DigitalOcean Cloud Setup - Complete Guide

March 7, 2026 · View on GitHub

Set up Claude Code collaboration using DigitalOcean in about 60 minutes.

Cost: $12/month (split between collaborators = $6/each) Benefit: No port forwarding, works from anywhere, automatic user prefixing

TL;DR (5 commands)

If you know what you're doing, here's the fast path:

# 1. Create a DigitalOcean Droplet (Ubuntu 22.04, \$12/mo, with your SSH key)
# 2. Bootstrap the server:
scp server-bootstrap.sh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP:/tmp/
ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP 'bash /tmp/server-bootstrap.sh'
# ↑ Auto-generates a password and prints collaborator instructions
# Use --password CUSTOM to set your own password
# 3. SSH in, authenticate Claude Code, start it in the tmux session:
ssh claudeteam@YOUR_SERVER_IP
tmux attach-session -t claude-collab
claude
# Ctrl+B, D to detach
# 4. Add your collaborator:
add-collaborator.sh YOUR_SERVER_IP "ssh-ed25519 AAAA...their-key..."
# 5. Connect:
join-claude-session-split.sh host YOUR_SERVER_IP claudeteam claude-collab

New to this? Follow the step-by-step guide below.

What You'll Build

Your Mac ──SSH──► DigitalOcean Droplet ◄──SSH── Collaborator
                  (Ubuntu Server)
                  running Claude Code
                  with tmux session
                        ↓
                  Automatic [username] prefixing
                  Split-screen interface

Prerequisites

  • Credit card (for DigitalOcean)
  • 60 minutes
  • Basic terminal familiarity

New to DigitalOcean? Get $200 credit (60 days free): https://www.digitalocean.com/

Part 1: Create SSH Key (5 minutes)

On Your Mac

Check if you already have an SSH key:

# Check for ED25519 (modern, recommended)
ls ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

# OR check for RSA (older but common)
ls ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

If you have either one, skip to displaying your key below.

If you see "No such file" for both, create one:

# Modern ED25519 key (recommended)
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your-email@example.com"

# OR traditional RSA key (if ED25519 not supported)
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your-email@example.com"

Press Enter for all prompts (accept defaults):

  • File location: (just press Enter)
  • Passphrase: (press Enter for no passphrase, or set one)

Display your public key:

# If you have ED25519:
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

# OR if you have RSA:
cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

You'll see something like:

ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAA... your-email@example.com
# OR
ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAACAQC... your-email@example.com

Copy this entire line. You'll need it in the next step.

Note: ED25519 and RSA are different key types. Make sure you copy the PUBLIC key (.pub file) that you're actually using.

Part 2: Create DigitalOcean Droplet (10 minutes)

Step 1: Sign Up for DigitalOcean

  1. Go to https://www.digitalocean.com/
  2. Click "Sign Up"
  3. Create account with email or GitHub
  4. Add payment method (get $200 credit if new user)

Step 2: Create Droplet

  1. Click "Create" (top right) → "Droplets"

  2. Choose Region:

    • Select closest to you and your collaborator
    • Recommendation: San Francisco 3 or New York 1

  3. Choose Image:

    • Click "Ubuntu"
    • Select "22.04 (LTS) x64"

  4. Choose Size:

    • Click "Basic" plan
    • CPU option: "Regular"
    • Scroll to find: $12/mo option
      • 2 GB RAM / 1 CPU
      • 50 GB SSD
      • 2 TB Transfer
    • Click this option

  5. Choose Authentication Method:

    • Click "SSH Key" (recommended)
    • Click "New SSH Key"
    • Paste your public key (from Part 1)
    • Name it: "My Mac" or "Your Name Mac"
    • Click "Add SSH Key"

  6. Finalize Details:

    • Hostname: claude-collab-server
    • Tags: (optional) add collaboration
    • Project: Default Project (or create new)
    • Leave other options as default

  7. Click "Create Droplet"

Step 3: Get Your Droplet's IP Address

After 1-2 minutes, your droplet will be ready.

You'll see a screen showing:

  • Droplet name: claude-collab-server
  • IP address: Something like 164.92.123.456

Write down this IP address - you'll need it throughout setup.

Part 3: Initial Server Connection (2 minutes)

Test Connection

Open Terminal on your Mac and run:

ssh root@164.92.123.456

Replace 164.92.123.456 with your actual IP address

First time connecting: You'll see a message like:

The authenticity of host '164.92.123.456' can't be established.
ECDSA key fingerprint is SHA256:...
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?

Type: yes and press Enter

You should see:

Welcome to Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
...
root@claude-collab-server:~#

You're now connected to your cloud server!

