Claude Code Isolated Environment

A Docker-based isolated development environment with Claude Code and all essential development tools pre-installed.

Quick Start

# Run the setup script
./setup-claude-isolated.sh

# Start developing
claude-dev

What's Included

• Claude Code - Anthropic's official CLI
• Languages: Python 3, Node.js 20, TypeScript
• Python Tools: pip, pipenv, poetry, uv, black, pytest
• Node Tools: npm, typescript, ts-node, prettier, eslint
• Version Control: git, GitHub CLI (optional)
• Utilities: Docker CLI, ripgrep, jq, tmux, vim, nano

Usage

Basic Commands

# Start in current directory
claude-dev

# Start in specific project
claude-dev /path/to/project

# Start Claude directly
claude-dev . claude

# Update Claude Code to latest version
claude-dev-update

Inside the Container

# Run Claude Code
claude

# Use any installed tool
python3 script.py
npm install
git status

Features

• Isolated Environment: No system pollution
• Persistent Changes: Files are saved to your project
• GitHub Integration: Optional authentication during setup
• Docker-in-Docker: Run Docker commands inside container
• Pre-configured: Git aliases and useful tools ready to use

Examples

Basic Development Session

cd my-project
claude-dev
# Now inside container
claude  # Start Claude Code

Python Project

claude-dev my-python-app
# Inside container
uv pip install -r requirements.txt  # Fast installs with uv
python3 main.py

Node.js Project

claude-dev my-node-app
# Inside container
npm install
npm run dev

Requirements

• Docker installed and running
• Bash shell
• macOS or Linux (Windows users: use WSL2)

Optional: GitHub Integration

During setup, you can provide:

• GitHub username
• GitHub personal access token
• Git email (defaults to username@users.noreply.github.com)

This enables:

• Authenticated git operations
• GitHub CLI (gh) commands
• Automatic credential configuration

Troubleshooting

Permission Denied

chmod +x setup-claude-isolated.sh

Command Not Found

source ~/.bashrc
# Or open a new terminal

Update Claude Code

claude-dev-update

Rebuild After Setup Changes

If you modify the setup script or need to rebuild the environment:

# Exit container if you're in one
exit

# Re-run setup to regenerate Dockerfile
cd /path/to/claude-code-isolated-env
bash setup-claude-isolated.sh
# Press Enter/Y when asked about credentials

# Rebuild Docker image
cd ~/.claude-docker
docker build --no-cache -t claude-isolated .

# Run claude-dev
claude-dev

Notes

• Your project files are mounted at /workspace inside the container
• All changes are immediately reflected in your actual project directory
• The container is ephemeral - only your project files persist
• Install project dependencies inside the container as needed
• Use requirements.txt or virtual environment for project-specific dependencies. This keeps your dependencies documented and reproducible across different environments.