Claude Code without your computer

For months now I’ve barely opened Claude Code from my computer. I code from my phone, my iPad, from a café… and all the heavy lifting runs on my machine back home, in Montevideo.

The trick? A Claude Code feature called Remote Control. You leave your most powerful computer running as a “server” and connect from any device — with all your credentials, integrations, and MCPs intact. There are two ways to turn it on, and here are both.

What Remote Control is

It connects claude.ai/code or the Claude app (iOS/Android) to a Claude Code session running on your machine. The key part: Claude keeps running locally the whole time — none of your code moves to the cloud. The web and your phone are just a window into the session that’s already running, with your filesystem, your MCPs, and your config.

Requirements

• Claude Code v2.1.51+ — check it with claude --version.
• Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan — it doesn’t work with API keys. On Team/Enterprise, an admin has to enable it first.
• It’s in research preview.

$ claude update
$ claude --version

How to turn it on: the 2 options

First, two steps that apply to both options:

1. Log in with claude.ai (claude.ai login, not an API key).
   terminal

   $ claude
   › inside Claude Code:  /login

2. Accept the “trust” dialog for your folder. Go into your projects folder (mine is ~/dev) and run claude once.
   terminal

   $ cd ~/dev/my-project
   $ claude   # accept the trust dialog

Option A — Server mode (the one I use)

Run this in your projects folder. It stays in server mode and lets you create several sessions at once (up to 32). Ideal for leaving your home computer running as a server.

$ claude remote-control
✓ Connected · dev · master
  Capacity: 1/32 · space to show QR code · w to toggle spawn mode

Press the space bar to see the QR code, and w to toggle spawn mode. Handy flags:

$ claude remote-control --name "My Project"
$ claude remote-control --spawn worktree  # each session in its own worktree

Option B — Interactive session

A normal session in your terminal that you also control from your phone (you can type locally and remotely at the same time):

$ claude --remote-control            # or the shortcut: claude --rc
$ claude --remote-control "My Project"

Already in a session and want to keep going on your phone? Turn it on with the slash command — it carries your full history:

› inside the session:
/remote-control   # or:  /rc

Connecting from the web and your phone

With the session active, you have three ways in:

• Scan the QR code (space bar in server mode) → it opens the session in the Claude app. Don’t have the app? Run /mobile for the download QR code.
• Open the session URL in any browser → you get in through claude.ai/code.
• Find it in your session list on claude.ai/code (or tap Code in the app). Remote Control sessions show a computer icon with a green dot when they’re online.

From the mobile app

Claude app → Code tab → tap the session → keep working with the same context. @ autocompletes files from your project, just like on your computer.

Why it changes everything

• Power without carrying it: your heavy machine does the work; you carry a phone.
• Your credentials and integrations: everything lives on the server computer — no reconfiguring anything on each device.
• From anywhere: café, iPad, phone. Start something and pick it up wherever you are.
• Same context everywhere: the conversation syncs across terminal, web, and phone.

Tips & tricks

• The home computer = your server. Server mode (claude remote-control) on your most powerful machine.
• Turn it on for every session: run /config and enable “Enable Remote Control for all sessions”.
• Each session in its own worktree: with --spawn worktree they won’t step on each other editing the same files. Press w to toggle.
• Let your phone notify you: Claude sends you a push when something long finishes. Just ask: “let me know when the tests are done”.
• Keep the session alive: over SSH, use tmux so it doesn’t die when you close the connection.

Common errors and limits

Frequently asked questions