Claude Code now works from your phone, but the phone does none of the work. The Code tab in the Claude app is a remote control for a session that runs either in the cloud or on your own computer. You review progress, approve changes and send updates. The setup mistakes that bite people are all about the machine you are controlling, not the phone in your hand.
What actually runs where
Picture a sports team with a coach. You are the coach on the phone, calling plays. The computer or cloud session holds the positions and executes. You watch the game tape and approve the work.
There are two kinds of session behind the Code tab. Cloud sessions keep running with your laptop closed. Local sessions run on your own machine, so that machine has to stay awake and reachable. Per @webtkdev, you run /mobile to get the app's QR code, then claude remote-control or /remote-control to attach a local session. If you do not see the Code tab at all, it is probably a plan or organization setting.
Creator coverage has been loud. Riley Brown's video pulled about 34K views in a day, and @HappyS6688 summed up the 11/6 docs update as being able to "approve a change on the subway." One caution: Riley's auto-transcript garbles the product name, so check names against Anthropic's own docs.
Why you are not typing code on a tiny screen
The obvious objection is that typing bracket by bracket on a phone sounds miserable. That misses the point. You are directing operations, not typing syntax. You describe the change, the session does the work on the bigger machine, and you review the result.
Nested sessions and the usage bill
Claude can split a project into several sub-chats at once, for example one updating a site layout while another writes marketing copy. Those nested sessions report back to the main session.
Parallel work costs usage. Sub-chats generally count against the same usage limit on your account, and limits are the daily grumble. The live thread on r/ClaudeCode asks what people who hit their limits by Tuesday are building. Watch your usage before you fan out five background tasks.
Safeguards: approve before it ships or spends
A session that can write code can also push it live, and depending on what it is connected to, spend money. Keep manual permission on for those steps so the agent has to ask on your phone before it executes anything critical. Convenience is the reason people turn approvals off, and it is the reason to leave them on.
Three setup steps before you leave the house
Keep the computer awake. If you use local sessions, install a free keep-awake utility such as Amphetamine on the host machine. Otherwise you try to connect from a coffee shop and find the computer went to sleep.
Turn on artifacts in your Claude settings. Artifacts are the preview windows for code and design, so you can see a new app or site in your mobile browser instead of raw text.
Start a master session. Open a fresh chat and ask, "Which of my other chats are waiting on a decision from me?" Claude can scan the sessions your desktop app is running and give you one summary, so you are not hunting through a dozen tabs.
FAQ
Does Claude Code run on my phone?
No. The Code tab in the Claude app connects to a session running in the cloud or on your own computer. The phone is for reviewing, approving and sending updates.
Do I need to leave my computer on?
Only for local sessions. Cloud sessions keep running with your laptop closed, while local sessions need the machine awake and connected.
Can a phone session spend money or push code live?
It can if the session has access to those actions. Keep manual permission on so the agent asks you before critical steps.
Will running several sessions hit my usage limit faster?
Likely yes. Sub-chats generally count against the same account usage limit, so check your usage before running many in parallel.
Companion episode:
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