Setting up your spare Mac for Claude Code to control, a step-by-step guide
The guide, published on GitHub Pages, provides a step-by-step process to turn a spare Mac into a machine that Claude Code can fully control with computer use enabled. The author recommends starting fresh by wiping the target Mac and creating a new local account without an Apple ID to avoid exposing personal data. Steps include enabling Remote Login (SSH) via `sudo systemsetup -setremotelogin on`, configuring passwordless sudo by adding a rule to `/etc/sudoers.d/`, and finding the target's hostname using `scutil --get LocalHostName`. The guide notes that running Claude Code with the `--dangerously-skip-permissions` flag on a main machine carries inherent risks, and a separate environment eliminates or mitigates those risks. It also highlights the convenience of controlling Claude Code from a phone via the Claude app, leveraging a Claude subscription. The author contrasts this setup with container-based approaches, citing limitations such as network requests still going through the main machine and inability to run Mac-only apps like Unity. The guide assumes two Macs on the same Wi-Fi network and recommends using a hostname (e.g., `<target-host>.local`) for consistent access.
Developers can safely delegate risky tasks to an isolated spare Mac controlled by Claude Code.