Anthropic has opened its Claude Code cloud sessions to all users, dropping the requirement to join a research preview, and is accompanying the launch with promotional credits worth up to $250. Cloud sessions execute Claude Code on Anthropic's own infrastructure rather than on a user's machine, which means a task can be started and left running remotely and reviewed when the user returns.

Anthropic said the sessions run on Anthropic-hosted infrastructure so that work continues even when a user's computer is not running. In testing, cloud sessions could be launched from claude.ai/code, the Code section of the Claude mobile app, the desktop app, or the command line interface using the command claude --cloud. The credit offer is separate from normal Claude usage limits and is applied automatically when a cloud session begins.

Anthropic's guidance to users is that if they reach a limit while working locally, they can continue in the cloud until the credit is used up. The company is not charging separately for the cloud container itself, so the promotional balance is the only element that differs from standard usage.

Users in the United States and elsewhere who want the credits must claim the offer through Claude's website by October 7, and any unused balance expires on November 4. Once the promotional amount is spent, cloud sessions revert to counting against a user's regular plan limits. The timeline gives users a defined window to test remote execution before the credits lapse.

The move lowers the barrier to trying Claude Code in a hosted environment, since users no longer need preview access and can offset early usage with the promotional balance. The credits apply only to cloud sessions and do not extend local usage allowances, a distinction Anthropic has made explicit for users who split work between their own machines and Anthropic's infrastructure.

Anthropic has separately promoted Claude's use for analyzing bank accounts and financial data, and has confirmed a major outage affecting multiple services, though neither matter is connected to the cloud session launch. The credit offer and the removal of the preview requirement are the company's latest changes to how Claude Code is distributed and billed for cloud execution.

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