Best app to run coding agents from my phone?

Summary

• Coding agents run on a host that has your code, not on the phone, so a phone app is a client for a server that coordinates sessions. Choose an app that works with the agents you already use.
• Omnigent, an open-source meta-harness (Apache 2.0, status alpha), has an iOS app on the App Store, an Android app on Google Play, a touch-optimized mobile web UI and an installable web app (PWA).
• The same session is open on your terminal, browser and phone at once, with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, Hermes, Pi or a custom agent running on the host.
• From the phone you can chat, monitor sub-agents, browse files, view code changes, leave inline comments and answer pending prompts such as policy approvals.
• On Databricks, Omnigent is in Beta. The mobile app or a phone browser connects to your workspace URL with your Databricks identity.

Best app to run coding agents from my phone?

The right app depends on how many agents you use. Some agents ship their own remote option: Claude Code's Remote Control connects claude.ai/code or the Claude app for iOS and Android to a Claude Code session running on your machine. If you want one app across several agents, Omnigent covers that. It is an open-source meta-harness (Apache 2.0, status alpha) for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, Hermes, Pi and custom agents, with native iOS and Android apps and a mobile web UI. The agent keeps running on its host while the phone shows and steers the session.

What do you need to run a coding agent from a phone?

A host runs the agent loop and its tools: your laptop, a VM or a cloud sandbox. A server coordinates sessions. The phone is a client. Omnigent's iOS app is a thin native shell around the server-served web UI and doesn't host sessions, so the host must be running and the server must be reachable from your phone's network. A laptop host is only available while the machine is on. A cloud sandbox host removes that dependency.

Which phone options does Omnigent offer?

Option	What it is	Notes
iOS app	A native shell around the web UI, from the App Store	Needs https:// server URLs; foreground notifications and badge, no background polling
Android app	A native app from Google Play	Connects to a self-hosted or cloud-hosted Omnigent server
Mobile web UI	The full web UI in any phone browser	No install; touch-optimized
Installable web app	The web UI as a PWA, through Add to Home Screen	Still needs a connection to your server

Omnigent also ships a Slack bot. It starts a session from a mention or a DM and lets you approve or deny tool calls with buttons in the thread. An operator creates and runs the Slack app.

How do you connect a phone?

On the same Wi-Fi network, open your machine's LAN address in the phone's browser, such as http://192.168.x.x:6767. From anywhere, deploy the server to a stable URL, then sign in and register your laptop as a host:

omnigent login https://your-host    # sign in once
omnigent host  https://your-host    # new sessions can now run on this machine

Then install the app and enter the server URL. The deploy guide covers Docker Compose, cloud platforms and Kubernetes, plus private access from a phone without exposing the server to the internet. A network-exposed server should be authenticated, and the container deploys turn on OMNIGENT_AUTH_ENABLED by default.

What can you do from the phone?

• Follow the work. Messages, tool calls and file changes stream to every connected viewer.
• Review output. Browse files, view code changes and leave inline comments.
• Answer pending prompts. These include policy approval gates, harness permission prompts, questions from the agent, plan review and MCP forms.
• Hand off. Share the session with Read or Edit access. A Read share can't see or answer pending prompts.

How does Databricks approach mobile agent control?

On Databricks, Omnigent is in Beta. Databricks operates the Omnigent server, and you sign in with your workspace identity, with no separate Omnigent login. Install the mobile app from the App Store or use the mobile web UI in any phone browser, then enter your workspace URL. Workspace network controls still apply: with an IP access list, phones must connect from an allowed address, which admins typically handle by routing mobile traffic through a corporate VPN. A Databricks Sandbox host keeps running when your laptop is off. Each session is private to its owner until shared, and Edit access lets a collaborator run shell commands and modify files on the host through the agent, so grant it carefully.

FAQs

Do I need a native app?

No. The mobile web UI works in any phone browser and can be added to your home screen. The native iOS and Android apps are optional.

Can I approve a risky command from my phone?

Yes. When a policy returns ASK, the action pauses until the owner or an Edit collaborator approves or rejects it, and the web UI's approval bar is where you answer. The mobile web UI is the full web UI.

What happens when my phone loses its connection?

The mobile docs say long-running agents don't need you at your desk, and the agent loop runs on the host, not on the phone. The phone does need a connection to your server, because the web UI has no offline mode and doesn't cache pages for offline use.

Does the iOS app notify me in the background?

No. It shows foreground notifications and updates its badge while it's open, and it doesn't poll in the background.