How to Control Your Computer From Your Phone Using Claude
Claude Code's Remote Control feature lets you start a session on your computer, then control it from your phone — anywhere. No developer skills needed. This guide walks you through the complete setup in under 10 minutes, including the VS Code workaround that fixes the terminal error most people hit.
Marlon Brand
Founder, Undeniable · Last updated February 2026
You've probably heard about Claude Code by now. Maybe you saw a tweet. Maybe someone in a group chat sent you a video. Maybe you've been watching from the sidelines thinking “that looks cool but it's not for me.”
Here's the thing… I thought the same thing. I'm not a developer. I don't write code. I run an advertising agency. I manage clients, creative, media buying, team, all of it. And Claude Code has completely changed how I work.
So when Anthropic dropped a brand new feature called Remote Control… I had to try it immediately. I set it up this morning. And I'm going to walk you through exactly how I did it.
No jargon. No assumptions. Just the steps.
What This Actually Does
You start a Claude session on your computer. Then you pick up your phone, open the Claude app, and you're connected to that same session… live.
Your phone becomes a remote control. Claude is still running on your computer. Your files, your projects, your entire setup… all still there. You're just talking to it from somewhere else.
That means you can kick off a task at your desk, go grab coffee, and check on it from your phone. You can start something before bed and review it in the morning from the couch. You can be anywhere and your computer keeps working.
What You Need
Four things. That's it.
1. A Claude Pro or Max subscription.
If you're already paying for Claude, you're probably good. You can check your plan at claude.ai/settings. If you're on the free plan, you'll need to upgrade first.
2. VS Code on your computer.
VS Code is a free app made by Microsoft. Think of it as a workspace where Claude can see your files and do things on your computer. You don't need to know how to use it beyond what I'm about to show you. Download it at code.visualstudio.com.
3. The Claude Code extension inside VS Code.
This is what connects Claude to your computer. Takes about 30 seconds to install. I'll walk you through it.
4. The Claude app on your phone.
Search “Claude” in the App Store or Google Play. Download it and sign in with the same account you use on your computer.
That's the whole shopping list. No extra software. No subscriptions. No hardware.
The Setup (6 Steps, 10 Minutes)
Step 1: Download VS Code
Go to code.visualstudio.com. Download it. Install it like any other app.
When you open it for the first time, you'll see a welcome screen with a bunch of options. You can close that. We don't need it.
If you've never seen VS Code before, it might look intimidating. Ignore that feeling. You're going to use about 2% of what this app can do and that 2% is dead simple.
Step 2: Install the Claude Code Extension
Look at the left sidebar in VS Code. You'll see a column of small icons. Find the one that looks like four small squares… that's the Extensions icon. Click it.
A search bar will appear at the top. Type “Claude Code” and hit enter.
You'll see “Claude Code for VS Code” by Anthropic. Click the blue “Install” button.
Once it installs, a small Claude icon (orange robot-looking thing) will appear in your left sidebar. That means it worked.
Step 3: Sign In
Click the Claude icon in your left sidebar. A panel will open up that looks like a chat window.
If it asks you to sign in, type /login in the chat input at the bottom and hit enter. Your browser will open and ask you to sign in with your Claude account. Do that.
Once you're signed in, you'll see something like:
Claude Code v2.1.59
Opus 4.6 · Claude Max
If you see that… you're in.
Step 4: Open a Folder
Claude needs a folder to work in. This is where it can see and access your files.
Go to File → Open Folder in VS Code. Pick any folder on your computer… your Documents folder, a project folder, even your Desktop. It just needs a starting point.
VS Code will ask if you “trust the authors of the files in this folder.” Click Yes.
Step 5: Start Remote Control
This is where it gets good.
In the Claude Code chat panel… the same one you signed into… type:
Hit enter.
A session URL and a QR code will appear. That QR code is your bridge. Your computer is now waiting for your phone to connect.
Step 6: Connect From Your Phone and Try It
Open your phone camera and point it at the QR code on your screen. It'll open the session directly in the Claude app.
Once you're connected, type something. Something simple… like “list the files in this folder.”
Watch what happens. Claude reaches into your computer, pulls the information, and sends it right back to your phone.
You're now controlling your computer from your phone. No code. No complicated setup. You just did something that six months ago would have required a developer and hours of configuration.
That took you about 10 minutes.
The Part Nobody Tells You (Read This)
When I first tried to set this up, I didn't use VS Code. I tried running it from the terminal… the black screen with the blinking cursor that developers use. And I got this:
I'm on the highest plan Claude offers. I logged out, logged back in, tried every fix I could find. Same error. Went on GitHub… hundreds of people reporting the exact same problem.
Here's the fix: Don't run it from the terminal. Run it from inside VS Code using the Claude Code panel.
That's the method that works right now. The terminal version has a known bug that Anthropic is actively fixing. But the VS Code method… the one I just walked you through… works immediately.
If you followed the steps above, you already used the right method. But if you see that error anywhere, now you know why.
What Can You Actually Do With This?
Once Remote Control is running, your phone is a live window into your computer. Here's what that looks like in practice:
Start a task and walk away.
Tell Claude to write something, organize something, build something… then go live your life. Check back from your phone whenever you want.
Check on projects from anywhere.
Waiting for a flight? Sitting at a coffee shop? Pull up your phone and ask Claude for a status update on whatever's running.
Make updates on the go.
Send new instructions from your phone. Claude executes them on your computer. You don't need to be in the same room. You don't even need to be in the same city.
Review and approve.
Claude will ask for your permission before making certain changes. You can approve or reject right from your phone… like a manager checking in on an employee.
Quick Reference
| What You Want To Do | What To Type |
|---|---|
| Start Remote Control | /remote-control |
| Start it (shortcut) | /rc |
| Name your session | /rename My Project |
| Turn it on automatically every time | /config → set "Enable Remote Control" to true |
| Stop the session | Close VS Code or type /remote-control again |
Three Things to Keep in Mind
Your computer needs to stay on. Remote Control runs as a process on your machine. If you close VS Code or your computer goes to sleep, the session ends. Just reopen and run /rc again to reconnect.
One phone at a time. Each session supports one remote device. If you need multiple sessions running in parallel, you can open multiple VS Code windows.
If your internet drops, it reconnects. If your machine loses connection briefly, the session picks back up automatically when you're back online. If it's been more than about 10 minutes, you'll need to start a new session.
Why This Matters
I'm going to be straight with you.
Most marketers, coaches, and consultants I talk to know AI is important. They know they should be doing more with it. But they're so busy running their business that they haven't had time to figure out where to start.
And then they see the word “Code” and they check out. They assume it's for developers. They assume they're not technical enough. They assume they'll figure it out later.
That assumption is getting expensive.
The gap between what AI can do and what most people are actually using it for is massive. But it's closing fast. Features like this… controlling your computer from your phone, kicking off tasks remotely, having an AI that works inside your actual files… this wasn't possible six months ago. Now it takes 10 minutes to set up.
You don't need to be a developer. You don't need to write code. You don't need to understand what's happening under the hood. You just need to follow the steps and start using it.
And if this is the first time you've done anything like this… good. You just proved to yourself that the barrier was never as high as you thought it was.
What's Next
This guide covered one feature… Remote Control. It's powerful on its own. But it's the tip of the iceberg.
Claude Code can write your client emails. Build landing pages. Produce ad copy that actually sounds like your client's brand… not generic AI slop. It can follow your exact process, remember everything about a client's business, and produce work that gets better over time.
If your emails are landing in spam, Claude Code can help diagnose the infrastructure issues. If you're choosing between Facebook lead forms and landing pages, it can build and test both in an afternoon.
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