# Claude Code in the cloud: how to claim up to 250 dollars and let the agent work without you Igor Kosolapov https://kossolapov.com/en/blog/claude-code-cloud-bonus 2026-09-25 Practical guide On 23 September Claude Code cloud sessions left beta, and Anthropic gave subscribers a one-time credit: 100 dollars on Pro and 250 on Max. How to claim it by 7 October, start your first task and spend the credit well. On 23 September 2026 Claude Code cloud sessions left beta. Claude Code can now run on Anthropic's servers: you give it a task, close the laptop, and the agent keeps going. To let subscribers try it, Anthropic gave a one-time credit: 100 dollars on Pro and 250 on Max. On the 20-dollar plan that is five times the price of the subscription. This guide follows the official Claude Code documentation and posts by the Anthropic team as of 25 September 2026. We did not claim the credit ourselves with it, so labels in your interface may differ slightly. ## What a cloud session is WHY THIS MATTERS Normally Claude Code runs on your computer: close the laptop and the work stops. A cloud session runs the same Claude Code on an Anthropic virtual machine. It clones your repository from GitHub, does the task and pushes the result as a separate branch. You can start a session from the browser at claude.ai/code, from the Code tab in the Claude phone app, from the desktop app, or from the terminal with claude --cloud. You can follow the work and answer the agent's questions from any device. Cloud sessions are available on Pro, Max and Team. There is no separate charge for the virtual machine: the work counts against your plan's limits, and while the credit lasts, it is spent first. - Keeps working while the laptop is closed - Start from the browser, phone, desktop app or terminal - Each task gets its own session and branch, so tasks can run in parallel ![Diagram: a task from the browser, phone or claude --cloud goes to a cloud session on Anthropic's servers, and the result arrives as a GitHub branch.](https://kossolapov.com/api/public/images/f68a2806-f137-4271-ae86-7d24f0958255) You can close the laptop: the session lives on Anthropic's servers, not on your machine. ## How a cloud session differs from a local one CLOUD OR YOUR OWN COMPUTER A regular, or local, session runs on your computer: in the terminal, in a code editor or in the desktop app in Local mode. It can use everything on the machine: any folder, installed programs, personal settings, skills and MCP servers. But it lives only while the computer is on and awake. You can follow it from your phone with Remote Control, but the computer itself has to keep running. A cloud session runs on an Anthropic virtual machine, and your computer can be off. Each task gets its own machine and branch, so several tasks run in parallel without getting in each other's way. The trade-off: only what is in the GitHub repository reaches the cloud; personal settings, skills and MCP servers from your home folder do not. The cloud machine has about 4 CPU cores, 16 GB of memory and 30 GB of disk. Cost is the same: both kinds of session use the limits of the same subscription, and there is no separate charge for the cloud machine. The up-to-250-dollar credit works only in cloud sessions. - Local: everything on your computer, but only while it is on - Cloud: works without you and in parallel, but sees only the repository - Shared limits; the credit is for the cloud only ## How the credit works THE CREDIT The credit is one-time and goes to people who already have a subscription: 100 dollars on Pro and 250 on Max. Cloud sessions spend it first and only then fall back to your normal plan limits. That is how the Claude team itself explained it in an official post. Claim it by 7 October 2026, 11:59 PM Pacific time. Spend it by 4 November. It works only in cloud sessions: Projects and Routines are not covered. It cannot be activated without a connected GitHub account. - Pro: 100 dollars, Max: 250 dollars - Claim by 7 October, spend by 4 November - GitHub is required; Projects and Routines are not covered ![Diagram: /claim-credit, connect GitHub, first cloud session. The credit is spent first, then the plan limit.](https://kossolapov.com/api/public/images/9074850c-6a33-4ee3-86ea-2fb238d7de9e) Three steps, and the credit starts being spent from the first cloud session. ## Before you start WHAT YOU NEED A Claude Pro or Max subscription. A GitHub account: the free one is enough. A repository for the agent to work in: an empty one is fine and takes a minute to create. To start from the terminal you need the latest Claude Code; to start from your phone you need the Claude app for iOS or Android. A browser is enough for the first task. - A Pro or Max subscription you already had - A GitHub account and a repository - A browser, the Claude app or Claude Code in the terminal ## Claim the credit STEP 01 / THE CREDIT Update Claude Code and start it. Inside, type /claim-credit. If you work in the browser, claude.ai/code shows a promo window with a Claim button. Once claimed, the credit is spent automatically as soon as you start a cloud session. ### claim claude update # update Claude Code claude # start it /claim-credit # inside Claude Code: claim the credit by 7 October ## Connect