Can I run Claude Code directly on my phone?

On Android you can install it inside Termux, but you are then working on the phone's own storage with a phone CPU. Most people keep the session on their computer or a server and use the phone only to watch and steer it, which is what all four options here do.

Does Remote Control work with an API key?

At the time of writing it requires signing in with a claude.ai subscription, not an API key. Check Anthropic's documentation for the current plan list, because it has changed since launch.

Does my computer have to stay on?

Yes, for every option on this page. The session lives on your computer; the phone is only a way to reach it.

Does the Octling bridge cost credits?

No. Conversations with your local CLI run on your own Claude Code, Codex or Kimi subscription, so Octling does not charge credits for them. On the free plan the bridge is unlocked after you invite one friend; it is included in the Standard plan.

Use cases · AI coding agents

Four ways to use Claude Code from your phone

Claude Code runs in a terminal on your computer, and a long task rarely finishes while you are sitting in front of it. Sooner or later you want to check on it from the sofa or the train and answer the one question that is blocking it. There are four realistic ways to do that today. We make one of them, so this page says plainly where the others are the better choice.

1. Remote Control, built into Claude Code

Anthropic’s own answer. You start it from the session on your computer (claude remote-control, or /rc inside a session), scan the QR code, and the Claude app on your phone drives that same local session. Code and files stay on your computer.

Needs: a recent Claude Code signed in with a claude.ai subscription rather than an API key. Plan requirements have changed since launch, so check the official docs.
Good at: the least setup of anything here, and the best phone experience for Claude Code itself.
Limits: Claude Code only. It will not help with Codex or another CLI, and the computer has to stay on with the session running.

If Claude Code is the only agent you use and your plan includes Remote Control, use it. You do not need anything else on this page.

2. SSH + Tailscale + tmux

The do-it-yourself route: Tailscale puts your phone and computer on one private network, an SSH client on the phone (Termux on Android, Termius or Blink on iOS) connects in, and tmux keeps the session alive when the phone locks.

Needs: Tailscale on both devices, an SSH server on the computer, and some comfort with tmux.
Good at: it is a real terminal, so it works with any CLI, any plan and API keys, and nothing passes through a third party’s app.
Limits: typing and scrolling a terminal UI on a phone keyboard is slow, and you maintain the pieces yourself.

3. A self-hosted web UI

Open-source projects such as Claude Code UI put a browser front end on the CLI. You run the server on your computer and open it from the phone.

Needs: the UI running on your computer, plus a way to reach it from outside your network, which usually means Tailscale or a tunnel again.
Good at: a touch-friendly chat view and file browser, all under your control.
Limits: one more service to keep updated, and you are responsible for not exposing it to the internet by accident.

4. Octling’s local CLI bridge

This is ours. You install octling-local on the computer, pair it once with a single-use code, and run octling-local up. Claude Code then shows up as a model in the Octling web app, and you chat with it from any browser. Details are on the local CLI bridge page.

Needs: an Octling account and octling-local left running. No VPN, no open port; the bridge connects outbound.
Good at: the same setup works for Claude Code, Codex and Kimi, it runs on your existing subscription instead of Octling credits, you can attach a screenshot from the phone, and the workspace can also hold your servers, so the agent that writes the code sits next to the machines that run it.
Limits: it is a chat view, not your terminal: you do not see Claude Code’s own interface. Messages are relayed through Octling’s servers. On the free plan the bridge unlocks after you invite one friend. octling-local does not update itself yet, so you reinstall it to get a new version.

Which one to pick

Only Claude Code, on a plan that includes it: Remote Control.
You want the real terminal and already live in tmux: SSH + Tailscale.
You want a web UI and everything on your own hardware: a self-hosted UI.
You use more than one CLI, or want coding agents and servers in one place without a VPN: Octling.

Whichever you choose, the computer has to stay awake. Turn off sleep while a task is running, or the session stops answering no matter how you reach it.

Questions

Can I run Claude Code directly on my phone?: On Android you can install it inside Termux, but you are then working on the phone's own storage with a phone CPU. Most people keep the session on their computer or a server and use the phone only to watch and steer it, which is what all four options here do.
Does Remote Control work with an API key?: At the time of writing it requires signing in with a claude.ai subscription, not an API key. Check Anthropic's documentation for the current plan list, because it has changed since launch.
Does my computer have to stay on?: Yes, for every option on this page. The session lives on your computer; the phone is only a way to reach it.
Does the Octling bridge cost credits?: No. Conversations with your local CLI run on your own Claude Code, Codex or Kimi subscription, so Octling does not charge credits for them. On the free plan the bridge is unlocked after you invite one friend; it is included in the Standard plan.