Show HN: Clootee, make Claude Code and codex easier to use

🌐 Official website: clootee.com

One-click install for Claude Code & Codex — and easier to use

No Node. No npm. No terminal. Nothing to install first. Unzip, double-click, done.

Claude Code and Codex are powerful, but getting to your first message means installing Node, running npm install -g, fixing your PATH, opening a terminal, and signing in through it.

Clootee makes them easy to use. One folder, one double-click, and a web UI that installs whatever is missing — with a progress bar, not a blank screen.

Choose the Windows EXE installer, the universal macOS DMG (Apple Silicon + Intel), or the cross-platform source ZIP for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The download page lists available builds, file sizes, installation instructions, and SHA256 checksums. All package downloads are delivered through Tencent COS CDN.

On Windows, install and open Clootee from your desktop or Start menu. On macOS 13 or later, open the DMG and drag Clootee into Applications. Desktop configuration and sessions live in your user directory and survive upgrades. Engines can be installed from the app on first use.

The instructions below apply to the source ZIP edition.

Windows

Download the release and unzip it (right-click → Extract All — don't run it from inside the zip).

Double-click Windows_Start.bat.

The server runs in the background: once the launcher says it is running, you can close that window — the service keeps going. Double-clicking again just reopens the UI.

To stop, double-click Windows_Stop.bat (closing windows does not stop it).

If SmartScreen warns you, click More info → Run anyway. Nothing is installed system-wide — everything lives inside the Clootee folder, and deleting the folder removes it completely.

cd /path/to/Clootee xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine . # once, if you downloaded the zip with a browser chmod +x Mac_*.command # once

Then double-click Mac_Start.command (stop: Mac_Stop.command).

If Gatekeeper still says the file "cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer", right-click Mac_Start.command → Open → Open once; macOS remembers your choice afterwards. git is needed only for the "push to cloud" feature — if it is missing, run xcode-select --install (or brew install git).

chmod +x Linux_*.sh # once ./Linux_Start.sh # stop: ./Linux_Stop.sh

What it does for you

Normally you'd have to… In Clootee

Install Node.js and fix your PATH A portable copy is downloaded into its own folder

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code One click, live progress

Install Git One click — on Windows no admin, no registry

Run claude in a terminal and sign in there Sign in inside the browser — 4 steps, paste the code

Guess why nothing is happening A network check tells you what's wrong and what to do

Pick a model that works where you are Only providers reachable right now are offered

Two things people always get stuck on

🌐 "It just doesn't respond." — Clootee checks connectivity before you hit that wall and offers two ways out: turn on your VPN and re-check, or switch to a China-based model (MiniMax / Kimi / Xiaomi MiMo) with one click.

🔑 "It says nothing at all." — Stock Claude Code must be signed in, or messages get no reply and no error. Clootee moves sign-in into the UI. It works even when the server is remote — the link opens in your browser.

Multi-session task queues — queue tasks per session, run them in order, pause or interject anytime

Both engines — Claude Code and Codex, side by side, same interface

Full transparency — reasoning, every tool call with inputs/outputs, timings, token counts

File manager — browse, edit, search and bookmark inside each workspace

Failures are never silent — crashed engine, zero output, long silence: each surfaces with a reason and a fix

⚠️ Security — please read

Clootee runs the engines with permission prompts bypassed so tasks can run unattended:

Anyone who can open this web UI can run any command on your machine, as you.

Found a security issue? Please open an issue without publishing exploitable details.

projects/claude_hub/ ├── backend/src/ │ ├── logic_struct/ # Orchestration — who is called, in what order │ ├── logic_realize/ # Implementation — how each step actually works │ ├── helper/ # Pure, business-free utilities │ └── server/ # HTTP + WebSocket routes ├── frontend/ # Static, no build step └── out_end/ # Portable runtimes, downloaded on demand

"What it does" and "how it does it" live in separate files — the orchestration reads top to bottom in one pass, and changing a detail can't damage the architecture. Public distributions contain product source, runtime assets, licenses, and build scripts. Local project notes, credentials, deployment configuration, and development recordings are excluded.

Apache 2.0 · Contributions and issues welcome

Windows EXE and macOS DMG desktop installations fetch the published download manifest, verify the complete package, install it and reopen automatically. User data, installed tools and browser preferences remain in the same user directory. Diagnostics are saved to desktop-update.log in that directory.

Linux and cross-platform ZIP installations fetch source through Git and use an independent Node supervisor to build, restart and check health, without requiring PM2. Local source changes require confirmation before overwriting; build failures keep the existing server running.

Desktop versions 3.1.30 and earlier require a one-time install of 3.1.31 from the official download page to gain the complete package update channel.