Running Claude Code in a VM for Automated Testing and Development

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0800

Recently, I verified an effective AI development method that doesn’t affect the existing workflow. Here’s a summary.

Why Choose VM + Claude Code

Isolation: Avoid polluting the main system, can snapshot and rollback
Reproducibility: Team members can quickly replicate the same environment
Suitable for automated testing: Browser automation tools like Playwright require a desktop environment
Safety: Not too worried about agent generating rm -rf / commands. VM crashes don’t affect the virtualization platform; just recreate it.

Environment Setup

1. PVE Creates Ubuntu Desktop VM

Download Ubuntu Desktop ISO, upload to PVE’s ISO storage
Create VM:
- CPU: host type, 2-4 cores
- RAM: 4-8 GB
- Disk: VirtIO SCSI, 40GB+
- Network: VirtIO
Mount ISO and start installation
After installation, install qemu-guest-agent:

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sudo apt install qemu-guest-agent
sudo systemctl enable --now qemu-guest-agent

2. Configure Xfce + xrdp Remote Desktop

Install xrdp and Xfce (lighter and more compatible than GNOME):

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sudo apt install xrdp
sudo systemctl enable xrdp
sudo systemctl start xrdp

sudo apt install xfce4 xfce4-goodies
echo xfce4-session > ~/.xsession

During installation, when prompted to choose a display manager, select lightdm.

Solve Black Screen Issue

Edit xrdp startup script:

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sudo nano /etc/xrdp/startwm.sh

Before the last two lines test -x and exec, add:

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unset DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS
unset XDG_RUNTIME_DIR
startxfce4

Restart xrdp:

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sudo systemctl restart xrdp

Note: Don’t log in to the desktop locally before connecting, otherwise the same user will see a black screen.

Adjust Resolution/DPI

Before Windows remote desktop connection, lower the resolution in “Display Options” (e.g., 1920×1080)
Or in Xfce: Settings Manager → Appearance → Fonts → Increase DPI (e.g., 120)

Disable Crash Prompts

After switching desktops, there may be GNOME component crash prompts (doesn’t affect usage):

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sudo systemctl disable apport

3. Install Claude Code

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# Install Node.js (e.g., using nvm)
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.1/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc
nvm install --lts

# Install Claude Code
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

# Or use official installation script
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

Run claude command for the first time and follow prompts to log in and authenticate.

Automated Testing Workflow: MCP Configuration

Playwright MCP

MCP	Features
`@playwright/mcp` (Microsoft official)	Lightweight, based on accessibility tree
`@executeautomation/playwright-mcp-server` (community)	More complete features, supports screenshots, JS execution
`@agentdeskai/browser-tools-mcp`	Console log monitoring, Lighthouse performance analysis

Claude Code Configuration

Create .mcp.json in project root:

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{
 "mcpServers": {
 "playwright": {
 "command": "npx",
 "args": ["-y", "@executeautomation/playwright-mcp-server"]
 },
 "browser-tools": {
 "command": "npx",
 "args": ["-y", "@agentdeskai/browser-tools-mcp"]
 }
 }
}

Or add via CLI:

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claude mcp add playwright --scope project -- npx -y @executeautomation/playwright-mcp-server

OpenCode Configuration

If using OpenCode, the configuration format is different (opencode.json):

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{
 "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
 "mcp": {
 "playwright": {
 "type": "local",
 "command": ["npx", "-y", "@executeautomation/playwright-mcp-server"],
 "enabled": true
 },
 "browser-tools": {
 "type": "local",
 "command": ["npx", "-y", "@agentdeskai/browser-tools-mcp"],
 "enabled": true
 }
 }
}

Configuration Comparison:

Configuration Item	Claude Code	OpenCode
Top-level key	`mcpServers`	`mcp`
type	Not needed	Required (`local`)
command	String	Array

Usage Example

After configuration, you can drive tests with natural language:

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claude "Open localhost:3000, test the login flow, verify if it redirects to homepage"

claude "Screenshot and compare homepage layout under mobile/tablet/desktop sizes"

claude "Check if page console has any errors"

Results Display

Summary

The VM + Claude Code + Playwright MCP combination provides an isolated, reproducible automated development testing environment. The entire process:

PVE creates Ubuntu Desktop VM
Configure Xfce + xrdp remote access
Install Claude Code / OpenCode
Configure Playwright MCP
Drive automated testing with natural language

Ubuntu on Svtter's Blog