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ZDNET Highlights
- Cloud Code installation is simple as long as you follow a few simple steps.
- Projects are scoped per directory, so setup location matters.
- Proper setup unlocks fast, stable, agentic development workflows.
Cloud code is making waves in the development world. I recently used Anthropic’s coding assistant to build a complex and fairly sophisticated iPhone app from start to finish.
I started by using Cloud Code inside the Code Intelligence feature of Apple’s Xcode, but found the Code Intelligence to be poor. It constantly crashed or hung. I confirmed that it was Code Intelligence, not Cloud Code, that was causing the problems, because when I tried to use OpenAI’s codecs in Code Intelligence, I encountered the same bad behavior.
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When I set up Cloud Code to run from the terminal via command line, everything worked fine. I had an incredibly productive experience. That’s what we’ll be discussing in this article: how to set up Cloud Code in Terminal, and how to get it working with Xcode.
Please don’t think that this article will only be helpful if you plan to code an Apple app. Everything I’m going to show you applies to other apps as well. It’s just that my project is an iPhone app, so that’s what my examples will contain.
Let’s get you signed up
The thing is: you can’t get a lot of agentic coding done with the free tier of the cloud. You have to sign up for this Pro Plan ($17/month) Or max plan (Starting at $100/month). I recommend starting with the Pro plan. After about five hours, if you decide you like Cloud Code, you’ll have to move up to the Max plan, but it’s easy enough to do.
I’ve found that the Max plan gives you a lot of mileage. I’ve been using it extensively this month, and it hasn’t impressed me yet. This makes Cloud Code less than $100/month OpenAI’s CodexWhich starts at $200/month if you do any consistent growth.
After this, you need to connect to GitHubI found that even if you don’t want to use GitHub, you still have to connect to it,
GitHub is a best practice that many developers use, but not all projects need GitHub, especially if you’re a solo developer. So, if you’re already signed into GitHub, you’re golden.
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If you’re not using GitHub, don’t try to avoid it. Signing up for GitHub is free, and so is creating a repo. There is some degree of separation anxiety in the cloud. It will not proceed with the necessary setup steps without a fully authorized GitHub connection. Luckily, the process is pretty much on track, so follow my guidelines, and you’ll get through it with ease.
I have a GitHub account and a few repositories, so I created a new repository and linked it to that. You must first authorize your connection.
Next, you need to connect your repo. It says you’re installing the Cloud Code GitHub app, but that’s not entirely accurate. You are adding some tracking files. The actual install will come later.
Now, it will ask where to install Cloud Code. This is a selection box for all your GitHub accounts. You just have to select your account. As I said, the actual cloud code install will come later. You are just playing to keep the robot happy.
here’s another one. This time, you’re specifying the repository you want to add the cloud code to. I’m working on a 3D printing spool filament inventory system, hence the name “filamentary”. This isn’t its final name, but it works for now.
Okay, now you are ready enough to start the actual installation. Let’s do this next.
Install Cloud Code on your computer
Cloud Code will run in different development environments, but it is designed and works best for your terminal application. I was a little hesitant about it, because I didn’t want to switch back and forth between my terminal and my IDE, but it turned out to be a very intuitive, very easy way to do this.
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Start by pointing your browser to the cloud’s settings, clicking the small braces icon (shown at 1 below), and then clicking the “Install instructions here” link (shown at 2).
Next, you will see a command line. In my case, I am using Mac as my development machine, so I chose Mac environment. Choose the option that is right for you, click on it, and then copy the command line.
Paste that into your Terminal program, and press Enter.
Let it run until it says it is complete.
But, alas, it’s not really complete. Notice in the following screenshot that the original command is shown on line 1. At 2, the installer indicates that a path change is required. It shows you the command line for that. So, at 3am, I went ahead and pasted in that command line and hit return.
Now, Cloud Code is installed.
start coding
Here’s the big secret of using Cloud Code: everything works from the current working directory. So, if you have one project in /a/b/c/project1 and another in /a/b/c/project2, the cloud running in project1 won’t know anything about project2. And Claude, when running in Project2, will not know anything about Project1.
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As long as you keep this in mind, and put the CD in the appropriate directory before starting the cloud, all will be well. So let’s do this. I keep my development folder in my documents. An easy way to make sure it’s picked up on all backup sweeps is that it works. I have a fairly deep folder structure, but my current iPhone project is located in a folder called xcode.
So, the first thing I do is CD into that folder. Then, go ahead and launch Cloud by typing ‘cloud’ on your command line. Cloud Startup will perform a series of steps that will be repeated for each new project folder you set up. Here, it is asking about the subject. Of course dark.
After this, it needs to be connected to your subscription. Most of you will go through the subscription option, so choose that.
Next, you will need to authorize the link.
On this occasion Anthropic will share with you the facts of life. Press Enter to accept the fact that our robot overlords are wrong.
I Firmly We recommend that you let Cloud Code use its recommended settings. You can change things later if you want. But this is the most straightforward way to do it.
Now, you need to confirm that you are in the correct folder you want to work on and trust what is in it. Trust is a fleeting thing. At some point, you have to rely on something, or you will be completely on your own (Mom Beware Life Lesson #47).
And now, here we are.
You can start working right away, but there are a few more things you should do to make sure everything is installed correctly. We’ll jump into that next.
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Initialization and first phase
Cloud Code uses several slash commands that modify its behavior. You can also add your own slash commands later on.
The first one you should run is /init. This will scan your folder, create a Cloud.MD File, which he can use as a reference, and generally be familiar with your code.
As you can see, it has improved my understanding of what’s inside my codebase.
My folder is not ancient. I initially created the project using the cloud in Xcode with Code Intelligence. That process was documented in this article. So, as soon as the cloud does its /init process, it knows that code.
Finally, after he completed that scan, I gave Claude his first agentic assignment. I wanted it to clean up the mess left behind by code intelligence and ensure there were no duplicate files or code instances.
From here, I moved on to “Vibe Code” for a fully working iPhone app. I hope this helps you get started.
Cloud’s new Slack integration
Here’s a quick mention of another way to talk to Cloud Code: via Slack. Anthropic announced this As a research preview a few days ago.
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I think it’s an interesting approach, but I would be worried about accidentally typing something in Slack and putting the cloud in some kind of weird state. It’s worth considering, but don’t get sucked into this interaction mode until you’ve done some more research. It’s probably best to wait until the feature comes out of beta.
Have you tried Cloud Code?
How are you? Have you tried Cloud Code yet, either inside an IDE or from a terminal? If so, how did it compare to tools like OpenAI codecs or built-in code intelligence features? Do you prefer AI coding assistants embedded directly into your editor, or do you find a command-line workflow more stable and productive? And how do pricing, reliability, and setup friction factor into whether you’ll adopt such a device long-term? Let us know in the comments below.
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