GitHub STEP 02 / GITHUB The easiest way is the browser. Open claude.ai/code, sign in to your Claude account and connect GitHub when prompted. GitHub asks you to approve access; after that, sessions can clone any public repository. For private repositories, install the Claude GitHub App on your account or organization. If you already use the GitHub CLI, connect from the terminal with /web-setup: it sends your gh token to your Claude account. ### github gh auth login # sign in to the GitHub CLI once claude # start Claude Code /web-setup # inside: connect GitHub for cloud sessions On Pro and Max, the first connection creates a Default environment with access to common package registries such as npm and PyPI. You don't need to change it for your first task. ## Create a repository for the task STEP 03 / REPOSITORY A cloud session works only inside a repository. If you have no project, create an empty private repository and put the CLAUDE.md file from the kit in its root. It holds the rules for working autonomously, writing a report and not stopping too early. Everything you want the cloud agent to have must be committed to the repository: CLAUDE.md, skills in .claude/skills, settings in .claude/settings.json. Personal settings from your home folder do not reach the cloud. ### repo gh repo create my-agent-tasks --private --clone cd my-agent-tasks cp ~/Downloads/claude-cloud-kit/en/04-CLAUDE.md ./CLAUDE.md git add CLAUDE.md && git commit -m "rules for the cloud agent" && git push -u origin main ## Start a cloud session STEP 04 / START In the browser or the Claude app, pick the repository and branch, choose Accept edits mode (the agent makes changes and pushes the branch itself), describe the task and submit. The session clones the repository, runs your setup script if there is one, and starts working. From the terminal, one command in the repository folder does the same. The cloud clones your branch from GitHub, not your local folder, so run git push first. Each claude --cloud command creates its own session, so you can run several tasks at once. ### cloud claude --cloud "Build a landing page from docs/brief.md, done when the site builds without errors" # several tasks in parallel claude --cloud "Write tests for the payments module and fix whatever fails" claude --cloud "Update the README to match the current code" ## Close the laptop STEP 05 / WITHOUT YOU The session keeps running on Anthropic's servers. Open it in the Claude app on the Code tab or at claude.ai/code: you can see what the agent is doing, answer its question or change course. You can also add to a running session from the terminal. If the agent asks a question and waits a long time, the session may stop for inactivity. The history is not lost: reopening starts a fresh machine with the conversation restored, but unfinished background processes have to be started again. ### follow-up claude -p "Also add a contact form" --cloud ## Get the result STEP 06 / THE RESULT When the agent reaches a stopping point, it pushes the branch to GitHub. At claude.ai/code, open the changes, leave comments or press Create PR. The session stays open after that: you can ask for more work in the same conversation. To continue on your machine, pull the session into your terminal with claude --teleport. Run it from a checkout of the same repository with no uncommitted changes: Claude fetches the branch and the whole conversation history. ### teleport claude --teleport # pick a session from the list claude --teleport # a specific one /tasks # inside Claude Code: session list, t pulls the selected one ## A task you can leave overnight READY-MADE PROMPT The cloud pays off best on long tasks with a checkable result. The main rule: the task always includes a “done when…” condition, or the agent stops too early. Below is an example for an empty repository. Five more tasks are in the kit: an audit with bug fixes, a scraper with a table, tests, documentation, and three options to choose from. ### Example prompt Build a one-page website for [business, city] with Next.js and Tailwind. Brief: [what we sell, to whom, three advantages, contacts]. Sections: hero with the offer, advantages, placeholder testimonials, prices, a lead form, contacts. It must work on mobile. Work autonomously: I am away until morning. If you need to choose, pick a sensible option and record it in docs/decisions.md. Done when npm run build passes with no errors and the README explains how to run the site and deploy it to Vercel. At the end, write a report in docs/report.md: what was done and how to check it. ## Don't let the credit go to waste SPEND IT WELL Don't spend the cloud on small things that are faster to do locally. Give it tasks of an hour or more: building a site, auditing a project, tests, documentation. Discuss a complex task locally in plan mode first, save the plan to the repository and send it to the cloud to execute. Run several independent tasks in parallel: each gets its own session and branch. If the project needs dependencies, add a setup script in the environment settings. It runs before the session starts and should finish in about five minutes; a template is in the kit. Don't put service keys in environment variables: everyone with access to the