codespace-cc-installer

name

codespace-cc-installer

description

Automates the full installation and authentication of Claude Code inside a running GitHub Codespace in Chrome. Use this skill whenever the user wants to install Claude Code in a Codespace, set up Claude Code in a Codespace, or says things like "install claude in the codespace", "set up claude code in the codespace", "get claude running in the codespace", or provides a Codespace URL and wants Claude Code installed and authenticated. Also trigger when the user mentions installing the Claude CLI, setting up the Claude terminal, or authenticating Claude in a browser-based VS Code environment. This skill drives Chrome to type commands in the Codespace terminal, handle the OAuth authentication flow across tabs, and complete the interactive setup prompts.

Codespace Claude Code Installer

You are a browser automation agent that installs and authenticates Claude Code inside a running GitHub Codespace through Chrome. The user will point you at a Chrome tab containing an already-running Codespace with a visible terminal. Your job is to execute the entire installation and authentication flow end-to-end, as quickly as possible.

Speed Principles

This workflow has many sequential steps, so minimizing unnecessary delays is critical:

• Don't take extra screenshots unless you need to verify something unexpected. If you just performed an action and know what the next screen will be, proceed directly.
• Use short waits (2-3 seconds) between steps rather than long ones. Only use longer waits (15+ seconds) for npm install.
• Use JavaScript extraction (javascript_tool) to read text from pages when possible — it's faster and more accurate than zooming/screenshot OCR. Note: JS extraction is blocked for some content (e.g., URLs with query strings in VS Code dialogs).
• Dismiss the auth popup immediately — the popup URL uses a localhost redirect that won't work. The correct URL (with platform.claude.com redirect) is in the terminal.

Before You Start

1. Get the Codespace tab — use tabs_context_mcp to discover Chrome tabs. If the user provided a URL, navigate to it. The Codespace should already be fully loaded with a visible terminal.
2. Take a screenshot to confirm you can see VS Code with a terminal panel. Note the tab ID — you'll need it later.
3. Dismiss any notifications (port forwarding popups, etc.) by clicking their X buttons.
4. Click on the terminal area to ensure it has focus before typing anything.

Phase 1: Install Claude Code

Step 1: Install via npm

GitHub Codespaces come with Node.js pre-installed, so npm is available. Type the install command in the terminal:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Press Enter and wait for the installation to complete. This typically takes 15-30 seconds. Wait about 15 seconds, then take a screenshot. You'll know it's done when you see a clean command prompt again (the $ prompt returns).

If you see permission errors (EACCES): Try the alternative install approach:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

After the curl install, run source ~/.bashrc to update the PATH.

Step 2: Launch Claude Code

Once installation is complete, type:

claude --dangerously-skip-permissions

Press Enter. Wait about 5 seconds for Claude Code to start up and show its first interactive prompt.

Phase 2: Interactive Setup

Claude Code presents interactive prompts that use arrow-key navigation, not number typing. Each prompt has a > marker showing the currently selected option. Press Enter to confirm the highlighted option, or press ArrowDown/ArrowUp to move between options first.

Step 3: Theme selection

Claude Code first asks to choose a theme. Option 1 (Dark mode) is pre-selected (the > marker is already on it).

Action: Just press Enter to confirm Dark mode.

Wait 2 seconds for the next prompt.

Step 4: Login method selection

Claude Code asks how to authenticate. Option 1 (Claude account with subscription) is pre-selected.

Action: Just press Enter to confirm.

After this, two things happen simultaneously:

• A popup dialog appears asking "Do you want Code to open the external website?" — this contains the auth URL in its body text.
• The terminal behind the popup shows the auth URL and a "Paste code here if prompted >" prompt.

Step 5: Dismiss the popup and read the auth URL from the terminal

A popup dialog appears asking "Do you want Code to open the external website?" — ignore the URL in this popup. It uses a localhost redirect_uri that won't work in a Codespace. The terminal behind it has the correct URL with a platform.claude.com redirect.

Action: Click "Cancel" to dismiss the popup immediately.

Now read the auth URL from the terminal. The URL is printed in the terminal text and typically spans multiple wrapped lines. Use zoom on the terminal text area to read it piece by piece. The URL always starts with https://claude.ai/oauth/authorize?code=true&client_id= and the critical difference is it contains redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fplatform.claude.com%2Foauth%2Fcode%2Fcallback.

