One Script to Rule Them All: Automating Ubuntu VM Setup for Claude Code Sessions
by Dragos Vilcu, Co-Founder / CEO
Every time we spin up a fresh cloud VM to run a Claude Code agent session, we face the same wall: no Docker, no Go, no Node.js, no Python, no Claude Code. You either spend 30 minutes running through the same manual steps, or you copy-paste a half-remembered script and pray it still works on Ubuntu 24.04.
We got tired of it. So we built the fix.
🚀 View the artifact & grab the script on Claude
What is setup-claude-vm.sh?
setup-claude-vm.sh is a single, self-contained bash script that configures a clean Ubuntu 24.04 LTS machine for Claude agent and AI-assisted coding sessions. It installs and wires together everything an AI coding session needs — from system packages all the way up to Claude Code itself.
The key design goal: idempotency. You can run it on a fresh machine, or re-run it on an existing one to update everything. It detects what's already there, upgrades it, and skips what's already current. No duplicate entries, no broken state.
What Gets Installed
The script handles 12 distinct setup phases in a single pass:
1. System Packages
Updates apt and installs the essentials: build-essential, curl, git, jq, tmux, screen, vim, and more. Runs apt upgrade to keep the base system current.
2. Docker (Official Repository)
Installs Docker CE from the official Docker repository — not the outdated docker.io package from Ubuntu's default repos. Adds your user to the docker group and enables the daemon on boot.
# Installed via official Docker APT repo
docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin3 & 4. NVM + Node.js LTS
Installs or updates NVM using the official installer (which safely does a git pull on existing installs). Then installs the latest Node.js LTS, migrating any existing global npm packages if a previous version is found.
# NVM fetches latest from GitHub releases API, then:
nvm install --lts --reinstall-packages-from=default
nvm alias default 'lts/*'5 & 6. GVM + Go (Latest Stable)
Installs GVM (Go Version Manager) and then fetches the latest stable Go version directly from the go.dev download API, installing it as binary (fast) and setting it as the default.
# Fetches latest Go version dynamically
GO_LATEST=$(curl -fsSL 'https://go.dev/dl/?mode=json' | jq -r '.[0].version')
gvm install "${GO_LATEST}" --binary
gvm use "${GO_LATEST}" --default7. uv + Python
Installs uv (the blazing-fast Python package manager from Astral) and uses it to install the latest stable CPython. If uv is already present, it runs uv self update instead.
8. Claude Code
Runs the official native Claude Code installer — the Bun-based one from claude.ai/install.sh. If Claude Code is already installed, the installer updates it to the latest version.
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash9. Automatic Security Updates
Configures unattended-upgrades for nightly, automatic security and system package updates. Auto-reboot is deliberately disabled — the script sets up a login notification and .bashrc check instead so you're prompted to reboot manually.
10. Shell Initialisation
Writes /etc/profile.d/claude-tools.sh (for login shells) and appends to ~/.bashrc (for interactive bash, tmux, and screen panes) — both protected by idempotency markers so they're never duplicated on re-runs.
11 & 12. Global CLAUDE.md
Generates a comprehensive ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md on every run. This file is picked up by Claude Code before any project-level context and documents the exact installed versions, tool locations, usage commands, and agent session best practices — all dynamically populated.
Get Up and Running in One Command
# Download and run (as a regular user with sudo, NOT root)
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/public/artifacts/655ba8c5-c12a-4697-a7ff-a90a67d93b03 -o setup-claude-vm.sh
bash setup-claude-vm.shAfter the script finishes, three quick steps remain for the first run:
# 1. Re-login or source to activate tools in current session
source ~/.bashrc
# 2. Authenticate Claude Code
claude auth
# 3. Log out and back in for docker group to take effectWhy Idempotency Matters for AI Workflows
When you're running Claude Code agents on ephemeral VMs — spot instances, CI runners, or cloud dev environments — you want to declare the desired state of the machine and let the script figure out what work actually needs to be done. That's exactly what this script does.
Changed items are tracked and reported in a summary at the end of each run, so you always know what actually changed vs. what was already current.
What's Next
We use this internally at Vlah Software House every time we spin up a new agent VM. We're open-sourcing it so the wider Claude Code community can benefit too.
We'd love to hear how you're using it — and what tools you'd add to the stack.
- Grab the script: Claude Artifact
Happy Coding! 🛠️