Codex Remote: starting, steering and reviewing tasks from your phone

It turns your phone into a control panel

The documented framing of Codex Remote: follow progress, approve actions, and send instructions from your phone — and Codex runs each task on your connected computer.

That second half is the key to understanding the feature. The phone is not the runtime, it is the remote control. It sends prompts, approvals and follow-up messages; the actual repository files, shell commands, MCP servers, skills, browser access and Computer Use all come from that connected host's configuration.

You use it with the ChatGPT mobile app and a connected Mac or Windows PC. Availability depends on rollout and your workspace settings.

The four capabilities

The documented advantages map neatly onto the life cycle of one remote intervention:

Start tasks from your phone. Choose a connected computer and project, describe the task, and let Codex get to work.

Guide work as it happens. Open a task, follow its progress, and send new instructions without returning to your desk.

Approve requested actions. Review requested commands and actions before Codex continues on your connected computer.

Review the result. Inspect responses, changed files, diffs and test results, then decide what happens next.

Setup: three steps, starting at the computer

1. Start setup on your computer. Open the ChatGPT desktop app on your Mac or Windows PC. Go to Settings > Connections > Control this Mac or PC and select Set up or Add. Approve remote access and complete any requested verification.
2. Scan the QR code. Scan it with your phone, sign in to the same ChatGPT account and workspace, and approve the connection. The documentation adds a caution here: only connect devices you own and trust.
3. Start working from your phone. Open Remote in the ChatGPT mobile app, choose your connected computer, and start a new task or continue an existing one. Keep your computer awake and online.

One pairing rule that is easy to miss: the QR code pairs that phone with that host. Pair every phone — or supported desktop app device — with every host you want it to control.

Choosing the host

Your own laptop or desktop. The least setup, because remote access gets the same projects, chats, credentials, plugins and local setup you already use. The cost is that it sleeps and loses network. Keep it plugged in and use the host's connection settings to keep it awake. On a Mac laptop, remote access can stay available with the lid open and power connected; with the lid closed, connect an external display as well. Choosing Sleep still stops remote access.

A dedicated always-on computer. For when you want Codex reachable for longer-running work. Install the projects, credentials, MCP servers, skills and tools it should use on that machine.

A remote development environment. Use an SSH host or managed remote development environment when the project already lives remotely. Connect the desktop app host to that environment first; your phone still connects to the same host, and Codex works in the remote environment with its dependencies, security policies and compute resources.

For a Windows host there is a specific note: keep the session unlocked and available for tasks that use Computer Use. Because Computer Use on Windows runs in the foreground, remote control is best for starting or checking work while you dedicate the host desktop to the task.

Handoff: moving work between hosts

An easily-overlooked but genuinely useful capability. Handoff moves an existing chat and its Git state between your local computer and a connected remote host. The documented use is starting work locally, continuing in a worktree on a remote computer, and bringing the chat back later.

Prerequisites first: connect the destination host and save a project for the same Git repository on that host. If the project is a subdirectory of the repository, save the same subdirectory on both hosts — Codex only shows destinations with a matching saved project.

To hand off a chat:

1. Open the chat in the desktop app.
2. In the chat footer, select the current run location, then select the destination host. Select This computer when handing a remote chat back to your local computer.
3. Review the destination and branch, then select Hand off.

Codex creates or reuses a worktree on the destination host, transfers the chat and Git state, and switches the chat to that host. If the chat is running, handoff interrupts the current response before transferring it.

You can also ask Codex in another chat to hand off a named chat to a connected host. Two limits: Codex cannot hand off the chat making the request, and handoff to a Codex cloud environment is not supported.

Network and security

Remote connections use SSH to start and manage the remote Codex app server. The documentation states one requirement plainly: do not expose app-server transports directly on a shared or public network.

If you need to reach a remote machine outside your current network, use a VPN or mesh networking tool rather than exposing the app server directly to the internet.

The documentation also notes that a secure relay layer keeps trusted machines reachable across your authorized ChatGPT devices without exposing them directly to the public internet.

Worth remembering: the sandboxing settings, security controls and action approvals still apply to the connected session. Remote is not a way around your permissions.

Troubleshooting

You do not see the host on your phone — confirm the desktop app is running on the host, that Allow other devices to connect is enabled, and that both devices use the same ChatGPT account and workspace. If you have not used the connection since June 8, 2026, update both apps and pair the devices again.

Remote Control is off after you sign back in — signing out turns off Remote Control but does not remove existing device pairings. After signing back in, turn it on to restore the previous connection state. If you see an error after turning it on and selecting Add, restart the desktop app on the host and try again.

The approval request does not appear — open Remote in the mobile app, confirm the account and workspace match, then scan the QR code again or restart setup from the host. In a workspace, ask your admin to confirm Remote Control access is enabled.

The remote session disconnects — check whether the host went to sleep, lost network access or closed the app.

Authentication blocks setup — complete the account or workspace authentication prompt shown during setup. If your organization requires SSO, multi-factor authentication or a passkey, finish that flow first. If it still fails, ask your workspace admin to confirm Remote Control access is enabled.