diff --git a/src/cli.ts b/src/cli.ts
index 7a03bdd..56c14f5 100755
--- a/src/cli.ts
+++ b/src/cli.ts
@@ -117,6 +117,14 @@ program
 
 const vmCmd = program.command("vm").description("Manage the sandlot VM")
 
+vmCmd
+  .command("shell")
+  .description("Open a shell in the VM")
+  .action(async () => {
+    await vm.ensure()
+    await vm.shell()
+  })
+
 vmCmd
   .command("status")
   .description("Show VM status")
diff --git a/src/vm.ts b/src/vm.ts
index 32abcd2..d9a356b 100644
--- a/src/vm.ts
+++ b/src/vm.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,10 @@ export async function ensure(): Promise<void> {
   await $`limactl start ${VM_NAME}`.quiet()
 
   // Provision
-  await $`limactl shell ${VM_NAME} -- sudo bash -c "curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | bash - && apt-get install -y nodejs && npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code"`.quiet()
+  await $`limactl shell ${VM_NAME} -- bash -c "curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash"`.quiet()
+
+  // Replace ~/.claude and ~/.claude.json with symlinks to host credentials
+  await $`limactl shell ${VM_NAME} -- bash -c "rm -rf ~/.claude ~/.claude.json && ln -sf ${home}/.claude ~/.claude && ln -sf ${home}/.claude.json ~/.claude.json"`.quiet()
 }
 
 /** Check VM status. */
@@ -41,10 +44,33 @@ export async function status(): Promise<"running" | "stopped" | "missing"> {
   return "missing"
 }
 
+/** Load env vars from ~/.env */
+async function loadEnv(): Promise<Record<string, string>> {
+  const envFile = Bun.file(`${homedir()}/.env`)
+  if (!(await envFile.exists())) return {}
+  const vars: Record<string, string> = {}
+  for (const line of (await envFile.text()).split("\n")) {
+    const match = line.match(/^([A-Z_]+)=(.+)$/)
+    if (match) vars[match[1]] = match[2]
+  }
+  return vars
+}
+
 /** Launch claude in the VM at the given workdir. */
 export async function claude(workdir: string): Promise<void> {
+  const env = await loadEnv()
+  const envArgs = Object.entries(env).map(([k, v]) => `${k}=${v}`)
   const proc = Bun.spawn(
-    ["limactl", "shell", `--workdir=${workdir}`, VM_NAME, "claude", "--dangerously-skip-permissions"],
+    ["limactl", "shell", `--workdir=${workdir}`, VM_NAME, "env", ...envArgs, "claude", "--dangerously-skip-permissions"],
+    { stdin: "inherit", stdout: "inherit", stderr: "inherit" },
+  )
+  await proc.exited
+}
+
+/** Open an interactive shell in the VM. */
+export async function shell(): Promise<void> {
+  const proc = Bun.spawn(
+    ["limactl", "shell", VM_NAME],
     { stdin: "inherit", stdout: "inherit", stderr: "inherit" },
   )
   await proc.exited