Lee-xeo/Claude-Cage

What it does

Claude Cage packages a lightweight Linux VM into a desktop application so that Claude Code, a browser and a code editor run inside one window. The VM takes over all internal network traffic and routes it through a proxy the user configures, and it also synchronizes timezone and language settings with the proxy IP. The stated goal is to give Claude users a consistent, isolated workspace instead of juggling VPS instances and fingerprint browsers README lines 11–29.

The app targets macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon first; Windows 10 22H2/11 x64 and Debian 12 / Ubuntu 24.04 x86_64 are supported but described as still in development acceptance README lines 47–60. Intel Mac, Windows ARM64 and Linux ARM64 are not supported.

Getting started

1. Download the installer from the project site and choose your platform download page. On macOS, drag Cage into Applications and launch it from there. Windows and Linux users follow the platform install notes Windows · Linux.
2. Configure a proxy: open 配置网络与代理, add a Clash/Mihomo YAML subscription or a local YAML file, pick an exit node and apply. Chained proxies (relay + residential exit) are supported.
3. Start the environment. The first launch downloads the Linux image and development tools, then runs network checks. Work only begins after the checks pass; if they fail the environment stays offline with no direct fallback.
4. Open or create a project folder, open a terminal, run claude, and complete account authorization in the Cage browser. The default workspace can be used without an existing project. Full steps are in the getting-started guide.

The installer bundles the workbench and proxy core, so Go, Node.js, Docker or Clash do not need to be installed on the host. A proxy subscription and a Claude account are still required; Cage does not provide either.

Usage constraints

• All projects share one Cage environment and its tools, accounts and Linux filesystem; there is no per-project isolation. Edits to shared project files affect the host directly, so use version control or backups. .git metadata is read-only and Git commits are made on the host README lines 75–83.
• Guest network access is limited to public IPv4 TCP through the proxy; DNS goes through the same proxy. Public UDP, IPv6, ICMP and guest-initiated access to the host or LAN are blocked, so tools depending on them may not work.
• Network checks show the current configuration and sampling evidence but cannot guarantee the account will not be restricted by the platform.
• App updates on macOS and Windows download through the selected proxy with no direct fallback; save and stop tasks before updating. macOS requires Developer ID signing and Apple notarization, Windows requires a trusted Authenticode signature from the same publisher. Unsigned Windows previews and Linux system packages update manually upgrade and uninstall.

The project is MIT-licensed; bundled components keep their own licenses, and Mihomo is distributed as a separate GPL-3.0 executable README lines 101–108.

HotRepo's take

On 2026-11-05 the repository entered HotRepo's new-project list, gaining 20 stars in roughly one hour (101 → 121) with forks unchanged. That is a single short observation window, so it supports only the fact that the project drew attention on that day, not a trend. The project is a young alpha (0.1.5-alpha.2) whose README openly lists unfinished acceptance items, such as clean-machine installs and real Claude authorization. Readers should treat the GitHub star growth as interest rather than validated maturity.