Part 4: Server Setup (20 minutes)

Step 1: Create Collaboration User

# Create a user for collaboration
adduser claudeteam

You'll be prompted:

  • Password: Choose a strong password (write it down)
  • Full Name: (press Enter to skip)
  • Room Number, etc.: (press Enter to skip all)
  • Is this correct? Type Y
# Give sudo privileges
usermod -aG sudo claudeteam

# Switch to new user
su - claudeteam

You're now the claudeteam user. The prompt changes to:

claudeteam@claude-collab-server:~$

Step 2: Set Up SSH Keys for Collaboration User

# Create SSH directory
mkdir -p ~/.ssh
chmod 700 ~/.ssh

# Create authorized keys file
touch ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

Now add SSH keys:

nano ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

This opens a text editor. Paste:

  1. Your public key (from Part 1)
  2. Get your collaborator's public key and paste it on a NEW line
    • Have them run on their machine: cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
    • They send you the output
    • Paste it on line 2

Example file contents:

ssh-rsa AAAAB3...your_key_here... you@yourmac
ssh-rsa AAAAB3...collab_key_here... collab@theirmac

Save and exit:

  • Press: Ctrl + X
  • Press: Y (to confirm save)
  • Press: Enter (to confirm filename)

Step 3: Update System

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Enter the password you created for claudeteam.

This takes 2-5 minutes. Wait for it to complete.

Step 4: Install tmux

sudo apt install -y tmux git curl

Verify:

tmux -V

Should show: tmux 3.2a or similar

Step 5: Install Node.js

Claude Code requires Node.js:

# Add Node.js repository
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -

# Install Node.js
sudo apt install -y nodejs

# Verify installation
node --version
npm --version

Should show:

v20.x.x
10.x.x

Step 6: Install Claude Code

# Install Claude Code CLI globally
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

# Verify installation
claude-code --version

Should show the version number.

Step 7: Authenticate Claude Code

claude-code auth login

You'll see:

Please visit the following URL to authenticate:
https://claude.ai/auth/some-unique-url

Copy this URL and paste it into your web browser.

  1. Log in to your Claude account
  2. Click "Authorize"
  3. Return to your terminal

You should see:

Authentication successful!

Step 8: Test Claude Code

claude-code

Wait for it to start (10-20 seconds).

When you see the Claude Code prompt, type:

What is 2+2?

If Claude responds with "4", you're good!

Exit Claude Code:

exit

Or press Ctrl + D

Part 5: Install Collaboration Script (10 minutes)

Step 1: Clone Repository on Server

Still as claudeteam user on the server:

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/jxandery/claude-code-collab.git
cd claude-code-collab

Step 2: Install Script

./install.sh

You'll see:

✓ Added ~/bin to PATH in /home/claudeteam/.bashrc

Reload your shell:

source ~/.bashrc

Verify installation:

which join-claude-session.sh

Should show: /home/claudeteam/bin/join-claude-session.sh

Step 3: Create Shared tmux Session

# Create a detached tmux session
tmux new-session -s claude-collab -d

# Start Claude Code in the session
tmux send-keys -t claude-collab "claude-code" C-m

# Wait a moment for Claude Code to start
sleep 5

# Verify session is running
tmux ls

Should show:

claude-collab: 1 windows (created ...)

Perfect! The session is running in the background.

Step 4: Exit Server

exit  # Exit from claudeteam user
exit  # Exit from root user

You're back on your local Mac.

The tmux session with Claude Code is still running on the server!

Part 6: Set Up Your Local Mac (10 minutes)

Step 1: Clone Repository Locally

On your Mac:

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/jxandery/claude-code-collab.git
cd claude-code-collab

Step 2: Install Script Locally

./install.sh

Reload your shell:

source ~/.zshrc
# Or if you use bash: source ~/.bashrc

Verify:

which join-claude-session.sh

Should show: /Users/yourname/bin/join-claude-session.sh

Step 3: Test SSH Connection

ssh claudeteam@164.92.123.456

Replace with your server's IP

If prompted for password, enter the claudeteam password you created.

If it asks for password and you don't want to type it every time:

Run this on your Mac:

ssh-copy-id claudeteam@164.92.123.456

Now try again - should connect without password!

Once connected:

# Verify tmux session
tmux ls

# Should show: claude-collab

Exit:

exit

Part 7: Join Collaboration Session (5 minutes)

Choose Your Mode

You have two options for joining the collaboration session:

Option A: Split-Pane Mode (Recommended)

  • See both Claude's responses AND your input in ONE terminal window
  • Easier to use, better experience
  • Runs from your local Mac

Option B: Two-Terminal Mode

  • Input in one terminal, view responses in another
  • Good if you prefer separate windows

From your Mac (NOT on the server):

join-claude-session-split.sh host 68.183.159.246 claudeteam claude-collab

# Or with a custom display prefix:
join-claude-session-split.sh host 68.183.159.246 claudeteam claude-collab --prefix JY

You'll see a split screen:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TOP (70%): Claude Code Output       │
│                                     │
│ [host] What is 2+2?                 │
│ Claude: 2+2 equals 4                │
│                                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ BOTTOM (30%): Your Input            │
│ [host]> _                           │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

That's it! Everything in one window.

