Frequently Asked Questions

Two reasons. One, it lets you use your existing subscription (Claude Pro/Max or ChatGPT Plus/Pro - both starting at $20/mo) with no extra cost from us. Two, it keeps usage and billing in your hands - we never see what your AI is doing or get caught between you and Anthropic or OpenAI. Your account, your control.

For Claude Code: subscribe to Claude Pro or Max at claude.ai (then SSH in and run 'claude', type '/login' at the prompt — paste-back OAuth flow, no browser needed), or create an Anthropic API key at console.anthropic.com. For Codex: subscribe to ChatGPT Plus or Pro at chatgpt.com (then SSH in and run 'codex login --device-auth' — the --device-auth flag is required in headless containers; plain 'codex login' will fail), or create an OpenAI API key at platform.openai.com. Full step-by-step guides at /docs/connect-claude and /docs/connect-codex.

Both Claude Code and OpenAI Codex use the SAME pricing model: a $20/mo subscription (Claude Pro or ChatGPT Plus) covers light-to-moderate use, and a $200/mo tier (Claude Max or ChatGPT Pro) covers heavy daily use. Pay-as-you-go API keys (Anthropic or OpenAI) are an alternative if your usage is bursty - we never see or mark up your usage. Many builders just use their existing $20/mo subscription on top of their Vibesies plan.

Anytime. Paste new credentials in your dashboard. You can also use multiple - keep an Anthropic OAuth token for Claude Code and an OpenAI OAuth token for Codex side by side.

Both are excellent and both are pre-installed in every container. They are effectively symmetric on pricing: $20/mo (Claude Pro or ChatGPT Plus) at the entry tier, $100-200/mo (Claude Max or ChatGPT Pro) at the power-user tier. Claude Code tends to be more thorough on complex multi-file changes; Codex is often faster and tighter on focused edits. Try one, switch any time, or run both side by side - same dashboard, same container.

Yes. Both CLIs are pre-installed in every container. Connect both subscriptions or API keys in your dashboard - the credentials are injected as environment variables on container start. Run claude for one task, codex for another, whatever fits.

If it runs in a Linux terminal, you can install it. We pre-install Claude Code and OpenAI Codex because those are the two leading agentic CLIs with subscription-backed billing. Aider, gptme, Cline, Continue, and others are all just pip install or npm install -g away. You have full sudo - install whatever you want.

We send a secure one-time Stripe payment link by email after your intake form — all major credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay are accepted. No card details are typed into our site.

Debian Linux, Python 3, Node 22, Git, Nginx, Supervisord, the Claude Code CLI, OpenAI Codex CLI, and common build tools — all preinstalled. You have full sudo to install anything else with apt.

Yes — anything you can apt install or build from source. Postgres, Redis, MariaDB, ImageMagick, FFmpeg, custom Python packages, anything. The container is yours.

Yes. Upload your public key in the dashboard and connect with the SSH command shown there (ssh -p vibe@). You can also connect your Claude Desktop or Codex Desktop app to your container over SSH using the one-click setup script in the dashboard — that's the recommended workflow for a full GUI experience.

It restarts automatically. Your /workspace volume persists across restarts, so all your data is intact. Backups are taken on the schedule for your tier.

Yes — install Postgres, Redis, MariaDB, or anything else on your server. SQLite is preinstalled. Size your AWS instance for your database needs when you fill out the intake form, or resize it yourself anytime afterward — it is your account.

Yes. Point your domain at your server and SSL is issued and renewed automatically — no expiring-cert emails, no manual renewals. Multiple domains on one server are no problem; just mention it in your intake form or ask your agent to add one after handoff.

Yes — SES with DKIM and SPF is configured properly during setup, so your mail reaches inboxes instead of spam folders. There is no SMTP server to babysit — outbound just works, and inbound email can be forwarded to any address you choose.

Yes — we forward inbound email at your custom domain to any address you choose. Inbound IMAP mailbox hosting is on the roadmap.

One flat $299, one time. That covers your own AWS server, domain, SSL, SES email, nightly backups, security hardening, and Claude Code and/or Codex installed and signed in. No subscription to us — ongoing costs are just Amazon (roughly $10-30/mo, billed to your own account) and your $20/mo Claude Pro or ChatGPT Plus subscription.

Fill out the 5-minute intake form at /contact with your domain, which AI subscription you have or want, and what you are building. We reply within one business day with a secure payment link.

Usually 2 business days. We send progress notes along the way, then schedule a live handoff call where you watch your agent make its first change and we hand over every credential.

No subscription is required — the $299 setup is a one-time fee. If you would like us to keep watching your backups and updates, an optional $29/mo on-call plan is available, but most customers do not need it.

Yes — this is the recommended workflow. Run the one-click setup script from your dashboard (Mac/Linux or Windows PowerShell), which adds your container to your local SSH config. Then restart Claude Desktop or Codex Desktop, go to Settings, and pick your Vibesies container as the remote SSH host. You get the full GUI — diff view, file editor, integrated terminal — all running against your container's files. Full step-by-step guides are at /docs/connect-claude and /docs/connect-codex.

Usually, yes. Mention it in the intake form — straightforward migrations are included in the $299 setup fee.

A written handbook we install beside your AI agent during setup, so it knows how to run, fix, and grow your server from day one — even after we are no longer involved.

Ask your agent first — it has the Operator's Manual and is usually very capable. Still stuck? Email us: one-off rescues are $49, or free if you are on the optional $29/mo on-call plan.

Yes. It is provisioned in your own AWS account from day one, and every credential — root, domain registrar, email, everything — is handed to you at the live handoff call. There is no lock-in.

No. Claude Code does the coding — you describe what you want in plain English, and the AI agent inside your container does the rest. That said, Vibesies is built for people who want to understand and control how their site actually works. If you want a true point-and-click site builder, Squarespace is fine.

Anytime. Your /workspace is just a Linux filesystem - rsync it out, tar it up, push it to your own backup. We are not a walled garden.

Yes. Your code, data, and configs are all in your container - export them and run them anywhere with Docker or a regular Linux server. No lock-in.

Yes. Your server lives in your own AWS account from day one, so there is no shared infrastructure to worry about. We configure encryption at rest and proper key handling during setup, and nightly backups are proven with a real restore before handoff.