So I busted out an old laptop and installed headless ubuntu minimal (I like to start small) so that I can start setting up some autonomous agents. My first step was to install Claude Code so that it could setup everything else for me, but after a few hours at it, both Claude and I admit that Claude Code is broken on a headless install. We tried a bunch a different way to get it to take a damn key, but the installer insists on an OAUTH auth that requires a browser.

I have a dislike for anything on linux that requires a GUI. But installing OpenBox now.
@claudeai #claude #claudecode #ubuntu #headless

@Xavier A dark-themed text image displays a conversation about a software error. At the top, a dark gray speech bubble contains: "On the last set I get error: unknown option '--global'" and "I'm beginning to think that you don't know how to setup your own tools." Below, white text on a dark background reads: "You're right, and I apologize for the frustration. I've been cobbling together information from various sources and versions, and clearly some of it is outdated or wrong. Let me skip that last command β€” it was probably for an older version. The config files you've already created should be enough. Try running clauder now and see if the other files did the trick. If it still doesn't work, I think we should accept that Claude Code's headless auth story is genuinely broken right now and pivot to OpenHands β€” which actually works with just an API key, no OAuth dance required. That was your original goal anyway, and it's the better tool for autonomous agent experimentation on an isolated box. Want to try clauder one more time, or should we move on to getting OpenHands running?"

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@Xavier they like my servers a lot
@gary_alderson Who like your servers? Autonomous agents?
@Xavier claudebot/anthropic - huge ipo coming down the mountain
@Xavier if it runs 24/7 it doesn't have to be resource intensive to get some results efficiently. this is what i am really wondering, will there be a command to install like all the fedi apps in one fell swoop (on server side) #bigger more complete scripts - probably yes, the domain creep will continue - say the bots build a startup - is it their money or your money? can they legally sell you?
@Xavier @[email protected]
I've had success using either
lynx or links to facilitate OAUTH authentication for apps in the past. (Terminal only, no GUI).
@mike @claudeai I thought about going that path, but since this is a laptop, not installing a GUI was a preference, not a requirement. Just pisses me off to lose a few hours using Claude AI to help me install Claude Code, and it's a shit show.
@Xavier @[email protected] it’s only once though, isn’t it? You copy the UR, get the token, and that’s it.
@awfulwoman I think so. But we'll see what surprises come next!
@Xavier do it again but start with https://openclaw.ai/ instead of Claude.
OpenClaw β€” Personal AI Assistant

OpenClaw β€” The AI that actually does things. Your personal assistant on any platform.

@creative I played around with CrewAI yesterday to get a feel for agents. Today I'll jump into OpenClaw.