To exit:

  • Press Ctrl+C to stop the input loop
  • Press Ctrl+B, then D to detach from tmux

Option B: Two-Terminal Mode

Terminal 1 - Your Input:

From your Mac, SSH to the server first:

ssh claudeteam@68.183.159.246

Then run (IMPORTANT: This runs ON the server):

join-claude-session.sh host claude-collab

You'll see:

[host]> _

Terminal 2 - View Claude's Responses:

Open a second terminal on your Mac:

ssh claudeteam@68.183.159.246
tmux attach-session -r -t claude-collab

You'll see Claude Code running with all interactions.

Try It Out

Using whichever mode you chose, type:

What is 2+2?

You should see in the top pane:

[host] What is 2+2?
Claude: 2 + 2 equals 4.

Success! The [host] prefix was added automatically!

Exit the Session

Press: Ctrl + B, then press D

This detaches from the session (it keeps running).

Type exit to disconnect from SSH.

Part 8: Add Your Collaborator (5 minutes)

Option A: Self-Service (Easiest)

Set a password on the claudeteam account so collaborators can add their own SSH key:

# On the server (as root):
ssh root@164.92.123.456
echo 'claudeteam:YOUR_CHOSEN_PASSWORD' | chpasswd
# Enable password auth for ssh-copy-id:
sed -i 's/^PasswordAuthentication no/PasswordAuthentication yes/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
systemctl restart sshd
exit

Then share this with your collaborator:

Server IP: 164.92.123.456
Username: claudeteam
Password: YOUR_CHOSEN_PASSWORD  (for one-time SSH key setup)
Session name: claude-collab
Repository: https://github.com/jxandery/claude-code-collab

Your collaborator runs:

# 1. Add their SSH key (enter password once):
ssh-copy-id claudeteam@164.92.123.456

# 2. Clone and install scripts:
git clone https://github.com/jxandery/claude-code-collab.git
cd claude-code-collab
./install.sh
source ~/.zshrc  # or ~/.bashrc

# 3. Join session:
join-claude-session-split.sh collaborator 164.92.123.456 claudeteam claude-collab

Option B: Manual Key Addition

If you prefer not to enable password auth, have your collaborator send you their public key:

# Collaborator runs:
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub  # or ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

Then add it using the helper script:

add-collaborator.sh 164.92.123.456 "ssh-ed25519 AAAA...their-key..."

Part 9: Start Collaborating!

Both of you connect:

Host:

ssh claudeteam@164.92.123.456
join-claude-session.sh host claude-collab

Collaborator:

ssh claudeteam@164.92.123.456
join-claude-session.sh collaborator claude-collab

Example Session:

Host types in bottom pane:

Create a function to validate email addresses

Both see in top pane:

[host] Create a function to validate email addresses
Claude: I'll create an email validation function...

Collaborator types in their bottom pane:

Can we also add phone validation?

Both see in top pane:

[collaborator] Can we also add phone validation?
Claude: Absolutely! Let me add phone validation too...

Magic! 🎉

Managing Your Server

Check if Claude Code Session is Running

ssh claudeteam@YOUR_SERVER_IP
tmux ls

Should show:

claude-collab: 1 windows (created ...)

Restart Claude Code Session (if needed)

ssh claudeteam@YOUR_SERVER_IP

# Kill old session
tmux kill-session -t claude-collab

# Create new session
tmux new-session -s claude-collab -d
tmux send-keys -t claude-collab "claude-code" C-m

View Session Directly (Troubleshooting)

ssh claudeteam@YOUR_SERVER_IP

# Attach to session
tmux attach-session -t claude-collab

# You'll see Claude Code running
# To detach: Ctrl+B, then D

Troubleshooting

"Connection refused" when SSH

Check droplet is running:

  1. Log into DigitalOcean dashboard
  2. Click "Droplets"
  3. Verify status is "Active" (green dot)

Check IP address:

  • Make sure you're using the correct IP from DigitalOcean dashboard

"Permission denied (publickey)"

Your SSH key isn't on the server, or you're using the wrong key type.

Step 1: Identify which key you're using

On your local machine, run:

ssh -v claudeteam@YOUR_SERVER_IP 2>&1 | grep "Offering public key"

Look for a line like:

Offering public key: /Users/you/.ssh/id_ed25519 ED25519
# OR
Offering public key: /Users/you/.ssh/id_rsa RSA

Step 2: Get the correct public key

# If using ED25519:
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

# If using RSA:
cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

Copy the entire output.

