Run on a remote Linux server

Install Claude Science on a cloud VM or lab server and use it from your own browser through an SSH tunnel.

Claude Science runs on a remote Linux server (a cloud VM or a lab machine) the same way it runs on a workstation: the application and your data stay on the server, and you use the web app from your computer’s browser through an SSH tunnel. Setup takes about five minutes, plus a few minutes of environment setup on first launch.

This page covers running all of Claude Science on a remote machine. To keep Claude Science on your own computer and have it run jobs on a machine you reach over SSH, see Remote compute clusters.

The server needs x64 Linux on a glibc-based distribution (arm64 and musl-based distributions such as Alpine aren’t supported), about 5 GB of free disk space, and the system packages below. Your Claude account needs a Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan; see Requirements.

Install dependencies

Claude runs code inside a sandbox, and the sandbox needs two system packages: bubblewrap and socat. On Ubuntu or Debian:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y curl bubblewrap socat

The sandbox requires bubblewrap 0.8.0 or later; check with bwrap --version. Ubuntu 24.04 ships a new enough version, and Ubuntu 22.04 doesn’t. The sandbox isn’t optional: Claude Science refuses to start rather than run code unsandboxed.

Install Claude Science

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install-claude-science.sh | bash

The installer downloads the current release, verifies its checksum, and installs the claude-science command in ~/.local/bin. If it prints a PATH line at the end, add that line to your shell profile. Then confirm the command works:

. ~/.profile
claude-science --version

Forward the ports from your computer

Set up the tunnel before you start Claude Science: the sign-in link it prints is only valid for about three minutes.

By default, the web app listens only on the server’s localhost, so it isn’t exposed to the network. An SSH tunnel makes it reachable from your computer. Claude Science uses two ports: one for the web app (8000) and a separate one for previews of generated HTML, served from its own origin so a previewed page can’t read your session. The preview port is always the web app port plus one, so 8001 by default. Forward both. In a terminal on your computer:

ssh -L 8000:localhost:8000 -L 8001:localhost:8001 [e-mail]

Leave that terminal open; the tunnel lasts as long as the SSH connection. If you work on the server through VS Code’s Remote-SSH extension, it forwards ports automatically as the app uses them; check its Ports panel to confirm both ports are forwarded.

Start Claude Science

On the server:

claude-science serve --no-browser

First launch prints the sign-in link, of the form http://localhost:8000/?nonce=..., right away, and continues setting up its starter Python and R environments; the setup can take a few minutes and about 5 GB of disk. If port 8000 or 8001 is taken on either machine, pass a different port to serve (for example --port 8765; previews then use the next port up, 8766) and change the ssh -L forwards to match.

To run it in the background instead, use claude-science serve --no-browser --detached. claude-science status reports whether it’s running, and claude-science stop stops it.

Sign in

Open the printed link in your computer’s browser. The link is single-use and expires about three minutes after it’s printed; run claude-science url on the server to print a fresh one at any time. Restarting with claude-science stop then claude-science serve --no-browser also prints a fresh link.

Sign in with your Claude account. If the sign-in redirect can’t find its way back through the tunnel, choose Paste a code on the sign-in screen. Then complete the setup wizard as described in Get started.

Keep it up to date

claude-science update checks for and installs updates. See Command line settings for the full command reference, including logs and the serve flags.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	What it means
command not found: claude-science	~/.local/bin isn’t on your PATH yet. Run . ~/.profile or open a new terminal.
An error mentioning bwrap too old	The server’s bubblewrap is older than 0.8.0. Upgrade it, or use a distribution that ships a newer version, such as Ubuntu 24.04 or later.
An error mentioning cannot create unprivileged user namespaces	The kernel or an AppArmor profile blocks the sandbox from creating user namespaces; some Ubuntu 24.04 images restrict this. The error message names the exact setting to change for your distribution.
The sign-in link shows an expired-link page	Links are single-use and valid for about three minutes. Run claude-science url on the server and open the fresh link; restarting with claude-science stop then claude-science serve --no-browser also prints one.
Sign-in stops at claude.ai	The redirect couldn’t return through the tunnel (choose Paste a code), your account is on the Free plan (an upgrade is required), or your Team or Enterprise organization hasn’t enabled Claude Science yet.
Interactive HTML previews render as static snapshots after a short delay (charts don’t respond)	The tunnel isn’t forwarding the preview port. Add the second -L forward; the preview port is the web app port plus one (8001 by default).
The browser can’t reach localhost:8000	The tunnel isn’t up; rerun the ssh -L command. If the tunnel is up, confirm Claude Science is running on the server with claude-science status.
The installer reports no binary for your platform	Claude Science on Linux needs x64 with glibc. arm64 servers and musl-based distributions such as Alpine aren’t supported.