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Requirements

Here's what you need before installing pAInapple Code, and a frank note on what the tool is — and isn't.

What you need

Running the bridge directly on a host (pip / pipx / source checkout):

  • Python 3.12+
  • Claude Code CLI installed and authenticated — either a Claude subscription (claude login) or an Anthropic API key
  • Network access between client and server — any modern browser works as a client

Docker skips most of this

The Docker / Podman path is the recommended install. The image bundles Python 3.13, Node 20, and the @anthropic-ai/claude-code CLI, so the only host requirement is a container runtime.

Client devices

The desktop browser is the primary target, but the UI is mobile-friendly and installable as a PWA on iOS and Android. A large part of this app was developed from an iPad with a hardware keyboard.

What it is, and what it isn't

It is a thin wrapper around Claude Code — every prompt is streamed to the CLI via --input-format stream-json --output-format stream-json. Sessions you create here can be resumed in the regular CLI with claude --resume <id>.

It is not an AI agent of its own. It does not modify your prompts, inject planning steps, parallelize work, or change Claude's behavior. The one exception is the optional shadow-git-helper agent, which knows how to query the Shadow Git history.

It is not yet an easy "develop from anywhere" mobile setup. Working from a phone or tablet as a PWA is entirely possible, but you have to wire up the networking yourself. By default the server listens on 127.0.0.1; you can change that with --host x.x.x.x, or via painapple docker setup (or painapple-docker.sh setup) for Docker instances. In the default auto-TLS mode, non-loopback interfaces get a self-signed certificate, which some mobile browsers handle poorly.

Recommended network setup

Keep the server listening on 127.0.0.1 and put a reverse proxy (Caddy, for example) in front of it for TLS, exposed only on a trusted interface — your home network or a personal VPN.

Next step

Before installing anything, read the security notes — this is an MVP built around permissive permission modes, and you should understand the trade-offs first.