Rule: Never ask Joseph to type commands in a terminal/xterm — including in the box VNC session. It does not work for him and wastes his time. He said this explicitly and emphatically (2026-05-16), after repeated failed attempts to have him run claude / claude setup-token in a VNC xterm.
Why: Terminal steps in the VNC consistently failed (xterms not rendering, copy/paste broken Mac↔box, TUI prompts). Every "type X in the terminal" instruction has been a dead end for him.
How to apply:
- Do all CLI/terminal work yourself (over SSH / programmatically). Never hand him a command to run.
- His irreducible actions are ONLY: type a credential/password and click buttons in a browser page that is already loaded and visible in front of him. Nothing else.
- For anything requiring a CLI auth flow: run the CLI yourself, capture the URL, and use the proven cloud_bridge to open that exact URL in the box Chrome so it's on his VNC screen. Auto-handle any code/callback yourself (read it back via cloud_bridge / FIFO stdin). He only signs in + approves.
- "Get me to where I can [do the irreducible thing]" = the page must be loaded and on screen, zero setup left.