What you'll learn: How to set up Claude Code's Remote Control feature so you can access your full AI coding environment — files, folders, skills, and agents — from your phone, tablet, or any browser. No extra tools. No extra costs. 5 minutes.

What Is Remote Control?

Remote Control is a built-in Claude Code feature that lets you continue any local Claude Code session from your phone, tablet, or another computer.

Your session stays running on your machine. Your phone is just a window into it. That means:

  • ✅ Your files and folders stay exactly where they are
  • ✅ Your Skills, MCP servers, and CLAUDE.md all remain accessible
  • ✅ No cloud hosting — everything runs locally on your computer
  • ✅ No extra API costs — it's included in your Claude plan
  • ✅ No migration — if you already have Claude Code set up, you're ready
Think of it like screen-sharing into your own terminal — except it's native, fast, and built right into Claude.

What You Need Before You Start

Requirements Checklist

The Simple Setup Guide (5 Minutes)

Step 1: Open Your Terminal

Open your terminal app (Terminal on Mac, Command Prompt or WSL on Windows) and navigate to your project folder.

cd ~/your-project-folder

Step 2: Start a Remote Control Session

Type this single command:

claude remote-control

That's it. One command.

You'll see:

  • A session URL (a link you can open on any device)
  • Press spacebar to show a QR code for quick phone access

Tip: Your terminal needs to stay open for the session to stay active. If you close the terminal, the session ends. Just run claude remote-control again to start a new one.

Step 3: Connect From Your Phone

You have three ways to connect:

Step 4: You're In

Once connected, you'll see your full Claude Code session on your phone — same conversation, same files, same everything.

How It Connects to Your Files and Folders

This is the key thing people miss: nothing moves to the cloud.

When you run claude remote-control, here's what happens:

  1. Claude Code stays running locally on your machine
  2. It makes a secure outbound connection to Anthropic's servers (HTTPS, encrypted)
  3. Your phone connects to that same server
  4. Messages are routed between your phone and your local machine — like a bridge

What this means in practice:

  • 📂 Your project files — fully accessible, exactly where they are on your computer
  • ⚡ Your Skills (slash commands in .claude/skills/) — all available
  • 🧠 Your CLAUDE.md (project memory) — still loaded
  • 🔌 Your MCP servers — still connected
  • 🛠️ Your tools and config — everything carries over
You're not uploading anything. You're not syncing anything. Your phone is literally just a remote window into the session on your machine.

Using It From Your Phone

Once you're connected, you can do everything you'd normally do in Claude Code:

  • Send messages — ask Claude to write, edit, or debug code
  • Run commands — Claude executes them on your local machine
  • Browse files — navigate your project structure
  • Use Skills — trigger any slash commands you've built
  • Switch devices freely — send a message from your phone, then from your terminal, then from a browser — the conversation stays in sync across all of them

Power Move: Start a long-running task at your desk, walk away, and monitor progress from your phone. If Claude needs input or hits a decision point, you can respond right from the couch.

Already In a Session? Connect It Remotely

You don't need to start fresh. If you're already working in Claude Code and want to go mobile:

/remote-control

Or the shortcut:

/rc

This takes your current conversation and context and makes it remotely accessible. Same URL, same QR code flow.

Tip: Use /rename before /remote-control to give your session a clear name — makes it easier to find in the session list on your phone.

Want It On By Default?

If you always want your sessions to be remotely accessible:

  1. Open Claude Code
  2. Type /config
  3. Set "Enable Remote Control for all sessions" to true

Now every session you start will automatically be available on your phone.

Quick Troubleshooting

Remote Control vs. OpenClaw — Why This Wins

TL;DR — The 60-Second Version

  1. You need: Claude Code installed + a Max plan
  2. Run: claude remote-control in your terminal
  3. Scan the QR code with your phone (or open the URL)
  4. Done. Your full local setup is now on your phone
  5. Your files, Skills, CLAUDE.md, and MCP servers all stay local — your phone is just a window

Made by liamjohnston.ai — Follow for more Claude Code guides and AI automation breakdowns.