Claude Code sessions run on real cloud VMs — included with your Pro or Max subscription — that keep executing after your laptop closes. A Reddit user on r/PromptEngineering found they were wasting time crafting better prompts when the real bottleneck was that every session started cold.
Each VM can:
- Clone private repos and run them with real dependencies
- Install packages, execute test suites, and access the internet
- Continue working after you disconnect — review results from your phone
- Run in parallel — start multiple investigations, each on its own VM
The fix was not a better prompt. It was a dedicated context repo attached to every session. Instead of re-explaining project structure each time, they store four things in one private repository:
- How their repositories relate to each other
- Project conventions
- Important architectural decisions
- A record of recent work
Launch each session with that context repo plus the relevant working repos already attached. The task prompt shrinks because Claude already understands the environment.
TIP
Build your context repo before your next session. Four files — repo map, conventions, architecture decisions, recent work log — replace the manual briefing you repeat every time. Attach it alongside your working repo and your prompt length drops sharply.
Claude Pro runs $20/month ($17 annually); Max is $100/month. Both plans share usage between Claude Code and the web interface, so heavy coding sessions consume your chat limits too.
The move: stop optimizing prompts for cold sessions. Spend one evening building a context repo, then launch parallel VM investigations and close your laptop.