FAQ

Do I need to install anything on the iPhone?

No. You text the Mac from the normal Messages app. The Mac side reads the Messages database and drives the Messages app.

Is there a server or cloud service?

No server of its own. Two things still leave the Mac: iMessage traffic goes through Apple, and stock Claude Code sends your prompts to Anthropic's API. The README points to claude-code-local for running Claude Code against a local model instead.

Does it work on Windows or Linux?

No. It uses AppleScript, the Messages app, pbcopy, screencapture and h264_videotoolbox, all macOS-only.

Does Mobile Mode work with iTerm2, Warp or the VS Code terminal?

No. The listener finds the target tab by asking Terminal.app for a tab whose tty matches. Other terminals aren't supported by the code.

Why iMessage and not Telegram or Discord?

iMessage is already on the Mac and phone, so there's no bot account, extra app or third-party service to set up. The trade-off is that it only works on Apple devices.

Why does sending use the clipboard?

Pasting into the thread opened by imessage://BUDDY keeps text, images and video in the same conversation. For video, AppleScript's send file reports success without delivering on macOS Sequoia (per the README), so the script copies the file from Finder instead. See How it works.

Will it overwrite what I copied?

Yes. Every send and every forwarded Mobile Mode text replaces the clipboard.

Can I use a local model instead of Claude?

Mobile Mode doesn't care what runs in the Terminal tab; it just types into it. The browser agent talks to any server at $MLX_URL/v1/messages that accepts Anthropic Messages-style requests without an API key. The author built it against Qwen 3.5 122B through MLX (per the README). That server is not part of this repo.

Can it approve Claude Code's permission prompts from the phone?

Phone texts are typed into the tab and followed by Return, so in principle a reply can answer a prompt that's waiting for typed input. TODO-VERIFY: Claude Code's permission dialogs are menu-driven and may not accept pasted text. The README says the author's launchers start Claude Code with --dangerously-skip-permissions for remote use, which removes those prompts and all their safety checks.

How do I stop it from the phone?

Text stop. The listener turns Mobile Mode off and exits.

Is my phone number committed to git?

config.sh is in .gitignore. Your number lives in config.sh and ~/.claude/screen-to-phone-config.sh only.

How long does setup take?

The README badge says 60 seconds. That covers setup.sh; granting macOS permissions and installing ffmpeg/jq take longer depending on your machine. TODO-VERIFY.

Does it cost anything?

The scripts are MIT licensed and free. Claude Code itself needs whatever Anthropic plan or API access you normally use.

Are there tests?

No automated tests are in the repo. Everything drives live macOS apps and was tested by hand.