Claude Code on your phone, with full parity

Manta's phone app is the same code as the desktop, so you get the full Claude Code transcript on your iPhone, not a status viewer. Read the diff, approve the risky command, dictate what to do next.

ethernal / feat-authbox-fra-1

write tests for the new pairing flow

Manta

Adding tests for the pairing flow now. Reading the auth module first.

› read src/server/auth.mjs

› edit src/server/auth.test.mjs +52 −0

awaiting permission…

Permission needed

Bash(rm -rf ./dist && npm run build)

DenyAllow

Reply to Manta…

The client

Same code as the desktop

The phone app is not a viewer for the desktop. It is the desktop app, packaged for a phone, talking to the same box.

✓Full chat transcript. Every user turn, every assistant turn, every tool call. The same scrollback you see on the desktop, on a screen that fits in your hand.
✓Live command output. Bash output streams at roughly four hertz, with the same context bar at the bottom.
✓Permission cards with two buttons. The agent waits. You tap Allow or Deny. The work moves on.
✓Voice dictation with a push-to-talk button. Hold it, speak, release. The classifier picks dictation from a spoken question.
✓File upload from photos, files or paste. Pick a screenshot, attach a log, hand it to the agent as a path on the box.
✓Real tmux terminal. Switch from chat to terminal in the same window, attach to the same session the chat talks to.

Notifications

Push that knows which device to use

A phone client that cannot approve a permission also cannot unblock an agent. The work waits until you get back to your laptop, which defeats the point of carrying it around. Manta's notifications solve that, and route by what you are doing right now.

✓Working at the desk, phone stays quiet. If the desktop app is foreground and active, the phone does not buzz. The notification surfaces where you are.
✓Stepped away, desktop gets it first. The desktop rings first, the phone rings ninety seconds later. One or the other reaches you.
✓Blocking asks hit every device at once. A permission request, a question, an error. The agent is stuck until you say so, so every device you have rings together.
✓Native iPhone, any browser elsewhere. A real iOS app for push delivery. Any other phone reaches the same box in a browser, with no installation.

Where it works

Native iPhone, browser everywhere else

The iPhone app ships in the App Store. Every other phone runs the same client in a browser at the box's per-device URL. The transcript is identical.

✓Native iOS app. Capacitor shell around the same React client the desktop uses. Pair with a six-digit code, no account in between.
✓Any browser on any other phone. The browser client serves the full app. Pin it to the home screen and it behaves like a native shell.
✓The same session on every device. Pick up the phone, finish the thought on the laptop. Both devices show the same transcript, the same tool calls, the same approvals.
✓No account required. Pairing is a six-digit code your box prints. The phone never signs up, never sees an account form, never talks to anyone but your box.

FAQ

Questions about the phone app

Five questions, answered in full.

Is the phone app a viewer or a real client?

A real client. The iPhone app is the same React code as the desktop, packaged with Capacitor. You get the full transcript, live tool output, approvals, dictation and file upload, not a status page that links out to your laptop.

Does Manta have a phone app for other phones?

No native app beyond iOS. The browser client works on every phone and serves the same app. You can pin the box's URL to the home screen. The remote page covers the part that does not depend on a phone form factor.

Do notifications wake up the phone even when I am at my desk?

No. Manta's push routing only sends to the phone when the desktop is not foreground or active. At your desk, the desktop rings. Away from it, the phone rings. Blocking asks like a permission request ring every device at once, because the agent is stuck until you answer.

Can I dictate a reply instead of typing on the phone keyboard?

Yes. Hold the mic, speak, release. The same command classifier the desktop uses picks dictation from a spoken question. The text lands in the composer ready to send or edit.

Does the phone talk to my laptop or straight to the box?

Straight to the box. The phone pairs with the box directly over HTTPS, the same way the desktop does. Your laptop does not need to be open. Closing the laptop does not drop the phone.