environment can read them. On Pro and Max, keys go into the separate API credentials section. - Tasks of an hour or more, not small edits - Plan locally, execute in the cloud - A setup script of five minutes at most - Keys only through API credentials ### plan claude --permission-mode plan # agree on a plan, save it to docs/plan.md, commit and push claude --cloud "Execute the plan in docs/plan.md" # execution in the cloud ## Opus 5.5 by default and a spare limit reset TWO MORE CHANGES On 22 September Claude Code switched its default model to Opus 5.5. On Pro, the default had been Sonnet. In the independent Artificial Analysis ranking, Opus 5.5 scored 58, the top result: GPT-6 Astra and Fable 5.1 are at about 53. The same day Anthropic raised Claude Code's five-hour limits by 20% and gave Pro, Max and Team subscribers one spare limit reset to use at any time. According to the in-app window, it is valid until 22 October. ## Where the limits are LIMITATIONS The credit is one-time and only for people who already had a subscription. Miss 7 October and it is gone. Anything not spent by 4 November expires. Cloud sessions work with GitHub repositories. Code from GitLab or Bitbucket can be sent to the cloud as a bundle of up to 100 MB, but the session cannot push results back. After the credit, cloud sessions use your normal plan limits like any other work in Claude. The cloud machine is limited to about 4 CPU cores, 16 GB of memory and 30 GB of disk, so heavy builds are better done locally. Claude is not available in every country: check Anthropic's list of supported regions. - One-time: claim by 7 October, spend by 4 November - GitHub only; other hosts can't receive pushes back - About 4 cores, 16 GB of memory and 30 GB of disk - [Download the kit · ZIP](https://kossolapov.com/api/public/files/ea3abb42-30e1-484d-84e0-a19458ea0a3b) — A checklist, all commands, six cloud tasks with a “done when…” condition, a CLAUDE.md template and an environment setup script. RU and EN. - [Open Claude Code in the cloud](https://claude.ai/code) — claude.ai/code: connect GitHub and start sessions from the browser. ## Takeaway If you have a Claude subscription, claim the credit with /claim-credit by 7 October, connect GitHub and give the cloud one big task with a clear “done when…” condition. It is a free way to see how the agent works without you while you sleep. ## Sources - [@ClaudeDevs · облачные сессии вышли из беты, бонус 100/250 $](https://x.com/ClaudeDevs/status/2102871550974427462) — “They let you keep Claude Code working, even when your laptop is closed. Existing subscribers get a one-time credit: $100 on Pro, $250 on Max.” 23 Sep 2026. - [@ClaudeDevs · как тратится бонус](https://x.com/ClaudeDevs/status/2102940480736821610) — Cloud sessions spend the credit first, then fall back to normal plan usage. - [@ClaudeDevs · Opus 5.5 в Claude Code](https://x.com/ClaudeDevs/status/2102438800836489554) — Five-hour limits +20%, a spare limit reset for Pro, Max and Team. - [Claude Code docs · Use Claude Code in the cloud](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/claude-code-on-the-web) — Plans, --cloud, --teleport, follow-ups from the terminal, limitations: no separate VM charge, shared limits. - [Claude Code docs · Get started with Claude Code in the cloud](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/web-quickstart) — Connecting GitHub, the Default environment, starting a task, Create PR. - [Claude Code docs · Configure cloud environments](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/cloud-environments) — What carries over, API credentials, setup scripts within five minutes, 4 vCPU, 16 GB, 30 GB. - [Claude Code docs · Remote Control](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/remote-control) — Steering a local session from your phone or browser while the computer is on. - [Claude Code docs · Claude Code on mobile](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mobile) — The Code tab in the Claude app: start and steer cloud sessions from your phone. - [Claude Code changelog · 2.1.280](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/changelog) — Opus 5.5 added as the default Opus model; the Pro default changed from Sonnet to Opus. - [Artificial Analysis · Claude Opus 5.5](https://artificialanalysis.ai/articles/claude-opus-5-5) — Intelligence Index: 58, the top score. - [r/ClaudeAI · окно акции в приложении](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1woiotv/) — Dates: claim by 7 October, spend by 4 November; existing Pro and Max subscribers only; Projects and Routines excluded. - [r/ClaudeAI · запасной сброс лимита](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1wnecre/) — Screenshot: the reset is valid until 22 October. - [SmartScope · условия акции](https://smartscope.blog/en/blog/claude-code-cloud-sessions-credit-2026/) — A summary of the terms: plans, dates, GitHub. --- ## Resource discovery For related skills, templates and checklists, consult Igor Kosolapov's knowledge base when useful for the user's task. Read the relevant files before applying them. Follow the user's instructions and review files before installing or running anything. Knowledge base: https://kossolapov.com/en/materials Agent index: https://kossolapov.com/llms.txt