Remote Control is not a cloud session. Your laptop runs Claude the whole time. The browser or phone is just a window into that local process, which means your filesystem, MCP servers, and project config all stay available. Nothing moves to Anthropic infrastructure.
Claude Code on the web runs on cloud infrastructure. Remote Control runs on your machine, remote-controlled.
Requires Claude Code v2.1.51 or later. Check with claude --version.
Start a Remote Control session: three modes
Server mode is for multi-session or dedicated remote work:
claude remote-controlThe process stays running in your terminal, waiting for connections. Press spacebar to show a QR code. Use --spawn worktree to give each new remote connection its own git worktree so concurrent sessions don’t step on each other:
claude remote-control --spawn worktree --name "API refactor"Interactive mode gives you a full local session you can also connect to remotely:
claude --remote-control "My Project"You can type locally in the terminal while the session is also reachable from claude.ai/code or the mobile app.
From an existing session use the slash command:
/remote-control My ProjectThis carries over your current conversation history and shows a session URL and QR code.
Connect from another device
Three ways to reach your session:
- Open the session URL shown in the terminal in any browser.
- Scan the QR code (press spacebar in server mode to show it) to open directly in the Claude app.
- Open claude.ai/code or tap Code in the Claude mobile app and find the session by name in the list.
Set up push notifications
When a long task finishes or Claude needs a decision, it can push a notification to your phone.
- Install the Claude mobile app (iOS or Android).
- Sign in with the same account you use in the terminal.
- Allow notifications when the OS prompts.
- In your terminal, run
/configand enable Push when Claude decides.
Requires Claude Code v2.1.110 or later. If /config shows “No mobile registered,” open the Claude app once so it refreshes its push token.
Footguns
A sustained 10-minute network outage while awake kills the session. Laptop sleep is fine: the session reconnects automatically on wake. But if your machine is on and unable to reach the network for more than roughly 10 minutes, the process exits. Run claude remote-control again to start fresh. You cannot resume a session that ended this way.
claude setup-token credentials do not work with Remote Control. The long-lived inference-only token from setup-token or CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN lacks the scope needed for Remote Control. You need a full-scope session from claude auth login via the claude.ai OAuth flow. If you see “Remote Control requires a full-scope login token,” that is the reason.
Ultraplan disconnects Remote Control. Ultraplan and Remote Control both occupy the claude.ai/code interface and only one can be connected at a time. Starting an ultraplan session while Remote Control is active disconnects Remote Control. There is no warning.
Several commands only work from the local CLI. Commands that open interactive pickers in the terminal cannot work remotely: /mcp, /plugin, /resume. Commands that produce text output work from mobile and web: /compact, /clear, /context, /usage, /exit, /recap, /reload-plugins.
Team and Enterprise have Remote Control off by default. An admin must enable the Remote Control toggle at claude.ai/admin-settings/claude-code. If you see “disabled by your organization’s policy,” the toggle is off, your org has a data retention constraint incompatible with Remote Control, or your IT admin set disableRemoteControl in managed settings. Run /status to identify which case applies.
--spawn modes compared
| Mode | What happens | Use for |
|---|---|---|
same-dir (default) | All sessions share the CWD | Solo work, light use |
worktree | Each connection gets its own git worktree | Concurrent reviewers, parallel sessions |
session | Exactly one session, additional connections rejected | Exclusive handoff |
worktree requires a git repository. It is the safest option if multiple people might connect to the same server process.
When NOT to use Remote Control
- You want Claude to run autonomously without your machine being on. Use Routines or Claude Code on the web instead.
- You need to use Ultraplan in the same session. Pick one: Ultraplan occupies the same interface slot.
- You use API key authentication. Remote Control requires claude.ai OAuth. Unset
ANTHROPIC_API_KEYand run/login. - Your org has ZDR or certain compliance configurations that are incompatible with the feature. The admin toggle will be grayed out. Contact Anthropic support.