Daily Workflow

Starting a session

Open a terminal and connect via SSH:

ssh -p 3434 abc@<server-ip>
# → Enter your SUDO_PASSWORD

Persistent sessions with tmux

tmux keeps your terminal sessions alive even if you disconnect, essential when working from a phone or an unstable connection.

Connect normally (no tmux):

ssh -p 3434 abc@<server-ip>       # normal shell closing the terminal stops everything

Connect with tmux auto-attach:

Set environment variables when you SSH:

Key	Value	Purpose
TMUX_AUTO	1	Auto-attach or create a tmux session on connect
TMUX_TIMEOUT	2	Kill detached session after N hours (-1=never, 0=on detach)

TMUX_AUTO=1 TMUX_TIMEOUT=2 ssh -p 3434 abc@<server-ip>
# → auto attached to tmux "main"
claude                             # runs inside tmux, survives disconnects

Next time you connect with the same variables, you're back in the same tmux session.

Apps like Termius

If you use Termius or similar apps, set these as host environment variables so you don't need to type them each time.

Key commands inside tmux:

Action	Command
Detach (leave running)	Ctrl+B then D
Scroll up	Ctrl+B then [ (arrows, q to quit)
New session	tmux new -A -s name
List sessions	tmux ls
Manual attach anytime	ta (alias for tmux new -A -s main)
Kill current session	tmux kill-session
Kill all sessions	tmux kill-server
Kill all except current	tmux kill-session -a
Keep session forever	tmux-keep prevents auto cleanup for this session

Override the timeout

Mid-task and realize you need more time? Run tmux-keep inside the tmux session. The cleanup daemon will skip it, it stays alive until you manually kill it, regardless of TMUX_TIMEOUT.

Working server side (no local setup needed)

You don't need a local machine. Everything runs on the server:

• VS Code (browser): at http://<server-ip>:9090 standalone code-server, same files and environment
• Terminal: SSH from anywhere (ssh -p 3434 abc@<server-ip>), or use the terminal in the web desktop
• Claude Code / long tasks: inside tmux, survives disconnects
• Files: live at /projects/, visible in all apps

Working locally (optional)

If you prefer editing files locally with automatic sync to the server:

1. Open VS Code → open your workspace file
2. Edit files normally
3. When you switch away from a file, VS Code autosaves → Run on Save fires rsync --delete → changed files upload through SSH
4. If you delete a file locally, rsync removes it from the server too
5. The server is now an exact mirror of your local folder

See Local Setup for the full configuration.

Accessing from elsewhere

Method	URL / Command	Auth
Ubuntu Desktop (browser)	http://<server-ip>:3000	Password
VS Code, browser	http://<server-ip>:9090	Password
SSH from anywhere	ssh -p 3434 abc@<server-ip>	Password
SSH from iPhone (Termius)	ssh -p 3434 abc@<server-ip> + set TMUX_AUTO=1	Password

Ending a session

To end an SSH session, type exit or press Ctrl+D.

note

If the server reboots, your SSH session ends. Just run ssh -p 3434 abc@<server-ip> again.

tmux sessions survive disconnects but not server reboots. Reattach with tmux attach -t main after reboot.