Get started

Your first pod takes a few minutes to create and connect. After that, Claude is the main interface. Return to Podbay when you want to manage the computer, add access, or inspect what is running.

1. Choose what Claude should start with

Open the Podbay dashboard and choose Create a pod. Select a prepared environment or connect a GitHub repository, then give the pod a name you will recognize in the Claude app.

A prepared environment gives Claude a useful starting point: the right toolchain, project guidance, and any job-specific skills. It is not a locked template; Claude can adapt the workspace as the project changes.

2. Connect your Claude account

When the pod is ready, choose Open the Claude sign-in page. Sign in with the Claude account you already use, then enter the one-time code in Podbay.

Podbay uses the official Claude Code CLI with your existing Claude Pro or Max subscription. Your Podbay account and Claude account remain separate.

3. Continue in the Claude app

Podbay starts Claude Remote Control after sign-in and shows Continue in Claude. Open it to use the pod from the official Claude desktop or mobile app.

The conversation still feels like Claude. The difference is where the work happens: inside a cloud computer that remains available instead of on the device in your hands.

4. Ask for a complete first result

A good first request exercises more than file editing:

Take this project from setup to a working development environment. Install what it needs, start the database and supporting services, run the checks, and send me a private link to the app. Tell me what you changed and what will keep running.

Depending on the project and environment, Claude can:

• inspect the repository and its existing instructions;
• install packages and repair setup problems;
• start the app, database, and workers;
• run tests or another meaningful verification;
• keep important services available across restarts;
• return a live link you can open outside the pod.

Claude will ask when it needs something only you can provide, such as a missing project credential or approval to publish a change.

5. Know what you control in Podbay

Use the pod page to:

• add project secrets when Claude requests them;
• open the app and choose whether its link is private or public;
• inspect health, CPU, memory, disk, and network activity;
• manage the GitHub connection, pod size, updates, suspension, and deletion;
• use the browser terminal as an advanced diagnosis or recovery tool.

Next

• Explore what Claude can do in a pod.
• Learn what the workspace keeps.
• Give Claude recurring work.