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Claude Code on Ubuntu Linux (local AI / Ollama machine)

Context: This covers installing and configuring Claude Code (the CLI) on an Ubuntu Linux box that is also running Ollama for local model inference — currently the target is the Minisforum MS-01 ("the NUC", Ubuntu 24.04 LTS), which will also host the eGPU-connected RTX 3090 Ti for local models. Claude Code itself talks to Anthropic's hosted API; it is not the thing running against the local Ollama models. Its role here is to be the terminal coding agent used to work on this office-plan repo (and other repos) directly on that machine, so the setup below is the same as any other dev box — the Ollama/GPU context just explains why this particular machine needs it.

1. Prerequisites

  • Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (or 22.04 — both supported)
  • A user account with sudo access
  • Node.js 18 or newer — Claude Code is distributed as an npm package
  • Git (needed to work with this repo and any others)

Check what's already there:

lsb_release -a
node -v      # want >= 18
npm -v
git --version

2. Install Node.js (if missing or too old)

Ubuntu's default apt nodejs package is often outdated. Use NodeSource's setup script for a current LTS release:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_lts.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
node -v
npm -v

Alternative if you'd rather manage Node versions per-project (useful since this box will likely run other AI/dev tooling too): install nvm instead of the system Node, then nvm install --lts.

3. Install Claude Code

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Verify:

claude --version
claude doctor   # sanity-checks the install and environment

If npm install -g fails on permissions (common with a system Node install where global packages need root), don't sudo npm install -g — that causes ownership headaches later. Instead fix npm's global prefix once:

mkdir -p ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

4. First run / authentication

claude

On first launch it walks through auth in the browser (or paste-a-link flow if there's no local browser on this headless-ish box — the MS-01 may be run headless most of the time). Sign in with the same Anthropic account used elsewhere (Claude Pro/Max or Console/API billing, whichever this account uses).

If the MS-01 is being accessed over SSH without a browser available on the box itself, claude will print a URL to open on another device (e.g. the MacBook Pro) to complete login — same pattern as any CLI OAuth flow.

5. Point Claude Code at this repo

git clone https://github.com/bryanwills/office-plan.git ~/code/llc/office-plan
cd ~/code/llc/office-plan
claude

Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md files in the repo (and ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md for global/user-level instructions) automatically — if there's an existing global CLAUDE.md on the Mac worth carrying over to this machine, copy it to ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md on the Ubuntu box. Project-level instructions live in the repo itself and travel with the clone.

6. Relationship to Ollama on this machine

Claude Code and Ollama are independent processes that happen to share the box:

  • Ollama serves local models (e.g. the planned Qwen3.8:27B once the eGPU rig is powered on) over its own local API, typically http://localhost:11434.
  • Claude Code is a separate CLI that calls Anthropic's hosted API over the network — it does not route through Ollama and doesn't need it running to work.

They don't conflict; both can run at once. The only shared resource is machine RAM/CPU (and GPU once the eGPU is live) — Ollama serving a large local model will compete for RAM with anything else running, so keep that in mind if Claude Code (or other tooling) feels sluggish while a big Ollama model is loaded.

If a future workflow wants Claude Code to actually call the local Ollama model (e.g. as an MCP tool, or via an Ollama-compatible endpoint), that's a separate integration to design — not part of base install. Flag as a later task if/when relevant, not attempted here.

7. Useful day-to-day commands

claude              # start an interactive session in the current directory
claude doctor        # diagnose install/config issues
claude --version     # confirm version
claude update        # or: npm update -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

8. Keeping it updated

npm update -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Claude Code also self-checks and can prompt for updates on launch, but running the npm update periodically (especially after not using the box for a while) avoids drift from the Mac's Claude Code version.

Open items

  • MS-01 delivery/first-boot status — see PROJECT_STATE.md §5a-now for current state (as of 2026-09-07, not yet powered on).
  • Whether this box runs Claude Code interactively (SSH'd in from the MacBook Pro) or ends up part of the OpenJarvis command-center automation — undecided, see docs/infrastructure/openjarvis-command-center.md.