# How to give Claude Code a cloud machine

To give Claude Code a cloud machine, sign in to Quivvo and add its MCP server with `quivvo mcp init claude`. Claude Code then has tools to create Linux machines, run commands, read and write files and publish ports, so it can do risky or long-running work away from your laptop. The same steps work for Cursor and Codex. If you'd rather let the agent do this, tell it to follow [the setup runbook](https://tryquivvo.com/setup.md).

## Step 1: Install and sign in

```bash
command -v quivvo >/dev/null || npm i -g quivvo@latest
quivvo login
```

This opens your browser to approve the sign-in and saves a key in `~/.config/quivvo/credentials.json`. New accounts get $5 of credit.

New accounts wait in a queue for now, and the credit arrives with their turn. Each person who signs up with your invite link moves you up 10 places, and a paid plan skips it.

## Step 2: Add the MCP server

```bash
quivvo mcp init claude
```

That registers the [hosted MCP server](https://tryquivvo.com/docs/mcp) with Claude Code. The config refers to `$QUIVVO_API_KEY` rather than holding your key, so set that variable where you start Claude Code; the command tells you how. For other clients, use `quivvo mcp init cursor` or `quivvo mcp init codex`.

## Step 3: Ask Claude Code to use it

Start Claude Code and ask for something like:

> Create a Quivvo machine called api-test, clone https://github.com/acme/api into it, install the dependencies, run the test suite, and tell me what fails. Delete the machine when you're done.

Claude Code calls `create_machine`, then `exec` for each command, and `delete_machine` at the end. A command that's still running when `exec` answers keeps going, and it follows up with `job_status` and `job_logs`.

## Can Claude Code run inside the machine instead?

Yes. The default template has Claude Code and Codex installed, so you can open a shell and run them there, or hand one a task and close your laptop. See [handing a task to Claude Code or Codex](https://tryquivvo.com/docs/recipes#hand-a-task-to-claude-code-or-codex).

## How do I watch what it's doing?

Open a shell in the same machine with `quivvo ssh api-test`, or open it in the dashboard, which has a terminal in the browser. Every command also shows up in `quivvo history api-test`, and `quivvo output` shows what it printed.

## How do I keep costs down?

Machines suspend themselves after 30 idle minutes by default, or 15 on the Free plan, and then only pay for disk. A 2 vCPU, 4 GiB machine costs $0.054 per running hour. Ask the agent to delete machines it no longer needs, or to create them with `delete_after_minutes` so they go whatever happens, and check spending with `quivvo usage`.

## Can the agent sign up by itself?

Yes. If it's running somewhere with no browser, it can run `quivvo login --agent --no-wait --json` and give you a code to approve. See [agent sign-up](https://tryquivvo.com/docs/agents).