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Remote Control

Control Pilot Shell sessions from your phone, tablet, or any browser.

Start a /spec task at your desk, then monitor and steer it from the couch. Your full local environment stays available — filesystem, MCP servers, hooks, rules, and project configuration. Nothing moves to the cloud.

Prerequisites​

Remote Control requires the native install of Claude Code, not the npm version. If you have the npm version installed, uninstall it first:

npm uninstall -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code   # Remove npm version if installed
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash  # Install native version

You also need a Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise Claude subscription. API keys won't work with Remote Control.

Setup​

1. Start Pilot Shell​

pilot

Start a Pilot Shell session as usual. This loads all hooks, rules, MCP servers, and project configuration.

2. Activate Remote Control​

MethodHow
Single sessionType /remote-control inside the Pilot Shell session
All sessionsRun /config in Claude Code and set "Enable Remote Control for all sessions" to true

3. Connect from your phone​

Open the Claude Mobile App (iOS / Android) and go to the Code tab. Your Pilot Shell session appears there with a green status dot when online.

You can also connect from any browser at claude.ai/code.

How It Works​

Sessions started via pilot carry over all rules, hooks, MCP servers, and project configuration. The Claude App and web interface are just a window into your local session — your machine does all the work.

  • Full Pilot Shell experience — hooks, rules, skills, MCP servers all stay active
  • Outbound-only — no ports open on your machine, all traffic over TLS
  • Multi-device sync — send messages from terminal, browser, and phone interchangeably
  • Auto-reconnect — reconnects automatically when your laptop wakes from sleep

Keeping Your Computer Awake​

Your computer must stay awake for the Remote Control connection to remain active. On macOS, use Amphetamine to keep your Mac awake with the display off — this way you can walk away without the session disconnecting.

Start Sessions via SSH From Your Phone​

The above approach assumes you start sessions via pilot on your computer first. To also start new Pilot Shell sessions from your phone:

  1. Install Termius on your mobile phone (not your computer)
  2. Connect via SSH to your computer
  3. Run pilot in any project directory

macOS Sleep Support​

Turn on Remote Login in macOS Settings → General → Sharing → Advanced → Remote Login. This lets you SSH into your Mac even while it's sleeping.

Outside Your Home Network​

The Claude App approach works everywhere out of the box — no extra setup needed.

For the SSH/Termius approach, you need network connectivity to your computer. Install Tailscale on both your computer and phone to create a VPN tunnel that works from anywhere.

Use Cases​

PatternDescription
Walk awayStart a /spec task at your desk, monitor progress from your phone
Couch reviewQueue up code reviews at your workstation, approve from the couch
Quick checkGlance at a running session from your phone without going back to your desk
Multi-deviceHeavy coding from terminal, lighter interactions from browser, quick approvals from phone

Troubleshooting​

If Remote Control doesn't connect or shows authentication errors, run /logout followed by /login inside Claude Code. This re-authenticates your session and resolves most connection issues.

Limitations​

  • Your computer must stay awake (see above)
  • One remote connection per Claude Code instance
  • Terminal must stay open (close it and the session ends)