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Remote Control is available on all plans. On Team and Enterprise, it is off by default until an admin enables the Remote Control toggle in Claude Code admin settings.
Remote Control connects claude.ai/code or the Claude app for iOS and Android to a Claude Code session running on your machine. Start a task at your desk, then pick it up from your phone on the couch or a browser on another computer. When you start a Remote Control session on your machine, Claude keeps running locally the entire time, so nothing moves to the cloud. With Remote Control you can:
  • Use your full local environment remotely: your filesystem, MCP servers, tools, and project configuration all stay available
  • Work from both surfaces at once: the conversation stays in sync across all connected devices, so you can send messages from your terminal, browser, and phone interchangeably
  • Survive interruptions: if your laptop sleeps or your network drops, the session reconnects automatically when your machine comes back online
Unlike Claude Code on the web, which runs on cloud infrastructure, Remote Control sessions run directly on your machine and interact with your local filesystem. The web and mobile interfaces are just a window into that local session.
Remote Control requires Claude Code v2.1.51 or later. Check your version with claude --version.
This page covers setup, how to start and connect to sessions, and how Remote Control compares to Claude Code on the web.

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Requirements

Before using Remote Control, confirm that your environment meets these conditions:
  • Subscription: available on Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans. API keys are not supported. On Team and Enterprise, an admin must first enable the Remote Control toggle in Claude Code admin settings.
  • Authentication: run claude and use /login to sign in through claude.ai if you haven’t already.
  • Workspace trust: run claude in your project directory at least once to accept the workspace trust dialog.

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Start a Remote Control session

You can start a dedicated Remote Control server, start an interactive session with Remote Control enabled, or connect a session that’s already running.
Navigate to your project directory and run:
claude remote-control
The process stays running in your terminal in server mode, waiting for remote connections. It displays a session URL you can use to connect from another device, and you can press spacebar to show a QR code for quick access from your phone. While a remote session is active, the terminal shows connection status and tool activity.Available flags:
FlagDescription
--name "My Project"Set a custom session title visible in the session list at claude.ai/code.
--spawn <mode>How concurrent sessions are created. Press w at runtime to toggle.
• same-dir (default): all sessions share the current working directory, so they can conflict if editing the same files.
• worktree: each on-demand session gets its own git worktree. Requires a git repository.
--capacity <N>Maximum number of concurrent sessions. Default is 32.
--verboseShow detailed connection and session logs.
--sandbox / --no-sandboxEnable or disable sandboxing for filesystem and network isolation. Off by default.

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Connect from another device

Once a Remote Control session is active, you have a few ways to connect from another device:
  • Open the session URL in any browser to go directly to the session on claude.ai/code. Both claude remote-control and /remote-control display this URL in the terminal.
  • Scan the QR code shown alongside the session URL to open it directly in the Claude app. With claude remote-control, press spacebar to toggle the QR code display.
  • Open claude.ai/code or the Claude app and find the session by name in the session list. Remote Control sessions show a computer icon with a green status dot when online.
The remote session title is chosen in this order:
  1. The name you passed to --name, --remote-control, or /remote-control
  2. The title you set with /rename
  3. The last meaningful message in existing conversation history
  4. Your first prompt once you send one
If the environment already has an active session, you’ll be asked whether to continue it or start a new one. If you don’t have the Claude app yet, use the /mobile command inside Claude Code to display a download QR code for iOS or Android.

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Enable Remote Control for all sessions

By default, Remote Control only activates when you explicitly run claude remote-control, claude --remote-control, or /remote-control. To enable it automatically for every interactive session, run /config inside Claude Code and set Enable Remote Control for all sessions to true. Set it back to false to disable. With this setting on, each interactive Claude Code process registers one remote session. If you run multiple instances, each one gets its own environment and session. To run multiple concurrent sessions from a single process, use server mode with --spawn instead.

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Connection and security

Your local Claude Code session makes outbound HTTPS requests only and never opens inbound ports on your machine. When you start Remote Control, it registers with the Anthropic API and polls for work. When you connect from another device, the server routes messages between the web or mobile client and your local session over a streaming connection. All traffic travels through the Anthropic API over TLS, the same transport security as any Claude Code session. The connection uses multiple short-lived credentials, each scoped to a single purpose and expiring independently.

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Remote Control vs Claude Code on the web

Remote Control and Claude Code on the web both use the claude.ai/code interface. The key difference is where the session runs: Remote Control executes on your machine, so your local MCP servers, tools, and project configuration stay available. Claude Code on the web executes in Anthropic-managed cloud infrastructure. Use Remote Control when you’re in the middle of local work and want to keep going from another device. Use Claude Code on the web when you want to kick off a task without any local setup, work on a repo you don’t have cloned, or run multiple tasks in parallel.

