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Christoph Khoufache
Christoph Khoufache

Posted on Originally published at syntaxlabor.de

Run a Coding Agent on Your Own VPS: Claude Code, Cursor CLI & Codex Without a Laptop (2026)

#ai #devops #productivity #tooling

Originally published in German on syntaxlabor.de. As of October 27, 2026; commands checked against Anthropic, Cursor, and OpenAI docs. Contabo prices from contabo.com/de/vps (promo pricing for the first 24 months — confirm in checkout).

Long agent runs have a boring failure mode: you close the laptop and the session dies. Claude Code, the Cursor CLI, and the Codex CLI all run in a terminal, so you can start them on a small Linux VPS over SSH and reattach later.

Why a server at all?

  • The agent keeps going while your laptop sleeps or you are offline. Reattach over SSH.
  • Isolation: shell access on the VPS instead of on a personal machine full of browser logins.
  • Phone control: Claude Code supports Remote Control (paid plans; see below).

A VPS does not change model costs. You still need a subscription or an API key. Use a cost calculator if you want monthly tool spend side by side.

How much server do you need?

Claude Code’s docs want Ubuntu 20.04+ / Debian 10+ / Alpine 3.19+, at least 4 GB RAM, x64 or ARM64, and a network. The models run in the vendor cloud; RAM is mostly for your project (build, tests, DB, dev server).

Example entry-level Contabo VPS (site prices, retrieved 2026-10-27; promo for first 24 months):

Plan vCPU RAM Storage Listed price
VPS 4 4 8 GB 100 GB SSD from ~€4.40/mo
VPS 6 6 12 GB 200 GB SSD or 100 GB NVMe from ~€6.00/mo
VPS 8 8 24 GB 300 GB SSD or 150 GB NVMe from ~€11.20/mo

Setup fees and post-promo prices: check the order flow. Source: contabo.com/de/vps (no tracking link in this cross-post).

Step 1: Prepare the box 

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y git tmux
tmux new -s agent      # start
# … later …
tmux attach -t agent   # reattach
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tmux is the important bit: the session survives disconnects. Anthropic also recommends tmux/screen when you start Claude on a remote machine.

Step 2: Claude Code — install & login 

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
claude --version
claude doctor
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  • Interactive SSH: claude → press c to copy the login URL, open it locally, paste the code back.
  • Scripts: claude setup-token → year-long OAuth token as CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN (or use ANTHROPIC_API_KEY).
  • Headless: claude -p "…".
  • Remote Control (phone): claude remote-control / /remote-control — Pro/Max/Team/Enterprise only; needs a normal claude auth login, not API key / setup-token. Outbound HTTPS only.

Free plan does not include Claude Code.

Step 3: Cursor CLI 

curl https://cursor.com/install -fsS | bash
NO_OPEN_BROWSER=1 agent login   # prints the login URL
agent status
# headless / plan modes: agent -p … · --mode=plan|ask
# background → Cloud Agents: agent &  then agent ls / agent resume
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CURSOR_API_KEY works for non-interactive use. Docs: cursor.com/docs/cli.

Step 4: Codex CLI 

curl -fsSL https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.sh | sh
codex login --device-auth   # device-code login (beta; enable in ChatGPT security settings)
# SSH tip: tunnel local port 1455 if the flow needs it
codex exec "…"
codex resume
codex login status
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Treat ~/.codex/auth.json like a password. OpenAI warns not to expose Codex execution in untrusted/public environments. API path: --with-api-key (API pricing).

Security checklist

  • Separate non-root user; SSH keys only; no password auth if you can.
  • Secrets in env / secret store — not in the repo the agent can cat.
  • Firewall: only SSH (and what you deliberately open).
  • Don’t point an agent with broad shell access at production credentials.
  • Prefer tmux so a dropped SSH session does not orphan a half-finished run without a way back.

What does it cost overall?

VPS (a few €/month) plus the tool plan or API spend. The VPS is usually the smaller line item; token/subscription cost dominates. Measure before stacking Ultra + Max “just in case”.

Verdict

A small Linux VPS, a dedicated user, tmux, and the right headless login path (NO_OPEN_BROWSER=1, device-auth, setup-token / OAuth) are enough to keep coding agents alive when the laptop is closed. Start with one tool you already pay for, confirm login over SSH once, then automate.

Sources

I write Syntaxlabor, a free **German-language* digest on AI coding tools (Cursor, Claude Code, agents) for indie devs, 3× a week. Archive without signup: syntaxlabor.de/digest.*

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