Remote Control Claude Code on Windows from iPhone: Tactic Remote 1.8.0

Your Claude Code task is running.

Maybe it is a refactor, a round of test coverage, or a debugging pass. Most of the time it runs for 5 minutes, 20 minutes, sometimes more than half an hour.

For most of that time, the agent does not need you watching — it decides the next step on its own. But it pauses at key moments: whether to commit, whether to run a risky command, whether a change is heading in the direction you wanted.

You need to be present for those moments, but you do not have to be at the computer.

Tactic Remote brings the running state, output, and pending approval points of Claude Code (and Codex and Amp) onto your iPhone. You can check progress and make the next decision without going back to your desk.

Starting with 1.8.0, this layer is open to Windows users. This post covers what the Windows side can do, how it differs from the Mac side, how pairing works, and where the Preview currently lands.

What remote control of Claude Code solves

If you already let AI agents make real changes for you, these scenarios will be familiar:

• You start a 30-minute task, then get pulled into a meeting
• You want to know on the commute whether last night's batch job finished
• You want to confirm from the couch that a change matches what you asked for
• The agent is stuck on a yes/no prompt and you are not at the computer

The traditional remote options do not fit these scenarios well:

• SSH + tmux: works, but typing commands and reading terminal output on iPhone is rough
• VNC / remote desktop: cramming a full desktop into a 6-inch screen wrecks precision
• Cloud-based relays: sending code and sessions to someone else's server, which most developers do not want

Tactic Remote takes a different path: a native iOS app on iPhone connects directly to the Tactic Remote server on your computer over the local network. No cloud in the middle, no full desktop projected onto the phone.

How the Windows side differs from the Mac side

Before 1.8.0, the only path for Windows users was the command line: run npx tacticremote in PowerShell or WSL2. It worked, but it was a long way from the "click the menu bar icon" experience Mac users had.

1.8.0 introduces a Windows desktop app so Windows users can start and manage the server through a graphical interface. It is an Electron-based native app, and once launched it shows:

• A status panel with the server listen address, current connection count, and API Key (if enabled)
• A Start / Stop Server button
• A pairing QR code that can be enlarged for the iPhone to scan
• A Cloudflare Tunnel toggle for one-click remote access

The overall flow lines up with the Mac menu bar app: open the app, start the server, scan the code from iPhone, get to work. Pairing usually completes in under 5 seconds.

First pairing in under 30 seconds

Steps on the Windows side:

1. Grab TacticRemote-Windows-Setup-1.8.0.exe from the download page and run the installer
2. Launch Tactic Remote and click Start Server
3. On iPhone, open the Tactic Remote iOS App
4. On iPhone, pick a nearby device or scan the QR code shown by the desktop app
5. Done

The iPhone and the computer have to be on the same Wi-Fi network. mDNS / Bonjour handles discovery, so no IP or port entry is needed.

For remote use (coffee shops, travel, different networks), turn on Cloudflare Tunnel: one click in the desktop app generates a temporary public address, the iPhone uses the same QR code to connect, and traffic is encrypted end to end.

What you can do from iPhone once connected

Once paired, the iOS app gives you these workflows:

Chat Mode: agent output is rendered as message bubbles, tool calls (Edit / Bash / Read / Grep) are marked with icons, and Thinking sections collapse on their own. Easier to read than a raw terminal stream.

Terminal Mode: the raw terminal view is still there. Switch over when you need full ANSI output.

Quick Prompts: save frequent instructions (review the current diff, add tests, explain a bug) as templates and send them with one tap next time, no retyping.

Mobile Git Review: see which files the agent changed and the diff for each, directly on the phone, then decide whether to continue.

Push Notifications: iPhone receives a push when the agent finishes a task, stops at a prompt for approval, or terminates.

Multi-agent support: each session can pick Claude Code, Codex, or Amp as the backend.

iPad-optimized layout: split view, external keyboard shortcuts, native gestures.

Picking among the three connection methods

The three can be combined freely, for example LAN + API Key, or Cloudflare Tunnel + API Key.

Where the Windows Preview currently lands

The 1.8.0 Windows build is a Preview. That means:

Stable parts:

• Start / stop server, QR code display, pairing, long session persistence
• ConPTY backend running Claude Code, Codex, and Amp
• Cloudflare Tunnel
• API Key auth
• LAN mDNS discovery
• Multi-language UI including English and Chinese

Still being polished:

• In-app auto-update is not enabled yet — new versions need a manual download
• Edge ConPTY behavior on some specific Windows version combinations is still being covered
• Sessions running for very long stretches (multiple hours) occasionally need a server restart

If macOS is your main platform, stick with the Mac build — that path has been validated the longest. If Windows is where you work, the Windows build is usable, and we want to hear from you: GitHub Issues.

The CLI is not going away

npx tacticremote on Windows is also a native binary starting with 1.8.1, no longer depending on WSL2. It runs directly in PowerShell or cmd.

When to use the CLI instead of the desktop app:

• Your development environment is the terminal and you do not want another app open
• You need to run the server on a cloud VM, a remote dev machine, or a Docker container
• You want scripted deployment
• You are doing CI integration

CLI and desktop app are not replacements for each other — they are two entry points. The same iPhone app connects to both.

FAQ

Can I use Claude Code on Windows? Yes. You need Anthropic's Claude Code CLI installed and signed in locally. Tactic Remote launches it through a PTY and bridges the session to iPhone.

Are Codex and Amp supported? Yes. Each session picks its backend agent independently.

Is code uploaded to the cloud? By default, no. In LAN direct mode all traffic stays on your local network. In Cloudflare Tunnel mode, traffic passes through Cloudflare encrypted but is not stored.

Do the iPhone and the computer need to be signed into the same Apple ID? No. Pairing uses mDNS discovery and the QR code.

How is this different from SSH + tmux? SSH lets you log into a terminal remotely, but typing commands and reading ANSI output on iPhone is a poor experience. Tactic Remote is built for "read agent output and approve prompts," not for replacing the terminal. Chat Mode, Quick Prompts, and Mobile Review are things SSH does not have.

Is it paid? Core functionality is free. The iOS app is a free download on the App Store, and the desktop app and CLI are free as well.

Is Linux supported? Yes. npx tacticremote runs directly on Linux, and you can pair it with systemd for a long-running service. The capabilities match what you get on Mac or Windows.

Get started

• iOS app: Download on the App Store
• Windows desktop app (Preview): Download page or GitHub Release v1.8.0
• Mac menu bar app: Download page
• CLI (any platform): npx tacticremote

Full Windows Preview release notes: Windows Companion Preview release.

Issues or feedback: GitHub Issues.