luv

A CLI that launches Claude Code or Codex agents on GitHub repos with isolated workspaces and optional Docker dev environments.

luv clones a repo, creates a branch, and drops you into a Claude session ready to work. When the repo ships a .luv/settings.json, it spins up Docker Compose automatically so every command runs in the right environment. Point it at a remote machine and the whole thing runs there in a tmux session you can detach from and reattach to later.

Install

# With uv (recommended)
uv tool install luv-cli

# With pip
pip install luv-cli

Requirements: GitHub CLI (gh) plus either Claude Code or Codex must be installed and authenticated.

Quick start

# One-time setup: default GitHub org, and optionally a remote machine
luv config

# Create a new workspace and launch Claude
luv my-repo "add user authentication"

# Launch Codex in YOLO mode instead
luv --codex my-repo "add user authentication"

# Select Claude explicitly (Claude remains the default)
luv --claude my-repo "add user authentication"

# Base a new workspace off a non-default branch
luv my-repo -b develop "add user authentication"

# Use a different org inline
luv other-org/my-repo "fix the bug"

# Reopen workspace #42
luv my-repo 42

# Open any GitHub PR by URL
luv -l https://github.com/org/repo/pull/123

# Open a shell instead of Claude
luv -n my-repo 42

# Resume last Claude session
luv -r my-repo 42

# Clean up fully-merged workspaces
luv --clean

# See what's running on your remote machine, and reattach
luv ls
luv continue

How it works

1. Clones the repo into ~/prs/{repo}-{number}/
2. Creates a new branch luv-{number}
3. Configures the selected agent with the workspace's PR conventions
4. Launches Claude with Opus 5 at max effort, or Codex in YOLO mode

All workspaces live under ~/prs/. The number comes from the repo's GitHub issue counter to avoid collisions.

With a remote host configured, steps 1–4 happen on that machine inside a tmux session instead — see Remote sessions.

Commands

Command	Description
luv config	Interactive setup: remote host, SSH key, default org
luv config set|get|unset <key> [value]	Read or write a single setting
luv config list	Show all settings
luv --init	Configure default GitHub org only
luv ls [--host H] [--prune]	List live sessions across hosts
luv continue [<repo> [number]]	Attach to a live session
luv [org/]<repo> [prompt...]	Create a new workspace and launch Claude (default)
luv --codex [org/]<repo> [prompt...]	Create a workspace and launch Codex in YOLO mode
luv [org/]<repo> -b <branch> [prompt...]	Create a workspace based off <branch> instead of the default
luv [org/]<repo> <number> [prompt]	Reopen an existing workspace
luv -l <PR URL> [prompt]	Open any GitHub PR by URL
luv [org/]<repo> -pr <number> [prompt]	Open a PR by repo + number
luv --clean	Delete workspaces where the branch is fully pushed/merged
luv --clean -f	Force delete all workspaces
luv --clean --safe -f	Force delete only workspaces older than 24h

Flags

Flag	Description
--claude	Launch Claude Code (default)
--codex	Launch Codex with approvals and sandboxing bypassed (YOLO mode)
-n	Navigate: open a shell instead of Claude
-r	Resume: resume the selected agent's last session
-p	Launch Claude in plan permission mode (default: bypassPermissions)
-nit	Non-interactive: run the selected agent and exit (no REPL); Claude streams stream-json events to stdout
-m MODEL	Model to use; Claude defaults to claude-opus-5, while Codex uses its configured CLI default
-b BRANCH	Base a new workspace off BRANCH (clone + branch from it); recorded in git config luv.base so the PR can target it
-e	Env: pass LUV_* environment variables (with prefix stripped) into the session
-s HOST	Run on HOST over SSH, overriding the configured remote host
-i PATH	SSH identity file to use for this invocation
--local	Force local execution even when a remote host is configured
-f, --force	Skip safety checks (with --clean)
--safe	With --clean -f, only delete workspaces older than 24h (mtime)

Docker dev environments

If a repo contains .luv/settings.json with a compose_file key, luv automatically starts a Docker Compose environment and runs Claude inside the dev-environment container.

Setup

1. Create .luv/settings.json in your repo:

{
  "compose_file": ".luv/docker-compose.yml"
}

The compose_file path is relative to the repo root.

2. Create the Docker Compose file:

services:
  dev-environment:
    image: your-org/dev-env:latest
    volumes:
      - .:/workspace
    working_dir: /workspace
    stdin_open: true
    tty: true
    depends_on:
      - postgres

  postgres:
    image: postgres:16
    environment:
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: dev

The dev-environment service must have the selected agent CLI (claude or codex) installed in its image.

How Docker mode works

1. Detects .luv/settings.json with compose_file key
2. Tears down any stale environment from a previous run
3. Starts docker compose up -d --build with a unique project name (luv-{repo}-{number}) for network/volume isolation
4. Verifies the dev-environment service is running
5. Runs the selected agent inside the container via docker compose exec
6. The repo is volume-mounted, so all file changes and git commits are visible on the host
7. On exit (including Ctrl-C), tears down the environment with docker compose down -v

Docker mode works with all flags: -n opens a bash shell in the container, -r resumes a Claude session in the container.

Remote sessions

Point luv at another machine and every workspace command runs there, inside a tmux session that survives disconnects.

luv config                          # set the remote host, SSH key, and org
luv myrepo "fix the flaky test"     # clones and launches Claude on the remote
                                    # ...close the laptop, go home...
luv ls                              # see what's still running
luv continue                        # reattach exactly where you left off

luv re-invokes itself on the remote over SSH, so every flag works there unchanged. The remote needs luv, tmux, gh, and git on its PATH.

Use --local for a one-off local run, -s HOST to target a different machine, and -i PATH for a different SSH key.

Full guide, including how to prepare a fresh Ubuntu box and set up SSH keys: docs/remote-sessions.md.

Workspace cleanup

luv --clean scans ~/prs/ and safely removes workspaces that are fully pushed. It checks:

• Working tree is clean (no uncommitted changes)
• No unpushed commits
• If the remote branch is gone, verifies the PR was merged and local HEAD matches

Use luv --clean -f to skip all safety checks and delete everything. Add --safe (i.e. luv --clean --safe -f) to restrict force-delete to workspaces whose folder mtime is older than 24 hours, leaving recently-touched workspaces alone.

Workspaces with a live tmux session are skipped unless you pass -f.

Configuration

Run luv config for interactive setup, or luv --init to set just your default GitHub org. Both save to ~/.luv/config.json:

{
  "org": "exosphere",
  "prs_dir": "~/prs",
  "remote": {
    "host": "box",
    "identity_file": "~/.ssh/id_ed25519",
    "dir": "~/prs"
  }
}

You can also pass org/repo inline to override the default for any command (e.g., luv other-org/my-repo).

Every key, with defaults and resolution order: docs/configuration.md. The session registry that backs luv ls: docs/sessions.md.

License

MIT