cloudflare-tunnel

name	cloudflare-tunnel
description	This skill should be used when users need to expose a local development web service to the internet via Cloudflare Tunnel. Use when users say 'expose my local server', 'share my dev server', 'create a tunnel', 'cloudflare tunnel', 'public URL for localhost', 'trycloudflare', or need to share a locally running service with others for testing or preview.

Cloudflare Tunnel

Expose any local web service to the internet instantly using Cloudflare Tunnel (cloudflared). Supports two modes: quick tunnels (zero config, temporary URL) and named tunnels (persistent, reusable).

Quick Start

For the fastest path to a public URL, run the helper script with the local port:

~/.claude/skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh quick <port>

This creates a temporary *.trycloudflare.com URL with no authentication required.

Workflow

1. Check Prerequisites

Before starting a tunnel, verify cloudflared is installed:

~/.claude/skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh status

If not installed, install it:

~/.claude/skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh install

On macOS this uses Homebrew. On Linux it detects apt/yum/pacman automatically.

2. Choose Tunnel Type

Quick Tunnel (recommended for most dev work):

• No Cloudflare account or authentication needed
• Generates a random *.trycloudflare.com subdomain
• URL changes each time the tunnel restarts
• Max 200 concurrent in-flight requests
• No Server-Sent Events (SSE) support
• Will not work if a config.yaml exists in ~/.cloudflared/

Named Tunnel (for persistent access):

• Requires a Cloudflare account and authentication
• Stable tunnel identity (UUID-based)
• Can be mapped to custom DNS hostnames
• Supports all protocols

3. Start the Tunnel

Quick Tunnel

To expose a local HTTP service:

~/.claude/skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh quick <port>

To expose an HTTPS local service:

~/.claude/skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh quick <port> https

The script outputs a public URL like https://random-words.trycloudflare.com. Share this URL for remote access.

Named Tunnel

First authenticate (one-time):

~/.claude/skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh login

Create the tunnel (one-time per project):

~/.claude/skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh create my-project

Run the tunnel:

~/.claude/skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh named my-project <port>

4. Stop the Tunnel

Press Ctrl+C in the terminal, or:

~/.claude/skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh stop

Script Reference

The helper script at scripts/tunnel.sh supports these commands:

Command	Description
quick <port> [protocol]	Start a quick tunnel (default protocol: http)
named <name> <port>	Run a named tunnel
create <name>	Create a new named tunnel
list	List existing named tunnels
login	Authenticate with Cloudflare
stop	Stop any running tunnel
status	Check installation and auth status
install	Install cloudflared

Common Patterns

React dev server (port 3000):

~/.claude/skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh quick 3000

Vite dev server (port 5173):

~/.claude/skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh quick 5173

Django/Rails/Express (port 8000):

~/.claude/skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh quick 8000

PHP built-in server (port 8080):

~/.claude/skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh quick 8080

Troubleshooting

• "config.yaml exists" error with quick tunnels: Quick tunnels fail if ~/.cloudflared/config.yaml exists. Temporarily rename or remove it.
• HTTP 429 errors: Quick tunnels cap at 200 concurrent in-flight requests. For higher traffic, use a named tunnel.
• SSE not working: Quick tunnels do not support Server-Sent Events. Use a named tunnel instead.
• Tunnel stops when terminal closes: Run with nohup or screen/tmux to persist across terminal sessions.