The project is free and open source. Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan.
Find your mode
Answer up to three yes or no questions.
Claude Code~/Homecloud
✻Claude Code
> [Pasted text #1]
Question 1 of 3
⏺ Can a computer at home stay on day and night?
An old laptop on the charger counts. So does a mini PC you buy once.
How it works
You paste one prompt into Claude Code. It does the work in four steps and asks you before each change.
Step 1
Scan
Claude Code checks your computer and counts the photos and videos in your iCloud. It changes nothing in either place.
Claude Code~/Homecloud
Step 2
Move
It downloads every photo and video to your computer in full quality. An external drive works too. It deletes nothing in iCloud.
Claude Code~/Homecloud
Step 3
Check
It counts every file on your computer and compares the list with iCloud. You see how many files match out of how many are in iCloud. You turn nothing off until every file matches.
Claude Code~/Homecloud
Step 4
Your cloud
It installs Immich, a free, open-source photo app, on your computer. You add the Immich app to your iPhone. Tailscale lets that app reach your computer when you're away from home.
Claude Code~/Homecloud
Pick your mode
Each mode gives up something different. Answer up to three questions, or read the cards.
Always on
It works most like iCloud. New photos upload by themselves to a computer that stays on.
Who it's for
You want it to work like iCloud, and a computer at home can stay on day and night.
You need
A Mac or Windows computer that can stay on day and night. An old laptop on the charger works, or a mini PC you buy once.
That computer should have 8 GB of memory.
Space on it for your whole library. An external drive works.
The free Immich and Tailscale apps on your iPhone.
A second drive for a backup copy.
Day to day
Take photos as usual.
New photos upload to your computer by themselves, at home or away.
Your whole library is in the Immich app, wherever you have internet.
What you give up
A computer stays on all the time. A mini PC or a laptop with the lid closed draws about 6 to 15 watts.
If you have no spare computer, you buy a mini PC once.
Your iPhone decides when background uploads run, so new photos can wait. Opening the Immich app uploads them.
Home archive
You pay $0 a month for storage. New photos upload to your computer whenever it's on.
Who it's for
You want to pay $0 a month for storage, and your computer is off much of the time.
You need
A Mac or Windows computer you already have. It can be off most of the time.
Space on it for your whole library. An external drive works.
The free Immich and Tailscale apps on your iPhone.
Room on your iPhone for the last year of photos.
A second drive for a backup copy.
Day to day
Take photos as usual. They stay on your iPhone.
When your computer is on, the Immich app uploads new photos to it.
Your iPhone keeps the last year of photos. Older ones stay on your computer.
To make room on your iPhone, use Free Up Space in the Immich app. It removes photos older than a date you pick, but only ones already on your computer.
What you give up
Older photos open only while your computer is on.
New photos are only on your phone until the computer is on again. If you lose the phone before then, you lose those photos.
Your iPhone decides when background uploads run, so new photos can wait. Opening the Immich app uploads them.
One-time cost
$0 for hardware with a computer you already have
Monthly cost
$0 a month for storage
These costs cover storage and hardware. The setup runs in Claude Code, which needs a paid Claude plan such as Pro at $20 a month, or you can follow the README by hand. The costs also assume you already have a drive for the backup copy.
Why you end up paying Apple
5 GB
of free iCloud storage. It's the same amount as in 2011, when iCloud launched.
On your computer, in normal folders by year and month.
Monthly cost
Free for 5 GB. Paid plans cost $0.99 to $59.99 a month.
$0 a month for storage in most modes. A computer that stays on uses some electricity.
Storage limit
Your plan's size, up to 12 TB.
The size of your drive. You can add a bigger one.
Works when your computer is off
Yes. It doesn't need your computer.
Depends on your mode.
Setup time
None. It's built into your iPhone.
Claude Code sets it up with you. A big library takes longer to download.
Family accounts
Share one plan with Family Sharing.
Each person gets their own Immich account on your computer.
Who keeps a backup copy
Apple looks after the storage. You don't manage drives.
You do. Keep a backup copy on a second drive.
What you need
A Mac or Windows computer.
Immich, the photo app, needs at least 6 GB of memory and recommends 8 GB. On a Mac, check in About This Mac. On Windows, open Settings, then System, then About.
Space for your whole library.
An external drive works. To see how big your library is, open Settings on your iPhone, tap your name, then tap iCloud.
A second drive for a backup copy.
