Claude Code Wingman

Claude Code Wingman

Automate Claude Code sessions from Clawdbot - leverage free/work Claude Code API while keeping your Anthropic budget for conversations.

GitHub: https://github.com/yossiovadia/claude-code-wingman

What It Does

Spawns Claude Code in tmux sessions with automatic approval of permission prompts. Perfect for when you have free/work Claude Code access but limited Anthropic API budget.

Cost Comparison:

• Without: Clawdbot does all coding → uses your $20/month API
• With: Clawdbot spawns Claude Code → uses work's free API ✅

Installation

The skill references the standalone repo. Install it once:

cd ~/code
git clone https://github.com/yossiovadia/claude-code-wingman.git
cd claude-code-wingman
chmod +x *.sh

Usage from Clawdbot

When a user asks for coding work, spawn Claude Code:

~/code/claude-code-wingman/claude-wingman.sh \
  --session <session-name> \
  --workdir <project-directory> \
  --prompt "<task description>"

Example Patterns

User: "Fix the bug in api.py"

Clawdbot Response:

Spawning Claude Code for this...

bash:~/code/claude-code-wingman/claude-wingman.sh \
  --session vsr-bug-fix \
  --workdir ~/code/semantic-router \
  --prompt "Fix the bug in src/api.py - add proper error handling for null responses"

Then report:

• Session name (so user can attach)
• Monitor command
• Auto-approver is running

User: "What's the status?"

Clawdbot: Capture tmux output and summarize:

tmux capture-pane -t vsr-bug-fix -p -S -50

Commands

Spawn Session

~/code/claude-code-wingman/claude-wingman.sh \
  --session <name> \
  --workdir <dir> \
  --prompt "<task>"

Monitor Progress

tmux capture-pane -t <session-name> -p -S -100

View Auto-Approver Log

cat /tmp/auto-approver-<session-name>.log

Kill Session

tmux kill-session -t <session-name>

List All Sessions

tmux ls | grep claude-auto

Workflow

1. User requests coding work (fix bug, add feature, refactor, etc.)
2. Clawdbot spawns Claude Code via wingman script
3. Auto-approver handles permissions in background
4. Clawdbot monitors and reports progress
5. User can attach anytime to see/control directly
6. Claude Code does the work on work's API ✅

Trust Prompt (First Time Only)

When running in a new directory, Claude Code asks:

"Do you trust the files in this folder?"

First run: User must attach and approve (press Enter). After that, it's automatic.

Handle it:

User, Claude Code needs you to approve the folder trust (one-time). Please run:
tmux attach -t <session-name>

Press Enter to approve, then Ctrl+B followed by D to detach.

Best Practices

When to Use Wingman

✅ Use wingman for:

• Heavy code generation/refactoring
• Multi-file changes
• Long-running tasks
• Repetitive coding work

❌ Don't use wingman for:

• Quick file reads
• Simple edits
• When conversation is needed
• Planning/design discussions

Session Naming

Use descriptive names:

• vsr-issue-1131 - specific issue work
• vsr-feature-auth - feature development
• project-bugfix-X - bug fixes

Troubleshooting

Prompt Not Submitting

The wingman sends Enter twice with delays. If stuck, user can attach and press Enter manually.

Auto-Approver Not Working

Check logs: cat /tmp/auto-approver-<session-name>.log

Should see: "Approval prompt detected! Navigating to option 2..."

Session Already Exists

Kill it: tmux kill-session -t <name>

Advanced: Update Memory

After successful tasks, update TOOLS.md:

### Recent Claude Code Sessions
- 2026-01-26: VSR AWS check - verified vLLM server running ✅
- Session pattern: vsr-* for semantic-router work

Pro Tips

• Parallel sessions: Run multiple tasks simultaneously in different sessions
• Name consistently: Use project prefixes (vsr-, myapp-, etc.)
• Monitor periodically: Check progress every few minutes
• Let it finish: Don't kill sessions early, let Claude Code complete

Remember: This skill saves API costs by using free work Claude Code for heavy lifting, keeping your Anthropic budget for conversations.