terminal does. On mobile, a toolbar appears above the keyboard with Tab, Esc, Ctrl, and arrow keys.

Claude — Claude Code CLI in a dedicated terminal tab. Same as running claude in a shell, but isolated.

Agent — AI chat powered by the Anthropic Agent SDK:

• Markdown rendering — Code blocks, tables, lists
• Tool use display — Expandable results for file reads, searches, bash commands, subagents. Shift-click for raw input/output.
• File upload — Click + or drag-and-drop files and images
• @-mentions — Type @ followed by a filename to include file contents
• Slash commands — Type / to see available commands
• Thinking toggle — Extended thinking with configurable effort/budget (brain icon)
• Context meter — Shows context window usage
• Model selector — Sonnet, Haiku, Opus

Tab Management

• Close — Click the X on any tab
• Rename — Double-click a tab title
• Reorder — Drag and drop tabs
• Tab state persists across page refreshes

Settings

Click the cloud icon in the top-left corner:

• Theme — System, Light, Dark, Solarized Dark, Dracula, Monokai, Catppuccin, Gruvbox, Tokyo Night
• Log out — Available when password protection is enabled

CLI Options

cloudshell [options]

  -p, --port <number>   Port (default: 4444)
  --cwd <path>          Working directory (default: cwd)
  --open                Open browser on startup

Authentication

CloudShell supports three auth modes, detected from environment variables:

| Mode | Variables | Description | |------|-----------|-------------| | Password | CLOUDSHELL_PASSWORD | Simple shared password | | GitHub OAuth | GITHUB_CLIENT_ID + GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET | Direct OAuth flow | | GitHub OAuth Proxy | CLOUDSHELL_OAUTH_PROXY_URL + CLOUDSHELL_OAUTH_SECRET | Proxied OAuth for deployments without a public callback URL | | None | (no auth vars set) | Open access (default) |

Optional: GITHUB_ALLOWED_USERS — comma-separated list of GitHub usernames to allow.

Environment Variables

| Variable | Required | Purpose | |----------|----------|---------| | ANTHROPIC_API_KEY | For Agent tabs | Claude API access | | CLOUDSHELL_PASSWORD | No | Enable password protection | | GITHUB_CLIENT_ID | No | GitHub OAuth app client ID | | GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET | No | GitHub OAuth app client secret | | GITHUB_ALLOWED_USERS | No | Restrict GitHub login to these users | | SHELL | No | Override default shell (default: /bin/zsh) |

Prerequisites

• Node.js >= 20
• Native build tools for node-pty and better-sqlite3 (Xcode CLI on macOS, build-essential on Linux)

Development

git clone https://github.com/darrinm/cloudshell.git
cd cloudshell
npm install && cd web && npm install && cd ..
npm run dev          # Single server with Vite HMR + nodemon

npm run build        # TypeScript backend
npm run build:web    # Vite frontend
npm run build:all    # Both
npm run check-types  # Both backend and frontend
npm run format       # Prettier
npm start            # Production server

License

MIT