Step 3: Add it to the server

# Connect with password (if you set one) or as root
ssh claudeteam@YOUR_SERVER_IP
# OR
ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP
su - claudeteam

# Edit authorized_keys
nano ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

# Paste your public key on a new line
# Make sure it's all ONE line (no line breaks in the middle)
# Save: Ctrl+X, Y, Enter

# Fix permissions if needed
chmod 700 ~/.ssh
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

# Exit and try again
exit
ssh claudeteam@YOUR_SERVER_IP  # Should work now

Common Issues:

  • Using ED25519 key but added RSA key to server (or vice versa)
  • Key was split across multiple lines when pasted
  • Wrong permissions on .ssh directory or authorized_keys file
  • Pasted the private key instead of public key

"No session found: claude-collab"

Session isn't running.

Fix:

ssh claudeteam@YOUR_SERVER_IP

# Create session
tmux new-session -s claude-collab -d
tmux send-keys -t claude-collab "claude-code" C-m

Claude Code not responding

Restart it:

ssh claudeteam@YOUR_SERVER_IP

# Kill session
tmux kill-session -t claude-collab

# Start fresh
tmux new-session -s claude-collab -d
tmux send-keys -t claude-collab "claude-code" C-m

Can't find join-claude-session.sh

Reinstall script:

cd ~/claude-code-collab
./install.sh
source ~/.zshrc

Run the diagnostic tool

For a comprehensive check of your setup:

diagnose.sh YOUR_SERVER_IP

Reconnecting After Disconnection

If your laptop sleeps, WiFi drops, or you close the terminal — the session is NOT lost. The tmux session keeps running on the server.

To reconnect, just run the join command again:

join-claude-session-split.sh YourName YOUR_SERVER_IP claudeteam claude-collab

All history is preserved. You'll see everything that happened while you were disconnected.

When You're Done

End a collaboration session

# Clean up everything:
teardown.sh YOUR_SERVER_IP

Stop paying for the server

  1. Go to https://cloud.digitalocean.com/droplets
  2. Click your droplet name
  3. Click Destroy tab
  4. Confirm destruction

Billing stops immediately. You'll need to set up from scratch if you want to collaborate again.

Cost & Billing

Monthly Cost

DigitalOcean Basic Droplet:

  • $12/month ($0.018/hour)
  • 2 GB RAM
  • 1 CPU
  • 50 GB SSD
  • 2 TB transfer

Split between 2 people: $6/month each

New User Credit

  • $200 credit for 60 days
  • First 60 days are FREE!
  • Cancel anytime before credit runs out

Monitoring Costs

  1. Log into DigitalOcean
  2. Click "Billing" in left menu
  3. See month-to-date usage

Destroying the Droplet (to save money)

If you want to pause and not pay:

  1. DigitalOcean dashboard
  2. Click "Droplets"
  3. Click droplet name
  4. Click "Destroy"
  5. Type droplet name to confirm

Note: This deletes everything! You'll need to set up from scratch again.

Security Best Practices

Disable Password Authentication (Use SSH Keys Only)

ssh claudeteam@YOUR_SERVER_IP
sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Find and change:

PasswordAuthentication no

Save and restart SSH:

sudo systemctl restart sshd

Enable Firewall

ssh claudeteam@YOUR_SERVER_IP

# Allow SSH
sudo ufw allow 22/tcp

# Enable firewall
sudo ufw enable

# Check status
sudo ufw status

Keep System Updated

Run monthly:

ssh claudeteam@YOUR_SERVER_IP
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Quick Reference Card

Print this and keep handy:

═══════════════════════════════════════
  CLAUDE CODE COLLABORATION
═══════════════════════════════════════

Server IP: ________________

Username: claudeteam

Session: claude-collab

═══════════════════════════════════════
  COMMANDS
═══════════════════════════════════════

Join session:
  ssh claudeteam@SERVER_IP
  join-claude-session.sh YOUR_NAME claude-collab

Check if running:
  ssh claudeteam@SERVER_IP
  tmux ls

Restart session:
  ssh claudeteam@SERVER_IP
  tmux kill-session -t claude-collab
  tmux new-session -s claude-collab -d
  tmux send-keys -t claude-collab "claude-code" C-m

Exit session:
  Ctrl+B, then D

═══════════════════════════════════════

Next Steps

  • Part 1: Create SSH key ✓
  • Part 2: Create DigitalOcean droplet ✓
  • Part 3: Connect to server ✓
  • Part 4: Set up server ✓
  • Part 5: Install collaboration script ✓
  • Part 6: Set up local Mac ✓
  • Part 7: Join session ✓
  • Part 8: Add collaborator ✓
  • Part 9: Start collaborating! ✓

Support

Ready to start? Begin with Part 1 and you'll be collaborating in about an hour!