Cloud Code has become increasingly popular in the first year since its launch, and especially in recent months, as developers and non-technical users alike flock to AI unicorn Anthropic’s hit coding agent to build complete applications and websites in just a few days on their own, without having to involve months and technical teams. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it helped inspire "vibe coding" Boom – Using plain English instead of programming languages to write software.
But all this has been limited to desktop cloud code apps and terminal command-line interfaces and integrated development environments (IDEs) to date. Now, Anthropic has added a new mode, Remote Control, that lets users issue commands to Cloud Codes from their iPhone and Android smartphones – starting with customers at Anthropic’s Cloud Max ($100-$200 USD monthly) subscription tier.
Anthropic posted on X that the remote control will also reach Cloud Pro ($20 USD monthly) subscribers in the future.
mobile command center
Announced earlier today by Cloud Code product manager Noah Zweben, Remote Control is a synchronization layer that connects the local CLI environment with the cloud mobile app and web interface.
This feature allows developers to launch a complex task in their terminal and maintain full control over it from the phone or tablet, effectively separating the AI agent from the physical workstation.
Currently, Remote Control is available as a Research Preview for customers on the Cloud Max tier. While access for Cloud Pro ($20/month) users is expected soon, this feature remains a high-end tool for power users and is notably absent from the Team or Enterprise plans during this initial phase.
To access the feature, users need to follow this guide and update to cloud version 2.1.52 and execute the command claude remote-control Or use the in-session slash command /rc. Once activated, the terminal displays a QR code which, when scanned, opens a responsive, synchronized session in the cloud mobile app.
Less Screen Time, More IRL Time: The Philosophy of Flow
The message behind the release focuses on developer protection "flow state."
In its announcement, Zweben presented the update as a lifestyle upgrade rather than just a technical one, encouraging users to "Take a walk, see the sun, walk your dog without losing your flow."
it "remote control" It is not a cloud-based replacement for local development, but has a portal. According to the official documentation, the base price is "The cloud runs on your machine, and you can control the session from the cloud app."
This ensures that local context—file system access, environment variables, and the Model Reference Protocol (MCP) server—remains active and accessible, even when the user is miles away from his or her desk.
Architecture, Security and Setup
Cloud Code Remote Control acts as a secure bridge between your local terminal and Anthropic’s cloud interface, providing the Anthropic AI models, Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.6, that power Cloud Code.
When you run the command, your desktop machine initiates an outbound connection to Anthropic’s API for serving models – meaning you’re not opening any "inner" Port or exposing your computer to the open web. Instead, your local machine polls the API for instructions.
When you visit a session URL or use a cloud app, you are essentially using those devices "remote window" To view and command a process still running on your computer. Your files and the MCP server never leave your machine; Only chat messages and tool results flow through the encrypted bridge.
To get started, make sure you are on the Pro or Max plan and you have authenticated using their CLI /login Permission. Just go to your project directory and run claude remote-control To start the session. The terminal will then generate a unique session URL and a QR code (toggable via spacebar) for your mobile device.
Once you open that link on your phone, tablet or another browser, both surfaces stay in perfect sync – allowing you to start a task at your desk and continue it from the couch while maintaining full access to your local file system and project configuration.
From brittle community hacks to official solutions
Before this official release, the developer community made a lot of efforts "rental" Mobile access to their terminal-based workflow.
Power users often rely on a patchwork of third-party tools like Telescale for secure tunneling, Termius or Termux for mobile SSH access, and Tmux for session persistence.
Some developers even created complex custom WebSocket bridges to achieve a responsive mobile UI for their local cloud sessions.
These unofficial solutions, while functional, were often brittle and prone to timeout problems. Remote Control replaces these workarounds with a native streaming connection that doesn’t require port forwarding or complex VPN configuration.
It also includes automatic reconnection logic: if a user’s laptop shuts down or the network goes down, the session survives in the background and reconnects as soon as the host machine comes back online.
$2.5 billion dollar agent
The launch of the remote control acts as a "increase in force" Which has become a core business for Anthropic. By February 2026, Cloud Code has achieved an annual run rate of $2.5 billion – a figure that has more than doubled since the beginning of the year alone.
Cloud Code is currently experiencing this "chatgpt moments," Visual Studio Code is growing by 29 million installs per day. Its efficiency is no longer theoretical; Recent analysis shows that 4% of all public GitHub commits worldwide are now written by cloud code.
By extending this power to mobile, Anthropic is further strengthening its lead in "agentic" The coding space is moving beyond simple autocomplete to a world where AI acts as an autonomous assistant.
Future Outlook: Vibe Coding Everywhere
The move toward mobile terminal control signals broader changes in the software market. We are entering an era where AI tools are writing approximately 41% of the code. For developers, this means migration "line by line" I am typing "Strategic Oversight."
This trend is likely to accelerate as mobile-tethered agents become the norm. obstacle in the middle "Idea" And "Production" Collapse is happening, enabling a single developer to manage complex systems that previously required entire DevOps teams. The change has already shaken up the broader tech market; Shares of major cybersecurity firms like CrowdStrike and Datadog fell as much as 11% after the launch of Cloud Code’s automated security scanning features.
As cloud code moves from desk to pocket, the definition of a "software Engineer" Being rewritten. There may be a boom in this industry in the coming year "one-person unicorn"– Startups are built and maintained almost entirely through mobile agentic commands – marking the end of the manual coding era as we knew it.
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