Any drive can fail. With a backup copy, you lose nothing when one does.
An iPhone with iCloud Photos.
Keep it nearby. Apple sends a sign-in code to it.
Claude Code.
This project is free and open source. Claude Code, Anthropic's AI tool, does the setup for you. It needs a paid Claude plan, such as Pro at $20 a month. You can also run the steps by hand from the README.
Limits to know before you switch
01
Your computer must be on for uploads and for opening older photos.
02
Your iPhone decides when the Immich app uploads in the background, so new photos can wait. Opening the app uploads them. Turn on Background App Refresh for Immich, and open the app now and then.
03
You are in charge of backups now. Keep a backup copy on a second drive. If a drive dies and you have no copy, those photos are gone.
04
With iCloud Photos off, your iPad and Mac stop getting new photos by themselves.
05
On iPhone, WhatsApp backs up your chats to iCloud from inside the app, so that backup needs room in your iCloud.
06
Since iOS 16.1, your iPhone asks for its passcode every time it backs up to a computer, so you have to be there for it.
07
If you use Advanced Data Protection, turn on "Allow Data Access" for iCloud.com before you start. The download needs it.
08
Immich's docs recommend Linux and discourage running it on a Mac or Windows PC. This project runs it there, so the Immich team can offer less help if something breaks.
09
This project isn't made by Apple. If Apple changes iCloud.com, the download may stop working until someone updates the project. Apple's own data copy at privacy.apple.com still works, but it can take up to 7 days.
Common questions
The project is free and open source. Claude Code does the setup for you, and it needs a paid Claude plan, such as Pro at $20 a month. You can also run the steps by hand from the README, for free. Immich is free, and Tailscale's personal plan is free for non-commercial use. Both keep running without Claude Code. You may still pay for a drive for the backup copy, a mini PC if you have no spare computer, and electricity if a computer stays on. If you keep Apple's 50 GB plan, that's $0.99 a month.
No. You paste one prompt, and Claude Code does the work. It explains each step and asks before it changes anything. You sign in to iCloud yourself, in a window Claude Code tells you to open. If something goes wrong, ask Claude Code in plain words.
You type it yourself, in Terminal on a Mac or PowerShell on Windows. It never goes into the chat with Claude. The setup doesn't save it or write it to a log. Apple then sends a sign-in code to your iPhone, and you type that in the same window.
Turn on "Allow Data Access" before you start. On your iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, then iCloud.com. On iOS before 26.4, look for "Access iCloud Data on the Web" instead. With Advanced Data Protection, iCloud.com can't open your data until you allow it, and the download needs that. Your iPhone may also ask you to approve the sign-in.
Your photos are safe if you kept a backup copy on a second drive. They're normal files in folders by year and month, so any computer can open them. You can set up Immich on a new computer from that copy. Without a backup copy, a dead drive means lost photos.
Yes. The setup never deletes anything in iCloud. After it has checked every file, Claude Code shows you how to turn off iCloud Photos yourself. If you turn it off for your whole account, Apple deletes the iCloud copies 30 days later, and you can undo that until then. Your photos stay as normal files on your computer. To go back later, buy an iCloud plan again and turn iCloud Photos back on. Then import the folders into the Photos app on a Mac, or upload them at iCloud.com.
In Always on mode, the Immich app works wherever you have internet. Tailscale connects it to your computer at home. In Home archive mode, new photos stay on your phone until the computer at home is on. If you lose the phone before then, you lose those photos. Before a long trip, check that your iPhone has room for new photos.
Immich can have a separate account for each person on the same computer. Each person moves their own iCloud and types their own Apple password, so you run the setup once for each person. Tailscale's free personal plan covers up to 6 people, with no limit on personal devices. Your drive needs room for everyone's photos. If you share an iCloud plan through Family Sharing, the person who pays can downgrade after everyone has moved.
This project moves photos and videos only. It doesn't change your iPhone backup or WhatsApp. On iPhone, WhatsApp backs up chats to iCloud from inside the app. That backup and your iPhone backup both need room in iCloud. When iCloud is full, your iPhone stops backing up to iCloud. You can also back up your iPhone to your computer with a cable. On a Mac, use Finder. On Windows, use the Apple Devices app. Since iOS 16.1, the iPhone asks for its passcode every time.
It's made for people who use iCloud Photos on an iPhone. Immich also has an Android app, so if you switch phones later, you can open the same library there. If you only use Android, you can install Immich without this project.