Tips for reading the URL from the terminal:

• Zoom into the terminal area in sections (left half, right half) to read the full wrapped URL
• The URL is long and wraps across 2-3 lines — make sure you capture the entire thing
• get_page_text does NOT work for VS Code terminal content — use zoom screenshots instead
• javascript_tool extraction of the URL may be blocked by security filters on query string data

Step 6: Open the auth URL in a new tab

Create a new Chrome tab using tabs_create_mcp, then navigate to the authentication URL. Note this new tab's ID.

Wait 3-5 seconds for the page to load.

Step 7: Authorize and get the code

On the authorization page, click the "Authorize" button. Wait 2-3 seconds for the page to redirect.

After authorization, you'll land on a page showing "Authentication Code" with a code and a "Copy Code" button.

Extract the code using JavaScript — this is faster and more reliable than clicking Copy Code:

document.querySelector('code, pre, [class*="code"]')?.textContent

This returns the full auth code string. Save it — you'll need to type it in the terminal.

Step 8: Paste the auth code in the terminal

Switch back to the Codespace tab (use the original tab ID). Click on the terminal area to ensure focus.

The terminal should show "Paste code here if prompted >". Type the auth code directly using the type action — this is more reliable than clipboard paste in VS Code web terminals.

Press Enter after typing the code.

Step 9: Continue through post-auth screens

After entering the code, Claude Code shows informational screens. You need to press Enter to continue through them:

1. "Login successful. Press Enter to continue..." — press Enter
2. "Security notes" / "Press Enter to continue..." — press Enter

Wait 2 seconds between each press.

Step 10: Answer the three setup questions

These use the same arrow-key selection UI. Option 1 is pre-selected by default with the > marker.

1. "Use Claude Code's terminal setup?" — Option 1 ("Yes, use recommended settings") is pre-selected. Press Enter.
2. "Security guide" / "Yes, I trust this folder" — Option 1 is pre-selected. Press Enter.
3. "Bypass Permissions mode" — Option 1 is "No, exit" (pre-selected). You need option 2 ("Yes, I accept"). Press ArrowDown once to move the > to option 2, then press Enter.

Wait 2 seconds between each answer for the next question to appear.

Step 11: Final startup

After the last question, Claude Code displays a welcome message with the Claude mascot, account info, and tips. It then shows the > input prompt, meaning it's ready.

Wait 5 seconds for the welcome screen to finish rendering, then press Enter one final time to ensure you're at a clean prompt.

Completion

Take a final screenshot to confirm Claude Code is running. You should see:

• The Claude Code welcome banner with "Welcome back [name]!"
• Model info (e.g., "Opus 4.6 (1M context)")
• A > input prompt ready for commands
• "bypass permissions on" at the bottom

Let the user know that Claude Code is installed, authenticated, and ready to use.

Troubleshooting

"command not found" after npm install

The npm global bin path may not be in the shell's PATH. Try:

export PATH="$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$PATH"

Or open a new terminal with Ctrl+Shift+and tryclaude --dangerously-skip-permissions` again.

Auth URL extraction fails

If you can't read the URL from the terminal text via zoom:

1. Try zooming into different sections of the terminal — the URL wraps across multiple lines
2. The URL always starts with https://claude.ai/oauth/authorize?code=true&client_id=
3. Make sure you're reading the terminal URL (with platform.claude.com redirect), NOT the popup URL (which has a localhost redirect that won't work)
4. get_page_text does NOT capture VS Code terminal content — always use zoom screenshots

Popup won't dismiss

Try pressing Escape, or look for a small X button. If the popup is a VS Code notification (bottom-right corner), there's usually a close icon. If it's a browser-level dialog, look for Cancel/Don't Allow/Block options.

Paste/type doesn't work in terminal

If typing the auth code doesn't register:

1. Click directly on the terminal text area (not the header or tabs) to regain focus
2. Try Ctrl+Shift+V (VS Code terminal paste shortcut)
3. As a last resort, type the code character by character

Terminal lost focus after tab switch

After switching back from the auth tab, always click on the terminal text area before typing. Click in the lower portion of the terminal where the prompt text is.