How to deploy from Claude Code

Updated 2026-10-12

Claude Code is great at building; deploying is where most projects stall. You don't need to leave the terminal for it. Claude Code can create its own server, copy the project there and start it — you only give it the instruction.

1. Make sure it runs locally

Ask Claude Code to start the project from a clean checkout and tell you which environment variables it needs (API keys, database URLs). Those have to exist on the server too.

2. Give Claude Code one prompt

3. What Claude Code does

1. Reads SKILL.md — instructions written for agents.
2. Calls POST /create: a fresh Ubuntu server with root SSH and an HTTPS subdomain, no signup.
3. Copies the project over SSH. A static build goes to /root/www; an app gets a /root/run.sh that starts it on 0.0.0.0:80 and is restarted on crash.
4. Sets the environment variables on the server, starts it and opens the URL to check.

4. Updates

Change code locally, then: “Deploy my latest changes to the same server.” Same server, same URL. The api_key Claude Code saved from the first call is how it finds the server again — keep it.

5. Your own domain (optional)

With a verified phone, point an A record at the address Claude Code gives you, ask it to register the domain, and HTTPS is issued automatically.

Common errors

“The app doesn't respond”

It must listen on 0.0.0.0:80, not localhost:3000. Claude Code can change the start command.

“It worked, then stopped after I closed the terminal”

The app was started by hand in an SSH session. It has to start from /root/run.sh — then it survives crashes and sleep.

“The first request after a while is slow”

Idle servers sleep after about 10 minutes and wake on the next request. Verified accounts can make a server always-on.

“My API key is visible in the browser”

Anything in frontend JavaScript is public. Move keys into an env file on the server and call the API from your backend; rotate any key that was ever in client code.

See also: Claude Code hosting · build an MCP server.

FAQ

Can Claude Code deploy to production by itself?

Yes — given a host it can drive over HTTP and SSH. With The Vibe Hosting it creates the server, deploys and verifies the URL itself; you just give the instruction.

Do I need to install an MCP server or CLI for this?

No. Claude Code fetches SKILL.md and uses plain HTTP and SSH.

Is it free?

Free to start with no credit card; servers sleep when idle, which keeps small projects inside the monthly free credit.