remote-control.md

Remote Control: open a session in the Claude app

A Lectern claude session can also be reachable from claude.ai/code and the Code tab of the Claude mobile app, through Claude Code's own Remote Control. It is the same claude process, not a copy. Messages from the terminal, Lectern's chat, the browser and the phone go into one conversation. send_to_session, approvals, restore and Grimoire priming keep working exactly as before.

Turning it on

• New session: tick Also open in the Claude app (Remote Control) in the New session dialog. From the terminal, use lectern claude --remote-control (or --rc) or the Remote Control option under More options…. Over MCP, pass remote_control: true to start_session.
• A running session: use Enable Remote Control in the card's ⋯ menu, the session menu in the terminal client, lectern claude --remote-control in a folder whose session is already running, or the MCP tool enable_remote_control. Lectern types /remote-control <name> into the session, so it only does this while the agent is waiting for you. While it is working or asking a question, the call is refused and asks you to try again.

The session's title on claude.ai is its Lectern name. Cards with Remote Control show a small ⌁ mark by the name. Once Lectern has seen the session link on the screen, Open in Claude in the ⋯ menu opens it, and list_sessions, read_session and the session JSON carry it as remote_control_url.

It stays on

Remote Control is part of the session's saved launch settings, so it carries over:

What happens	Result
Restore, reopen after a reboot, recovery	the same claude.ai session reconnects
Fork	the fork gets its own claude.ai session
Quick switch / handoff to a fresh session	the successor connects too, if it can
Account swap (accounts)	the session reconnects under the other account, so it appears in that account's Claude app, not the first one's

Lectern turns it off for a continuation that cannot use it, such as a switch to another agent or to a non-Anthropic endpoint. The continuation itself still starts. Turning Remote Control off is done on the claude.ai side (archive or disconnect the session), or with /remote-control → Disconnect in the terminal.

Requirements and why it may be unavailable

Remote Control needs Claude Code signed in with a claude.ai subscription (claude auth login). An API key does not work. Lectern refuses it, and names the reason, when:

• the agent is not the built-in claude (codex, gemini, custom agents);
• the session's environment sets ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN, CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN, Bedrock/Vertex/Foundry, CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC or DISABLE_GROWTHBOOK;
• ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL points anywhere but api.anthropic.com;
• the session runs in a sandbox (isolation).

One-time consent. The first time Remote Control is turned on inside a running session, Claude Code asks "Enable Remote Control?" once for that login (that config directory). Lectern never answers it for you. If it shows up, Lectern closes it and says so. Open the session's terminal, run /remote-control, choose Enable Remote Control, and from then on Lectern can turn it on by itself. Starting a session with Remote Control on does not ask. Each extra account in accounts is its own config directory, with its own consent.

Things to know

• A Remote Control session belongs to the claude.ai account that started it. While it is connected its transcript is also stored by Anthropic, and the connection is outbound HTTPS only.
• Interactive Lectern sessions start without approval prompts by default (bypassPermissions). Anyone signed in to that claude.ai account can then drive the agent from any device. Protect the account, and keep Trusted Devices in mind, or start the session with Ask before running commands. Claude forwards its own permission prompts to the phone.
• Lectern does not use remoteControlAtStartup: it is a per-session choice.