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Run Claude Code From Your Phone
Claude built an entire website on my computer while I was out on a run. Dispatch lets you control your computer remotely from your phone with Claude. Set it up once, pair with one QR code, and your computer works while you live your life.
By Ryan Frizelle · 5 min read
I was on my run while my computer was at home building a website. I messaged Claude Dispatch one task on my phone before I left, put my phone in my pocket, and a finished site was waiting when I got back.
That is Dispatch. It is built into the Claude apps you already have, and it turns your computer into something you run from anywhere.
Here is what you will do:
- 1.Set up Dispatch once on your computer and flip on two settings.
- 2.Pair your phone by scanning one QR code.
- 3.Text your computer a task from anywhere and it gets to work while you are away.
This runs on the Claude apps you already have, so there is nothing new to install beyond an update. You do need a Mac or Windows computer, a Claude Pro or Max plan, and your computer has to stay awake and plugged in while it works.
Here is what is actually happening when you send a task. The Claude app on your phone talks to the desktop app on your computer, coding work goes to Claude Code, and everything else (research, writing, file cleanup) goes to Cowork. You watch the progress from your phone, like a text thread with a very fast employee.
The first thing to text your computer from your phone
Hey, while I am away from my desk I want you to handle something on my computer.
Open my [PROJECT NAME] project in Claude Code and [WHAT YOU WANT DONE, for example "fix the broken link in the footer and push it live" or "write the first draft of the about page"].
Work through it on your own. When you hit something you are unsure about, leave it and tell me instead of guessing. Text me back when it is done with a short summary of what you changed.Liked this? There's 50x more in the course.
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Here is the one-time desktop setup, and it takes about two minutes:
- 1.Update the Claude desktop app on your Mac or Windows computer. Grab the latest version from claude.com/download if you are behind.
- 2.Open Cowork in the desktop app, click Dispatch in the left sidebar, then hit Get Started.
- 3.Turn on file access so Claude can work with your projects, and turn on keep computer awake so it does not fall asleep mid-task.
- 4.If you want Claude to click around real apps for you, not just write code, flip on Computer Use in the Dispatch settings. It is off by default.
- 5.Hit Finish Setup and your computer is ready to take orders.
Now pair your phone. This part feels like magic:
- 1.Update the Claude app on your iPhone or Android to the latest version.
- 2.Open Cowork in the phone app and tap Dispatch.
- 3.Tap pair with your desktop and scan the QR code on your computer screen. Two taps and you are connected.
Now the part most people miss. Dispatch itself does not solve your problems, it hands them to Claude so they get solved while you are at the gym or out on a run.
Stop asking what Dispatch can do and start asking what is stuck on your list. Here is what I hand off:
- 1.The website fix you have been putting off. Text it the bug and it is fixed before you get home.
- 2.First drafts. Claude writes the blog post or the about page while you drive, and you edit when you are back.
- 3.Computer cleanup. Have it sort your Downloads folder or organize your project files into folders.
- 4.Research. Have it compare tools, pull notes together, and leave a summary on your desktop.
- 5.Real apps, if you turned on Computer Use. Claude clicks around actual programs and exports the report you need.
These are the exact texts I send, so steal them. The one I use most: kick off the biggest task on my list right before I walk out the door.
Start a build before you walk out the door
Open my [PROJECT NAME] project in Claude Code and build [THE THING, for example "a testimonials section on my homepage with three placeholder quotes"].
Match the look of the rest of the site. Check your work before you call it done, and do not publish or deploy anything. Text me a short summary when it is finished and I will review it when I am home.You can steer mid-task too. If Claude is heading the wrong way, text a correction the same way you would text a person and it adjusts without starting over.
Redirect Claude mid-run from your phone
Pause what you are doing. Keep what you have built so far, but change [THE THING, for example "the headline to 'Built in a weekend' and make the middle pricing plan the highlighted one"]. Then keep going.The boring computer chores you keep avoiding route to Cowork, and that is exactly what it is good at.
Make Claude clean up your computer while you are out
Go through my Downloads folder. Create folders by topic and move everything where it belongs. Flag anything that looks like junk, like old installers and duplicate screenshots, but do not delete anything without asking me first. Text me a list of what you moved when you are done.And if you flipped on Computer Use during setup, Claude can click around real apps on your screen. This one still feels like a cheat code.
Run a real app with Computer Use
Open [APP NAME, for example QuickBooks] on my computer and [WHAT YOU NEED, for example "export last month's invoices and save them as one PDF on my desktop"].
Go step by step. If anything asks for a password or looks like it could spend money, stop and text me instead of guessing.One thing that trips people up. Turn on keep awake and plug your computer in before you walk away, and do not shut the lid on a laptop. If your computer sleeps or drops wifi, Dispatch stops until you are back.
If something breaks, it is almost always one of these:
- 1.Your phone says disconnected. Your computer fell asleep or dropped wifi. Wake it up, plug it in, and double check keep awake is on in the Dispatch settings.
- 2.The Dispatch option is missing or the QR code will not scan. One of your apps is out of date. Update the desktop app and the phone app, then try again.
- 3.A task started and then stalled. Open the thread and look. Claude usually stopped to ask you a question. Answer it from your phone and it picks right back up.
That is the whole thing. One setup, one QR code, and your computer stops being a place you have to sit and starts being something that works while you are gone.
Want more ways to turn Claude Code into a personal operator that works while you are not even at your desk?
Liked this? There's 50x more in the course.
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