Continue a Claude Code session from your phone
Remote Control connects the Claude mobile app or claude.ai/code to a session running on your computer. Your code, files, MCP servers, tools, and commands stay local. Your phone becomes the remote. This is the complete setup, with screenshots and checks after every step.
What you will have
- Remote Control enabled in Claude Code
- Your local session visible in the Claude mobile app
- The ability to read, send messages, and approve actions remotely
- A clear understanding of what stays local and how to disconnect
Before you start
- A Claude Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan
- Claude Code signed in through claude.ai, not an API key alone
- The Claude mobile app, or a browser that can open claude.ai/code
- Your computer stays awake, online, and keeps the Claude Code process running
- On Team and Enterprise, an Owner must enable Remote Control for the organization
Steps
Check your account and computer
Run the following command inside Claude Code. It shows which account and plan are active.
/statusIf you are not signed in through claude.ai, run /login and choose your claude.ai account. An ANTHROPIC_API_KEY alone is not enough.
Check: /status shows a claude.ai login and a supported plan.
Enable Remote Control
In Claude Desktop, open Settings, choose Claude Code, then enable Enable remote control by default. Every new interactive session will register automatically.
To enable it only for the session you are already in:
/remote-controlOr start a new interactive session from the terminal:
claude --remote-controlCheck: you see a session URL or the /rc active indicator.
Open the session on your phone
Open the Claude app, choose Code, and find the session with a computer icon and a green status dot. You can also open the session URL or scan the QR code shown on your computer.
Check: the project name and conversation from your computer appear on your phone.
Keep working in the same session
You can send a message from your phone, follow task progress, see subagents and workflows, attach a screenshot or file, and answer questions or permission prompts. Your files and tools do not move to the phone. Claude Code continues to access them from your computer.
Check: send a test message from your phone and confirm it appears in the same session on your computer.
Stay in control and disconnect
- Do not close the terminal or stop the Claude Code process
- If the computer sleeps or the network drops, the session reconnects when the machine returns
- A network outage of roughly ten minutes may end the local process
- Run
/remote-controlagain, or use the connection close button, to disconnect
What stays local?
Code execution and filesystem access stay on your computer. The connection makes outbound HTTPS requests and does not open an inbound port. The session transcript and tool activity are stored on Anthropic servers to keep devices synchronized, under Anthropic's data usage policy.
Troubleshooting
Remote Control requires a claude.ai subscription
Run /login and sign in through claude.ai. If ANTHROPIC_API_KEY is set in the environment, remove it from the session first.
Your organization disabled Remote Control
On Team or Enterprise, an Owner must enable Remote Control in Claude Code admin settings.
The session is missing on your phone
Confirm that the phone and computer use the same account and organization. Run /remote-control again for a fresh URL and QR code.
The session disappeared after closing your computer
Remote Control is not a cloud runtime. The local Claude Code process must keep running.
You see an alternate API endpoint error
Remote Control requires direct access to api.anthropic.com. Remove a custom ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL and restart.