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Remote Control · Beta

Clinch, from your phone.

A mobile web app for checking your projects, switching among Claude Code, Codex, and terminal tabs, then responding directly on the Mac you already use.

Beta: Remote Control ships in the current Clinch release and is off until you turn it on. The protocol, pairing, and revocation model are settled; real-device hardening continues.
9:41tour private

codex · mobile-remote

Connected to Elliot's Mac

~/clinch-terminal

› Review the Remote Control settings surface and mobile shell.

The header entry point, pairing checklist, and phone client are connected. The phone layout keeps project navigation visible while the current session stays in focus.

Working

Waiting on cargo test…

esctab⌃C←↑↓→

$ setup

Four guided steps. No terminal networking setup.

The first transport uses your own Tailscale network. The connection works on the same Wi-Fi or across networks such as phone 5G, as long as both devices can reach the same tailnet and the Mac stays awake, online, and running Clinch.

  1. 01

    Connect the Mac

    Install Tailscale on the Mac that runs Clinch and connect it to your tailnet.

    Get Tailscale for Mac →

  2. 02

    Connect the phone

    Install Tailscale on your iPhone or iPad and sign in to the same tailnet.

    Get Tailscale for iPhone →

  3. 03

    Enable it in Clinch

    Click the phone button in Clinch's header, open the guided Remote Control settings, and explicitly enable the private companion.

  4. 04

    Pair once

    Scan a five-minute, single-use QR invitation and approve the phone on your Mac. Connections renew automatically; the device stays paired until you revoke it or it has been inactive for 90 days.

$ phone-ui

Designed for focus, not a squeezed desktop.

Projects remain visible in a horizontal strip. A left drawer expands to show every tab grouped by project, then closes so the active terminal or agent can fill the screen.

The overflow menu holds Claude Code and Codex usage, connection health, and device controls. Quick inserts sit above a touch composer with explicit Send and common terminal keys. New terminal and agent sessions—and locally recoverable Claude Code or Codex conversations you resume—use the exact selected project and working directory.

The phone client is an installable web app written in React and TypeScript, with xterm.js for the terminal view. It runs in Safari or from the Home Screen, so you do not need a Clinch iOS app. Termius can still provide a separate SSH session, but it cannot navigate or control your existing Clinch sessions.

$ included

Desktop discovery + guided setupBeta
Private Tailscale connectionBeta
Approved-device pairing + live project and tab viewBeta
Terminal input, new/resumed sessions, full usage + quick insertsBeta
Photo and file paste into local terminal directoriesBeta

$ privacy-model

The connection belongs to you.

Clinch serves the mobile app from a localhost companion on your Mac. Tailscale exposes it only inside your private tailnet over HTTPS. The public clinch.sh website documents the feature; it never carries terminal traffic.

A Tailscale account is required for this optional transport. A Clinch account is not. Tailscale's Personal tier can be used for free, while organizational use follows that organization's plan. Clinch does not receive your project names, terminal output, prompts, usage, or device keys.

  • No public port or Tailscale Funnel
  • Separate one-time pairing and device approval
  • Revoke any phone from the Mac
  • Exact project, tab, and pane targeting
  • No commands queued while the Mac is offline

Follow the implementation in the Clinch source repository, including its protocol, pairing, mobile client, and release verification code.