Remote Control — Observing and Redirecting Running Sessions

Remote Control lets you connect to an active Claude Code session from any device, observe the full transcript in real time, and inject messages to steer the session. The session keeps running where it started — Remote Control is a transparent window into it.

Quick Reference

→Enable with --remote-control flag at session start or /rc command mid-session
→Session continues on the original machine — Remote Control is a view, not a migration
→Generates a URL and QR code for mobile access
→Inject messages from the remote interface as if at the original terminal
→Multiple devices can connect to the same session simultaneously
→Requires original machine to remain running — not a resilience mechanism
→Remote Control vs SSH: RC is Claude-specific (transcript + message injection); SSH is full shell

What Remote Control Does

Remote Control connects you to a Claude Code session that's running on another terminal or machine. You see the full conversation transcript in real time as the session progresses. You can type messages that get injected into the session, steering Claude's direction without being physically at the original terminal.

The key point: nothing about the session changes when you connect via Remote Control. Claude continues running on the original machine. The original terminal continues showing the same output. Remote Control adds a second (or third, or fourth) view into the same running session — it doesn't move or duplicate it.

Multiple Observers, One Session

Multiple devices can connect to the same session via Remote Control simultaneously. An engineer can start a session on their workstation, a teammate can observe it from their laptop, and both can inject messages. Claude sees all injected messages in the order they arrive.

▸Live transcript view: see every message, tool call, and response as it happens
▸Message injection: type into the remote interface and Claude receives it as session input
▸Works from any device with a browser — desktop, mobile, tablet
▸QR code for fast mobile connection without typing the URL
▸Session state is visible: what Claude is currently doing, what tools it has called, current file context

How It Works Under the Hood

When Remote Control is enabled, the local Claude Code session exposes a secure authenticated endpoint over HTTPS. Connecting devices connect to this endpoint and receive a real-time stream of the session transcript. Messages sent from a connecting device are forwarded through the endpoint to the session's input stream.

Enabling and Connecting

Start with Remote Control Flag

Run claude --remote-control 'your task prompt' to start a session with Remote Control enabled from the beginning. This is preferred for long tasks you know you'll want to monitor remotely.

Or Enable Mid-Session

If you're already in a session, run /rc to enable Remote Control. This generates the URL and QR code immediately. The session continues uninterrupted — /rc doesn't pause or reset the session.

Copy the URL or Scan the QR Code

On mobile, scan the QR code displayed in the terminal. On another desktop, open the URL in a browser. The URL includes authentication — it's a single-use, session-scoped link.

Open the Remote Session View

The Remote Control interface shows the full transcript from the session's start, including any messages and tool calls that happened before you connected. You're caught up immediately.

Inject Messages to Steer

Type in the message box at the bottom of the Remote Control interface. Your message is delivered to Claude's input stream exactly as if you typed it at the original terminal. Claude responds in the session and you see the response in real time.

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