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Limitations

  • One remote session per interactive process: outside of server mode, each Claude Code instance supports one remote session at a time. Use server mode with --spawn to run multiple concurrent sessions from a single process.
  • Terminal must stay open: Remote Control runs as a local process. If you close the terminal or stop the claude process, the session ends. Run claude remote-control again to start a new one.
  • Extended network outage: if your machine is awake but unable to reach the network for more than roughly 10 minutes, the session times out and the process exits. Run claude remote-control again to start a new session.

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Troubleshooting

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”Remote Control requires a claude.ai subscription”

You’re not authenticated with a claude.ai account. Run claude auth login and choose the claude.ai option. If ANTHROPIC_API_KEY is set in your environment, unset it first.

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”Remote Control requires a full-scope login token”

You’re authenticated with a long-lived token from claude setup-token or the CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN environment variable. These tokens are limited to inference-only and cannot establish Remote Control sessions. Run claude auth login to authenticate with a full-scope session token instead.

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”Unable to determine your organization for Remote Control eligibility”

Your cached account information is stale or incomplete. Run claude auth login to refresh it.

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”Remote Control is not yet enabled for your account”

The eligibility check can fail with certain environment variables present:
  • CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC or DISABLE_TELEMETRY: unset them and try again.
  • CLAUDE_CODE_USE_BEDROCK, CLAUDE_CODE_USE_VERTEX, or CLAUDE_CODE_USE_FOUNDRY: Remote Control requires claude.ai authentication and does not work with third-party providers.
If none of these are set, run /logout then /login to refresh.

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”Remote Control is disabled by your organization’s policy”

This error has three distinct causes. Run /status first to see which login method and subscription you’re using.
  • You’re authenticated with an API key or Console account: Remote Control requires claude.ai OAuth. Run /login and choose the claude.ai option. If ANTHROPIC_API_KEY is set in your environment, unset it.
  • Your Team or Enterprise admin hasn’t enabled it: Remote Control is off by default on these plans. An admin can enable it at claude.ai/admin-settings/claude-code by turning on the Remote Control toggle. This is a server-side organization setting, not a managed settings key.
  • The admin toggle is grayed out: your organization has a data retention or compliance configuration that is incompatible with Remote Control. This cannot be changed from the admin panel. Contact Anthropic support to discuss options.

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”Remote credentials fetch failed”

Claude Code could not obtain a short-lived credential from the Anthropic API to establish the connection. Re-run with --verbose to see the full error: 
claude remote-control --verbose
Common causes:
  • Not signed in: run claude and use /login to authenticate with your claude.ai account. API key authentication is not supported for Remote Control.
  • Network or proxy issue: a firewall or proxy may be blocking the outbound HTTPS request. Remote Control requires access to the Anthropic API on port 443.
  • Session creation failed: if you also see Session creation failed — see debug log, the failure happened earlier in setup. Check that your subscription is active.

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Choose the right approach

Claude Code offers several ways to work when you’re not at your terminal. They differ in what triggers the work, where Claude runs, and how much you need to set up.
TriggerClaude runs onSetupBest for
DispatchMessage a task from the Claude mobile appYour machine (Desktop)Pair the mobile app with DesktopDelegating work while you’re away, minimal setup
Remote ControlDrive a running session from claude.ai/code or the Claude mobile appYour machine (CLI or VS Code)Run claude remote-controlSteering in-progress work from another device
ChannelsPush events from a chat app like Telegram or Discord, or your own serverYour machine (CLI)Install a channel plugin or build your ownReacting to external events like CI failures or chat messages
SlackMention @Claude in a team channelAnthropic cloudInstall the Slack app with Claude Code on the web enabledPRs and reviews from team chat
Scheduled tasksSet a scheduleCLI, Desktop, or cloudPick a frequencyRecurring automation like daily reviews
  • Claude Code on the web: run sessions in Anthropic-managed cloud environments instead of on your machine
  • Channels: forward Telegram, Discord, or iMessage into a session so Claude reacts to messages while you’re away
  • Dispatch: message a task from your phone and it can spawn a Desktop session to handle it
  • Authentication: set up /login and manage credentials for claude.ai
  • CLI reference: full list of flags and commands including claude remote-control
  • Security: how Remote Control sessions fit into the Claude Code security model
  • Data usage: what data flows through the Anthropic API during local and remote sessions