---
title: Getting Started
description: Create a Claude Code cloud environment that runs this build, and check it works.
---

How I set up a [cloud environment](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/cloud-environments) for Claude Code sessions. Personal setup; not a turnkey install for other people.

## Create the environment

1. At [claude.ai/code](https://claude.ai/code), open the environment selector under the message box and pick **New environment**, or open an existing one's settings. In a running session, it's **Edit cloud environment** under the session title.
2. Keep **Trusted** network access. Everything the script fetches comes from GitHub, npm, PyPI or nodejs.org.
3. Paste the setup script:

   ```bash
   #!/bin/bash
   curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/timmo001/dotfiles/distro/cloud/cloud/setup.sh | bash
   ```

4. Give the session access to the private overlay, either by attaching `timmo001/dotfiles-private` to sessions or with the Claude GitHub App installed on it. Without it, sessions get the cloud notes but not my global agent instructions or tracked repositories.

Keep it a personal environment rather than an organisation-shared one: it writes my own instructions into the VM.

## Caching

The setup script runs in the first session, takes about a minute, and the environment snapshots the result. It runs again only when the script or allowed hosts change, or after the cache expires in about a week. The [session start hook](/claude/overview/#session-start) keeps a snapshot current between rebuilds, so branch changes reach the next session without editing the script.

## Check it works

| Check | Expect |
| --- | --- |
| `/context` | `/root/.claude/CLAUDE.md` under Memory files |
| `head -1 ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md` | Two sources: the cloud notes and the private `AGENTS.md` |
| `dot repo list` | The tracked repositories from the private overlay |
| `~/.local/state/dot/cloud-setup.log` | The setup script's output |
| `~/.local/state/dot/cloud-rebuild.log` | The last background rebuild after the hook pulled new commits |