How do I control Claude Code from my phone?
Three ways to drive Claude Code from a phone: Anthropic's Remote Control in the Claude app, SSH with tmux, or one app for every agent and computer.
Use Remote Control. Run claude remote-control in your project folder, or type /remote-control in a running session, then open the session in the Claude app on iOS or Android (or at claude.ai/code). The session keeps running on your computer with your files, tools and MCP servers, and you can read, type and answer prompts from the phone. It needs a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan and a computer that stays on. For other agents, or for several computers at once, use SSH with tmux, or an app that covers every agent.
How does Remote Control work?#
Remote Control connects the Claude app to a Claude Code session on your machine (Anthropic's docs). Nothing moves to the cloud: the phone is a window into the local session, and the conversation stays in step across the terminal, the browser and the phone.
| Start it | How |
|---|---|
| A server for this folder | claude remote-control, then press space for a QR code to scan with your phone |
| A new interactive session | claude --remote-control |
| A session already running | /remote-control |
Worth knowing before you rely on it:
- Plans. Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise; on Team and Enterprise an Owner switches it on first. API keys are not supported, and neither are Bedrock, other cloud providers or a custom
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL. - Your computer stays on. If the laptop sleeps, the session reconnects when it wakes, but nothing runs in between. Keeping a Mac awake while Claude Code works covers that.
- Several sessions. In server mode,
--spawn worktreegives each session from the phone its own git worktree, so two sessions do not edit the same files. - Notifications. Turn on push in
/configso a permission prompt reaches the phone. Getting a notification when Claude Code is waiting has the options.
If you would rather not keep a computer on, Claude Code's cloud sessions run on Anthropic's machines and start from the Claude app instead. They work on a copy of your repository, not your local files.
How do I use SSH and tmux instead?#
This works for any terminal agent, Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode or Gemini CLI, on any plan:
- On the computer, start the agent inside tmux:
tmux new -s work, thenclaude. - Make the computer reachable from your phone without opening it to the internet. A private network such as Tailscale is the usual way.
- On the phone, use an SSH app (Termius, Blink Shell or similar), connect, and run
tmux attach -t work.
You get the real terminal, with the agent exactly as you left it. The trade-offs: typing in a terminal on a phone is slow, there are no push notifications unless you add a hook, and every computer and session is a separate connection.
Which should I use?#
| Item | Remote Control | SSH and tmux | Joxo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agents | Claude Code | Any terminal agent | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode and more |
| Phone app | Claude app (iOS, Android) | Any SSH app | Joxo iPhone app (TestFlight) |
| Notifications | Push from /config | None built in | One per thing that needs you |
| Several computers | One session or server at a time | One connection each | All your computers in one list |
| Setup | One command | Network, SSH and tmux | One line pasted into the agent |
Where does Joxo fit?#
Joxo is for when there is more than one agent, or more than one computer. From the Joxo iPhone app you answer your agents' questions and approve or refuse what they want to run, start a session on any of your computers, stop a background task, switch a session's model, and see and control a computer's screen. Each computer's usage and battery is there too. Your agents' permission prompts reach your phone and nobody else's, and approvals ask you to unlock first. What you can do from the iPhone app lists it all, and what is safe to approve from a phone helps with the prompts themselves.
Frequently asked questions#
Is there an official Claude Code mobile app?#
Claude Code itself runs on a computer. The Claude app for iOS and Android opens Remote Control sessions and cloud sessions, which is Anthropic's way to use Claude Code from a phone.
Can I start a new Claude Code session from my phone?#
With Remote Control in server mode, yes: the server waits on your computer, and each new session you open from the phone starts there. Cloud sessions also start from the app. Joxo's app can start a session on any computer you have connected.
Does Remote Control work with Codex or other agents?#
No. It is part of Claude Code. Codex and other agents have their own remote options, or none, so a team on several agents ends up with several apps unless one tool covers them all.
Is it safe to approve commands from a phone?#
It can be, with care: read the full command, approve narrow actions, and say no to anything that deletes, pushes or touches secrets unless you expected it. A small screen makes long commands easy to misread.