Run AI Coding Agents From Your Phone: pocketdev, Cursor iOS, and OpenClaw
Three paths to mobile agent coding in June 2026 — pocketdev (Tailscale + Hetzner box), Cursor for iOS (cloud agents), and OpenClaw mobile. Setup, costs, security, and which to pick.
June 30, 2026: Mobile agent control went from DIY SSH hacks to three distinct product categories in one week:
pocketdev — one-command Tailscale-only Hetzner dev box with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor CLI, opencode, Gemini, Grok, and Aider
Cursor for iOS — first-party cloud agents + remote control (June 29 public beta)
OpenClaw iOS + Android — native apps pairing to your self-hosted Gateway (June 30, 1.5M+ views)
This guide compares the coding-agent paths — pocketdev and Cursor iOS — and points OpenClaw readers to the dedicated mobile post. If you only care about Claude Code on your laptop, start with our Claude Code mobile guide instead.
pocketdev (go install github.com/0xMassi/pocketdev@latest, v0.1.0, AGPL-3.0) answers a specific question: "How do I run the AI coding CLI I already pay for on a box I reach from my phone?"
Two commands:
bash
# on your laptop
pocketdev
# on the box (once)
ssh dev@devbox
pocketdev setup
What pocketdev automates
The TUI walks you step-by-step:
Step
What happens
Hetzner token
Validates Read & Write API token before proceeding
Box choice
Create new (Shared/Dedicated → class → region table with live prices) or adopt existing server
Firewall
Zero inbound rules — nothing listens on public internet
Clone GitHub repo (gh picker), rsync local folder, or start fresh
Mobile card
QR + pocketdev mobile for Termius SSH ID or pasted public keys
Supported agents and auth
Agent
CLI
Auth model
Claude Code
claude
Pro/Max paste-code login over SSH
OpenAI Codex
codex
ChatGPT Plus/Pro (codex login --device-auth)
opencode
opencode
Claude Pro, Copilot, ChatGPT
Cursor
cursor-agent
Cursor Pro/Business
Gemini
gemini
Google account or GEMINI_API_KEY
Grok
grok
SuperGrok / X Premium+ or API key
Aider
aider
API key only
You log in with your own subscription — pocketdev sells the box, security, and mobile workflow, not model access. That matters post-Fable 5 suspension: consumer subs are per-seat; pocketdev's README is explicit that a hosted multi-tenant product would need bring-your-own-auth.
Phone setup — the SSH key problem
The box runs key-only SSH. A QR holds ssh://dev@<host> — not a private key. Without a trusted key on the phone, you get connection refused.
Recommended path — Termius SSH ID:
Sign into Termius, enable SSH ID (device generates sk- key, publishes public half at sshid.io/<handle>)
Run pocketdev mobile, enter handle — pocketdev fetches and validates all device public keys
Install Tailscale on phone (same account, VPN On Demand on iOS)
Termius host: MagicDNS FQDN, user dev, Mosh enabled, startup command tmux new -As code
Why Mosh + tmux: Mosh survives Wi-Fi ↔ cellular handoffs. tmux keeps the agent session alive when the app is killed. Reattach from phone or laptop — same code session.
Alternatives: Paste a phone-generated public key; AirDrop laptop id_ed25519 to Termius (shares one key across devices).
Publish demos without opening ports
On the box:
bash
pocketdev publish 3000
Installs cloudflared outbound → ephemeral https://<random>.trycloudflare.com URL. Firewall stays empty. For persistent domains, pass a Cloudflare tunnel token.
Choose Cursor iOS for polished UX and cloud agents. Choose pocketdev if you want one box running every CLI you already subscribe to.
Path 3 — OpenClaw Mobile (Different Category)
June 30, 2026 — 1:41 AM PT: OpenClaw announced native iOS + Android apps (1.5M views):
OpenClaw is now on iOS + Android 🦞 — Native mobile apps, finally. Agents in your pocket. Channels, tasks, replies on the go.
OpenClaw is not primarily a coding IDE. It is a local-first personal AI gateway — WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, email, calendar, home automation — that pairs to your own Gateway server via QR code.
For coding-specific mobile workflows, pocketdev and Cursor iOS are the direct answers. For "my lobster agent everywhere", read the dedicated post:
pocketdev v0.1.0, Cursor iOS public beta, and OpenClaw mobile reflect June 29–30, 2026 announcements. Pricing and feature availability may change — verify in-product. Last updated: June 30, 2026.
