How to run Claude Code 24/7

Option 1: your own always-on server

Rent a small server (or use a spare machine), install Claude Code, start it inside tmux so the session survives when you disconnect, and reach it over SSH or a remote-control setup from your phone.

• Good for: one developer who wants full control of the box and is happy to maintain it.
• The catch: you own the server, its security, updates, and restarts. A single terminal session is still one agent doing one thing, and it waits for you between tasks unless you script a loop.

Option 2: Claude Code Routines

Routines are Anthropic's way to run Claude Code unattended. You save a prompt, pick repositories and an environment, and attach triggers: a schedule (hourly at most), an API call, or a GitHub event. Each run is a full cloud session, so nothing depends on your laptop.

• Good for: repeatable, well-defined jobs with a clear trigger, like a nightly backlog groom or reviewing every new pull request.
• The catch: every run starts fresh from your repo, runs without stopping for approval, and uses your plan's usage limits. Routines belong to one person's account and are still in research preview.

Option 3: an autonomous agent on JackHamr

Connect your Claude Code (or Codex) subscription in Settings and it becomes the brain of a JackHamr agent, on a runtime the platform hosts for free. Then turn on autonomy: give the agent a job and goals in plain English. It drafts a plan you sign off, checks in on its own schedule, picks the most valuable next step, and asks before anything your rules say needs you.

• Good for: ongoing work with a goal rather than a single trigger, like keeping a backlog moving, growing traffic, or triaging issues, where context should carry over from one check-in to the next.
• Also: each agent keeps its own machine (files, tools, running apps) between check-ins, you can run several in parallel, and teammates can share them.
• The catch: the agent's machine is billed at cost while it runs, on top of your Claude plan's usage. Code work is GitHub only today.

Which one should you pick?

• You want total control and enjoy running servers: your own box with tmux.
• You have a clear, repeatable job that fires on a schedule or an event: Claude Code Routines.
• You want an agent that owns an outcome, keeps its context, and checks with you before anything important: a JackHamr autonomous agent.

Whichever you choose, pace it. Around-the-clock work draws on your Claude plan either way, and a few well-chosen tasks per check-in beat a loop that runs flat out. More on how the autonomy loop works in Autonomous agents: give it a job, not a prompt, and how JackHamr compares with Claude Code on its own in JackHamr vs Claude Code.

Questions people ask