Run on Windows with WSL

Claude Science doesn’t ship a native Windows build yet, but the Linux binary runs well under Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL 2).

Claude Science doesn’t ship a native Windows build yet, but the Linux binary runs well under Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL 2). Setup takes about five minutes.

Enable WSL

In PowerShell, run as Administrator:

wsl --install -d Ubuntu-24.04

Reboot if Windows prompts you to, then open Ubuntu 24.04 from the Start Menu and create your Linux user when asked.

Use Ubuntu 24.04 or newer. Claude Science’s sandbox requires bubblewrap 0.8.0 or later, and Ubuntu 22.04 ships an older version. WSL 2 is also required (WSL 1 can’t run the sandbox); wsl --install sets up WSL 2 by default. If you have an older WSL setup, check with wsl -l -v and upgrade with wsl --set-version Ubuntu-24.04 2.

Install dependencies

Inside the Ubuntu terminal:

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

Install Claude Science

Run the installer inside Ubuntu. It downloads the current release, verifies its checksum, and installs the claude-science command:

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

Then confirm the command is on your PATH:

. ~/.profile
claude-science --version

Install from inside Ubuntu rather than downloading the binary with a Windows browser and copying it across. The installer verifies the download and keeps you on the stable release channel.

Run it

claude-science serve --port 8765 --no-browser

First launch prints progress to the terminal and ends with a local URL. Copy that URL into any Windows browser: WSL 2 forwards localhost automatically, so the link works from Windows as-is. The URL contains a one-time sign-in token; to print a fresh one later, run:

claude-science url

Then sign in with your Claude account and complete the setup wizard as described in Get started.

First launch

On first launch, Claude Science sets up its starter Python and R environments and the bundled connectors for scientific databases and tools. On a fresh install this takes several minutes, and longer on a slow connection. While setup runs, some connectors can show a load error; most clear on their own once setup finishes. If a connector’s error says its automatic retries are paused, turn the connector off and on again in Settings > Connectors, or restart Claude Science (claude-science stop, then the serve command above), to retry it.

Keep it running

The app runs inside the WSL virtual machine, so it stops when WSL shuts down. Closing your last Ubuntu terminal shuts the VM down after a short idle period, and wsl --shutdown stops it immediately.

To start Claude Science again from PowerShell without opening an Ubuntu terminal:

wsl -d Ubuntu-24.04 -- ~/.local/bin/claude-science serve --port 8765 --no-browser

Leave that PowerShell window open; it keeps the VM alive. To run it in the background of an existing Ubuntu session instead:

claude-science serve --port 8765 --no-browser --detached

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	Your Ubuntu version ships an older bubblewrap. Use Ubuntu 24.04 or newer.
daemon already running on port 8765	Claude Science is already running. Run claude-science url and open the printed link; there’s no need to start it again.
port 8765 is already in use	A different program holds that port. Pick another with --port 8080.
The browser can’t reach localhost:8765	Confirm the daemon is still running in WSL. If you use a custom .wslconfig network mode, try the WSL address (run hostname -I inside Ubuntu) instead of localhost.