Use Claude Code or Codex from your phone

What you need before you connect

• A Mac, Linux or Windows computer with Otar installed and host setup completed. Keep that computer powered on, awake and connected to the network.
• Claude Code or Codex available on that computer, with its own authentication completed. Follow the official Claude Code quickstart or Codex CLI setup. An Otar account does not replace the agent provider's account or usage terms.
• Otar on your phone, or the Otar web app, and an Otar account for linking devices.

Get the host from the official macOS download, Linux download and requirements or Windows download and notes. Phone apps are available on the App Store and Google Play.

Open your first chat from the phone

1. Set up the host on the computer. Complete Otar's host setup before trying to connect from the phone. The phone connects to this computer; it does not run the desktop agent locally.
2. Sign in and approve the phone. Sign in to the same Otar account. If Otar asks you to approve this new device, complete that approval from an already trusted device. Follow the setup shown in the app; the first device does not have an existing trusted device to approve it.
3. Choose the computer and project. Open the folder you want to work in as a project. Check that it belongs to the intended computer, especially if you have similar folders on several machines.
4. Open a chat or choose New chat. Select an existing Claude Code or Codex chat to continue it. For a separate task, start a new chat in the project using the available agent.
5. Read the reply and send your next instruction. For supported agent chats, use the chat view for prompts, replies and tool activity, or the terminal view for that agent's terminal interface. A separate terminal is not automatically an agent chat. Available views and controls depend on the harness.

The visual workspace guide shows the project rail, chat list, conversation and bottom tools. For the difference between a project and a chat, read Projects and chats in Otar.

What happens when you leave Wi-Fi?

On a reachable local network or VPN such as Tailscale, Otar can connect directly over SSH. Away from that network, Otar Relay can forward the encrypted connection. Relay is a connection path to your computer; it does not move the agent's work onto an Otter server.

A dropped phone connection does not itself stop an agent running in tmux on the host. Reconnect and return to the chat. This does not keep work running through a host shutdown, reboot, terminated process or loss of power. Relay session allowances depend on your plan; see plans.

If the chat does not appear

First check the host is reachable, the phone is approved, and the selected project points to the right computer and folder. A terminal window on the computer is not by itself proof that its process is a discoverable Otar chat. Use the missing-chat checklist before starting duplicate work.

A Windows host's setup uses WSL 2 and turns on remote access over SSH. Remote display setup on Linux is separate from using an agent's chat or terminal. Review the Windows notes and Linux limitations.

Need help with your setup?

Contact Otar support with your platform, app version, connection type and the step that failed. Do not include passwords, private keys, access tokens or private chat contents.

Otar is built by Otter Digital Pte. Ltd. and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the agent providers. Explore Otar or open the web app.