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Tutorial: Building a Full-Stack App Remotely with Tactic Remote
Follow along as we build a complete task management app using Claude Code directed from an iPhone — proving that substantial development work is possible from mobile.
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Browse categoryThis tutorial walks you through building a complete full-stack application — a task management API with a React frontend — entirely through Tactic Remote. You'll direct Claude Code from your iPhone while your Mac does the heavy lifting.
By the end, you'll have a working application and practical experience with the remote development workflow that Tactic Remote enables.
Prerequisites
Before starting, ensure you have:
- Tactic Remote set up and connected (Getting Started guide)
- Node.js 18+ installed on your Mac
- A working project directory (we'll use
~/projects/taskflow)
Part 1: Project Setup (10 minutes)
Open Tactic Remote on your iPhone and start a new session pointed at your project directory.
Prompt 1: Scaffold the Project
Send this prompt to Claude Code:
Claude Code will work for 3-5 minutes on this task. You'll see it creating directories, writing configuration files, and installing dependencies. This is a great time to put your phone down — Tactic Remote will notify you when the task completes or if approval is needed.
What to watch for: Claude Code will likely request approval for running npm install. Approve this from the notification — it's installing the dependencies for your project.
Prompt 2: Verify the Setup
Once scaffolding completes, verify everything works:
You should see Claude Code start the servers and report back with URLs like http://localhost:3001 for the API and http://localhost:5173 for the frontend.
Part 2: Building the API (20 minutes)
Now let's build out the backend API with substantive business logic.
Prompt 3: Database Schema and Models
This prompt demonstrates a key benefit of AI-assisted development: you describe the what and Claude handles the how. The result will include properly typed models, SQL migrations, and seed data — work that would take a human developer 30-60 minutes.
Prompt 4: API Routes with Validation
Approval note: Claude Code may request approval for modifying multiple files. Review the file list in the approval card — it should be limited to files within your project's packages/api/ directory. If you see any file outside this scope, reject and clarify the prompt.
Prompt 5: Test the API
Watch the test results stream through your terminal view. Green passing tests are satisfying even on a phone screen. If any tests fail, Claude Code will typically diagnose and fix the issue automatically.
Part 3: Building the Frontend (25 minutes)
Prompt 6: Core UI Components
This is the most substantial prompt so far. Claude Code will generate several components, set up routing, configure React Query, and implement drag-and-drop. Expect 5-8 minutes of work.
Prompt 7: Forms and Interactions
Prompt 8: Polish and Responsive Design
Part 4: Integration and Final Verification (10 minutes)
Prompt 9: End-to-End Verification
Prompt 10: Documentation
What You Just Built
In about an hour of directing Claude Code from your phone, you've created:
- A TypeScript Express API with SQLite persistence
- A React frontend with drag-and-drop kanban board
- Full CRUD operations with validation
- Integration tests
- Responsive design
- Project documentation
This is a non-trivial application — hundreds of lines of code across dozens of files. And you built it without sitting at your desk.
Tips for Remote Full-Stack Development
Break work into clear phases. Don't try to describe the entire application in one prompt. Phase-by-phase prompting gives better results because each prompt builds on verified work from the previous phase.
Verify after each phase. Ask Claude Code to run tests or start servers after each major piece of work. Catching issues early prevents cascading problems.
Use approval notifications wisely. The approval flow isn't just a security feature — it's a checkpoint where you can review what Claude Code is doing and course-correct if needed.
Don't watch continuously. The whole point of remote development is freedom. Start a prompt, put your phone down, come back when you get a notification. Trust the system.
Next Steps
- Advanced Session Management — Master multi-session workflows
- Automating Code Reviews with Tactic Remote — Set up AI-assisted code review
Try Tactic Remote
Control your coding Agents from your phone
Connect to Claude Code, Codex, and other Agents on your Mac, Windows, or Linux computer. Check progress and send the next instruction from iPhone or iPad.