stairway: from a chat idea to a running Claude Code experiment on my own server

Description and use

stairway automates starting Claude Code experiments from chat, handling folder creation, git init, and screen sessions, with support for Telegram and VS Code interfaces.

Problem

Developers often lose momentum when moving from a phone conversation with Claude to setting up an experiment on a server, requiring manual SSH, folder creation, and session initiation.

Outcome

stairway enables seamless transition from chat to running Claude Code experiments, reducing manual steps and allowing multi‑channel interaction (web, VS Code, Telegram).

Workflow

• Create experiment via chat command "Create an experiment called <name> and brief it with what we said"
• stairway creates <root>/<name> folder and runs git init
• stairway starts claude --remote-control <name> "<prompt>" inside a detached screen
• Claude Code session appears on claude.ai/code and can be followed from phone
• Optional: attach existing project via attach_folder after approval
• Optional: interact via browser VS Code or Telegram group

Evidence

So I built stairway: a small MCP server that lets the chat do that step itself.

Source

create_experiment(name, prompt) creates <root>/<name>, runs git init, and starts claude --remote-control <name> "<prompt>" inside a detached screen.

Source

stairway relays the reply to the bound Telegram group, as a reply to the message that asked.

Source