Use Claude Code and Codex From Your Phone With Cindy

Cindy is a free, open-source app that puts Claude Code, Codex, and other supported agents in one place. Set it up once, and you can start a task on your computer, walk away, and pick up the same conversation on your phone.

What this helps you do

Coding agents often take a few minutes to finish a task. Without a phone app, you either sit and watch, or you come back later and find the agent stopped to ask you a question.

With Cindy on both devices, you can:

• Open the same session on your phone, with the same conversation and access to the same project files.
• Read the result, then type the next instruction from your phone.
• Approve requests that need your confirmation while you are away from your desk.
• Use your phone as a remote control for your computer when a chat is not enough.

The work still runs on your computer. Your phone is the screen and keyboard you carry with you.

Before you start

• A computer that stays on. Cindy runs on macOS 13 or later, Windows 10 or later, and Linux. The task runs on this computer, so it needs to stay online while you are away.
• A phone or tablet. Cindy has an iPhone and iPad app and an Android app. Get both from the official download page.
• A Cindy account. The app is free, but connecting your phone to your computer needs you signed in with the same account on both. The "Skip Sign-In" option on the login screen runs agents on one computer only.
• An agent you can use. Connect a Claude Code or Codex plan you already pay for, your own API key, or a local model. Your provider's usage limits and billing still apply.
• A small test project. Pick a folder with something low-stakes in it, such as a practice web page.

New to Claude Code? Start with the Claude setup checklist first.

Terms to know

• Agent: an AI tool that can read files, run commands, and make changes for you, not only chat.
• Claude Code: Anthropic's coding agent. It works inside a project folder on your computer.
• Codex: OpenAI's coding agent. It does the same kind of work with ChatGPT plans.
• Agent engine: the agent running a session. In Cindy you can pick Claude Code, Codex, or Pi (an open-source agent that Cindy includes).
• Open source: the code is public. Anyone can read it, check it, and change it. Cindy's app code is under the Apache 2.0 license.
• Session: one conversation with an agent, plus the files it is working on.
• Remote control: the Cindy setting that lets your other signed-in devices reach this computer.
• Remote desktop: seeing your computer's actual screen on your phone and using its apps by touch and typing.

Step-by-step

1. Install Cindy on your computer. Download it from cindy.app/download, open it, and sign in or create an account. Do not choose "Skip Sign-In" if you want phone access.
2. Connect your agent. Choose Claude Code or Codex as the agent and connect the plan or API key you already use. When it works, you can start a new session with that agent selected.
3. Turn on remote control. On the computer, open Cindy Settings → Remote control and turn remote control on. If you also want to see your screen from your phone, allow remote desktop on the same page and grant the system permissions Cindy asks for.
4. Install Cindy on your phone. Use the iPhone and iPad link or the Android download on the same official page. Sign in with the same Cindy account. You should see your computer listed as a connected device.
5. Start a task on your computer. Open a session in your test project and paste the prompt from the Copy this section. Wait until the agent replies with its plan.
6. Step away and open your phone. Open the same session in the phone app. You should see the same conversation, and you can open the project's files from there.
7. Review and reply from your phone. Read the plan, then type "Go ahead" or a correction. When the agent finishes, read its summary and give the next instruction.
8. Use remote desktop when chat is not enough. If you need to click something on the computer itself, such as a browser preview, open remote desktop from the phone app.

Copy this

Paste this into a new Cindy session on your computer. Replace the bracketed parts. The prompt makes the agent pause for your OK and finish with a summary that is easy to read on a small screen.

In [PROJECT FOLDER], update [PAGE OR FILE] so that [THE CHANGE YOU WANT]. Before you edit anything, list the files you plan to change and wait for my OK. When you finish, give me a short summary I can read on my phone: what changed, which files you touched, and how I can preview the result. Ask me before deleting files, installing software, or publishing anything.

Things to know

• Your computer does the work. If it sleeps, shuts down, or loses internet, your phone cannot reach the session. Turn off sleep while a long task runs.
• Files stay on your computer. Remote access is not a full copy of your drive. Your phone reaches project files through the connected computer.
• The app is free, the model is not always free. Using a plan you already have counts against that plan's limits. Cindy also sells credit for its own managed models on the pricing page. You do not need it if you bring your own plan or key.
• Some data goes through Cindy's servers. Signing in syncs some account data, such as conversations for cloud features. Your model provider still processes the prompts you send to it.
• Usage statistics are on by default in the official apps. Turn them off on the computer in Settings → About → Usage statistics, and on the phone in Settings under Usage statistics.
• Approvals wait for you. When the agent needs a yes or no, the request waits, including on your phone. Read it before you tap approve.

If something goes wrong

• Your computer does not show up on the phone: check that both devices use the same Cindy account, the computer is awake and online, and remote control is on in Settings → Remote control.
• The phone says remote control is off: on the computer, open Cindy Settings → Remote control and turn it on, then try again.
• Remote desktop is unavailable: allow remote desktop on the computer in the same settings page, grant the permissions it asks for, and update Cindy on the computer if it says the version is too old.
• Another device is already connected: close remote desktop on the other device first. Only one device can control the screen at a time.
• The agent stopped partway: check for a waiting approval or a usage limit message from your Claude or Codex plan.

Final check

Start the test task on your computer, then open the same session on your phone. Pass if you can read the agent's plan on your phone, reply "Go ahead" from there, and see the finished summary without touching your computer.