Autonomous Coding Agent Setup

This autonomous coding agent now uses the Claude Code CLI directly instead of the Python SDK.

Prerequisites

Claude Code must be installed on your system
You must authenticate Claude Code for headless mode (--print flag)

Authentication Setup

The --print (headless) mode requires a long-lived authentication token. To set this up:

Option 1: Setup Token (Recommended)

Run this command in your own terminal (requires Claude subscription):

claude setup-token

This will open your browser and authenticate Claude Code for headless usage.

Option 2: Use API Key

If you have an Anthropic API key instead:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY='your-api-key-here'

Or for OAuth tokens:

export CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN='your-oauth-token-here'

Usage

Once authenticated, run:

python3 autonomous_agent_demo.py --project-dir ./my_project --max-iterations 3

Options:

--project-dir: Directory for your project (default: ./autonomous_demo_project)
--max-iterations: Maximum number of agent iterations (default: unlimited)
--model: Claude model to use (default: opus for Opus 4.5)

Examples:

# Start a new project with Opus 4.5
python3 autonomous_agent_demo.py --project-dir ./my_app

# Limit iterations for testing
python3 autonomous_agent_demo.py --project-dir ./my_app --max-iterations 5

# Use a different model
python3 autonomous_agent_demo.py --project-dir ./my_app --model sonnet

How It Works

The agent:

Creates configuration files (.claude_settings.json, .mcp_config.json)
Calls claude --print with your prompt
Captures the output and continues the autonomous loop
Uses your existing Claude Code authentication

Troubleshooting

"Invalid API key" Error

This means Claude Code isn't authenticated for headless mode. Run:

claude setup-token

Check Authentication Status

Test if headless mode works:

echo "Hello" | claude --print --model opus

If this works, the autonomous agent will work too.

Still Having Issues?

Make sure Claude Code is installed: claude --version
Check that you can run Claude normally: claude
Verify claude is in your PATH: which claude
Try re-authenticating: claude setup-token

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