Homelab: Development Container with tmux and Claude Code

“The best tools are the ones you forget you’re using”

The Problem Link to heading

Every time I lose connection or close a terminal, all my sessions die.

I needed a development environment that doesn’t depend on my laptop, maybe remotely controllable. I spawned a container on my Proxmox server, accessible via SSH from Mac or phone, with sessions that never stop. Let’s see how I configured tmux.

LXC Container for Development Link to heading

I created a dedicated container on Proxmox. Specs:

• CT ID: 108
• Hostname: dev-workspace
• Template: Ubuntu 22.04
• Storage: 50GB on local-lvm
• RAM: 4GB + 2GB swap
• CPU: 4 cores
• IP: 192.168.1.216/24
• Features: nesting=1

pct start 108
pct enter 108

Base Setup Link to heading

I installed only the essentials:

apt update && apt upgrade -y
apt install -y git curl vim tmux

Node.js with nvm:

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.1/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc
nvm install --lts
nvm alias default 'lts/*'
npm install -g pnpm yarn @angular/cli

Best practice would be to use a different user, but I use root directly. The server is only accessible via Wireguard VPN, so there’s no direct exposure to the Internet and I feel safer.

SSH Link to heading

I installed OpenSSH and modified the configuration to allow root login:

apt install -y openssh-server
systemctl enable ssh

# Modify config to allow root login
echo "PermitRootLogin yes" >> /etc/ssh/sshd_config
systemctl restart ssh

On my Mac I added an alias in ~/.ssh/config:

Host dev-workspace
    HostName 192.168.1.216
    User root
    ServerAliveInterval 60

Now I connect with ssh dev-workspace.

tmux Link to heading

tmux keeps sessions active on the server even when I disconnect. Minimal configuration:

echo "set -g history-limit 10000" > ~/.tmux.conf

Basic commands:

tmux new -s dev          # Create session
tmux attach -t dev       # Reconnect
Ctrl+a d                 # Disconnect (session stays active)
Ctrl+a c                 # New window
Ctrl+a 0-9               # Switch window

Connection Link to heading

ssh dev-workspace

If I get the error “WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED”, I remove the old key:

ssh-keygen -R 192.168.1.216

Android Access Link to heading

I installed Termux from F-Droid:

pkg update && pkg upgrade
pkg install openssh

Connection (with Wireguard VPN active):

ssh [email protected]
tmux attach -t dev

Termux has an extra row with special keys (Ctrl, Alt, ESC). I use Ctrl+a as tmux prefix.

Claude Code Link to heading

Installation:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Workspace:

mkdir -p ~/workspace/{projects,docs/context}
cd ~/workspace/projects

Usage in tmux:

tmux new -s dev
claude code                  # Window 0
Ctrl+a c                     # New window for git/npm

Syncthing for Context Files Link to heading

I installed Syncthing to sync documentation and specs from Mac to server:

apt install -y syncthing
systemctl enable syncthing@root
systemctl start syncthing@root

Configuration for remote access:

systemctl stop syncthing@root
nano /root/.local/state/syncthing/config.xml
# Change <address>127.0.0.1:8384</address> to <address>0.0.0.0:8384</address>
systemctl start syncthing@root

I access the UI from http://192.168.1.216:8384 and configure:

1. On Mac: add subfolder as new folder in Syncthing
2. Connect the two devices by exchanging Device IDs
3. On server: accept the folder and map it to /root/workspace/docs/context

Now context files sync automatically and Claude Code can access them.

Workflow Link to heading

The setup is complete. Now I can:

1. Write specs on Mac → Syncthing syncs to server
2. Connect via SSH from Mac or phone
3. Attach to existing tmux session
4. Claude Code has access to updated context files
5. Disconnect whenever I want, sessions stay active