Claude-Rescue-Pi
April 9, 2026 · View on GitHub
Status: WIP / exploratory
A Raspberry Pi acting as an out-of-band management (OOBM) node whose sole purpose is running the Claude Code CLI, reachable over Tailscale + Cloudflare Access, and physically wired to a primary workstation to provide an emergency recovery surface when that workstation can't boot (e.g. a broken Linux box).
Also runs an always-on MQTT listener for fire-and-forget control (Wake-on-LAN, power cycle, triage, serial commands) from Home Assistant, a phone, or any script that can publish to the broker.
Idea
- Tiny always-on Pi, hardened and minimal.
- Exposed only via Tailscale + Cloudflare Access (zero-trust, no open ports).
- Claude Code CLI pre-installed and authenticated; SSH lands directly in a Claude session.
- Interactive recovery surface: SSH in → Claude runs pre-loaded skills against the host over serial + direct-link ethernet + smart plug.
- Passive control surface: MQTT listener dispatches WoL, power, and triage commands without needing an interactive session.
Think of it as a text-only, Claude-powered lights-out appliance for a Linux workstation.
Lineage
Adaptation of danielrosehill/Claude-Rescue.
Documentation
| Doc | Contents |
|---|---|
docs/design.md | Architecture, failure model, dependency layering, SSH-into-Claude UX, on-host manifest |
docs/host-bridge-hardware.md | The three-layer wired bridge (serial, direct-link ethernet, smart plug), one-piece cable recommendation, Claude skills needed for serial |
docs/hardware-spec.md | SBC board comparison, recommended spec, OS recommendation |
docs/mqtt-and-wol.md | MQTT listener architecture, topic layout, Wake-on-LAN setup and policy |
docs/bom.md | Full project bill of materials |
skills/ | Claude skills loaded on the Pi (Layer A serial, Layer B network debug, Layer C control) |
Open questions
- Does the target host's motherboard actually have a COM header? (Many do; confirm per host.)
- Exact one-piece FTDI-to-motherboard-COM-header cable SKU worth endorsing.
- WoL reliability across suspend/resume cycles on the target NIC.
- Where to run the MQTT broker if HA's Mosquitto is not available on a given network.