SetupsSetup types

Pick a setup

Swarm runs on machines you own; your AI can talk to it from the same machine, your laptop, the cloud or a chat app. Start with one machine and add the rest when you need it.

One machine

the usual startBest for: Getting started, a home server, a single VPS.

Claude Code or Codex runs on the machine where Swarm goes. It installs Swarm, connects itself and keeps using it. Everything stays on that machine.

You need: An Ubuntu 24.04 machine and Claude Code or Codex on it.

Say this to your AI

Read swarmagent.dev/llms.txt and set up Swarm on this machine for me.

On a Mac: Swarm on a server

the Mac routeBest for: Anyone on a Mac. Swarm doesn’t run on macOS yet.

Swarm needs Linux on x86-64, so it can’t run on a Mac, and an Ubuntu VM on an Apple silicon Mac won’t work either (it’s ARM). Instead your AI on the Mac sets Swarm up on a Linux server you own (a VPS, a cloud VM or a PC at home) over SSH, then connects to it over Tailscale or an SSH tunnel. You keep talking to your AI on the Mac; the workers, and the code they work on, live on the server.

You need: An Ubuntu 24.04 server on x86-64 (not ARM), about 2 CPUs, 4 GB of memory and 40 GB of disk, with your Mac’s SSH key added when you create it. Your AI shows you the key.

Say this to your AI

I'm on a Mac. Read swarmagent.dev/ai/mac.md and set up Swarm on a server for me.

Your AI on your laptop, Swarm on a server

readyBest for: Swarm on a VPS or a home server, you on your laptop or phone.

Swarm joins your private Tailscale network, so your AI reaches it from your laptop with nothing on the public internet. Your Tailscale policy decides which devices may read and which may give jobs.

You need: A Tailscale account with MagicDNS and HTTPS certificates turned on.

Say this to your AI

Read swarmagent.dev/ai/connect-tailscale.md, put my Swarm server on my Tailscale network and connect this laptop to it.

A fleet of machines

readyBest for: A PC plus a VPS, a VM per client, more power when you need it.

One connection for all your Swarm machines. Your AI sees every one, chooses where each job runs, sets the same models everywhere and checks the whole fleet in one call.

You need: Two or more Swarm machines on your Tailscale network.

Say this to your AI

Read swarmagent.dev/ai/fleet.md and connect me to all my Swarm machines.

More about many machines →

Claude Code on the web

previewBest for: Starting work from a browser or your phone.

A Claude Code session in the cloud joins your tailnet for the length of the session, then disappears. Keep its access to reading unless it needs to give jobs.

You need: A reusable, ephemeral Tailscale auth key, which you paste into the environment settings yourself.

Say this to your AI

Read swarmagent.dev/ai/fleet.md and tell me how to set up my Claude Code on the web environment for Swarm.

claude.ai and ChatGPT

previewBest for: Using Swarm from the chat apps you already have open.

A small relay in your own Cloudflare account, or OpenAI’s tunnel for ChatGPT. Your machine dials out, so nothing listens on it. Every new sign-in shows a code you approve on the machine, never on the web page.

You need: A Cloudflare account (for the relay) or an OpenAI Platform organization with tunnels (for ChatGPT).

Say this to your AI

Read swarmagent.dev/ai/connect-relay.md and set up a relay so claude.ai can use my Swarm.

Hosted for you

coming soonBest for: When you’d rather not run a machine at all.

Hosted Swarm is coming soon: a Swarm we run for you, so you don’t need your own server.

You need: Nothing yet: leave your email on the pricing page.

See pricing →

Side by side

Setup	Your AI runs on	Public ports	Status
One machine	The same machine	None	Ready
On a Mac	Your Mac, Swarm on a server	None	Ready
Laptop to server	Any device on your tailnet	None	Ready
A fleet	Any device on your tailnet	None	Ready
Claude Code on the web	A cloud session	None	Preview
claude.ai and ChatGPT	The web app	None: the machine dials out	Preview
Hosted	Anywhere	Run by Swarm	Coming soon