Codex remote control: use Codex on your computer from your phone

What Codex remote control is

OpenAI calls it remote connections. A computer running the ChatGPT desktop app becomes a host; your phone, or another desktop, controls it. The session uses the host's projects, chats, files, credentials, permissions, plugins and local tools, so Codex works exactly as it would if you were sitting there.

• Hosts: the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS and Windows. OpenAI's docs don't list Linux as a host.
• Phones: the ChatGPT app on iOS and Android, kept up to date. Open Codex in the app (older versions call it Remote).
• The connection goes through a secure relay, so the computer doesn't need to be exposed to the internet.
• Setup happens in the desktop app; the docs give no command to start it from the Codex CLI or the IDE extension.

How to set up Codex remote control

1. Turn it on in the desktop app

   On the computer, open the ChatGPT desktop app and go to Settings > Connections > Control this Mac or PC. Select Set up or Add, approve remote access and finish any verification. The app shows a QR code. In the same place you can choose to keep the computer awake.

2. Pair your phone

   Scan the QR code with your phone; it opens ChatGPT. Confirm it's the same account and workspace, and complete any MFA, SSO or passkey step. The computer then appears under Codex. One QR code pairs one phone with one computer, so pair each combination you want.

3. Work from the phone

   Start a new chat in one of the computer's projects or open an existing one. Send follow-ups, answer Codex's questions, approve commands, and review diffs, test results, terminal output and screenshots. You get a notification when a task finishes or needs you.

4. Optional: control a remote machine over SSH

   The desktop app can also open projects on an SSH host. Add a Host entry to ~/.ssh/config, check ssh <alias> works, install and sign in to Codex on that host, then add the host under Settings > Connections and pick a project folder.

   # ~/.ssh/config on the computer running the ChatGPT desktop app
   Host devbox
     HostName devbox.example.com
     User me
   
   # Check it works, then sign in to Codex on the remote host
   ssh devbox
   codex   # must be on the PATH of the remote user's login shell

Source: OpenAI's docs on remote connections

What the computer needs

• It has to be awake, online, signed in to the same account and workspace, and running the ChatGPT desktop app. Sleep stops access.
• A Mac laptop stays reachable with the lid open and power connected; with the lid closed, it needs an external display.
• On Windows, keep the session unlocked if Codex uses Computer Use, which runs in the foreground.
• Away from your network, use a VPN or a mesh networking tool rather than exposing the computer to the internet.
• Your workspace admin may need to turn on Remote Control access.
• You can't hand a chat off to a Codex cloud environment; for that, start a cloud task instead.

Codex remote control not working?

• The computer doesn't show up on the phone: check the desktop app is running, “Allow other devices to connect” is on, both apps use the same account and workspace, and both are up to date. Pairings unused since June 8, 2026 need to be made again.
• Remote Control turned off after you signed back in: signing out turns it off but keeps the pairing. Turn Remote Control back on.
• An error after selecting Add: restart the desktop app on the computer and try again.
• No approval request arrives: open Codex in the app, confirm the account and workspace, scan the QR code again, and ask your admin to confirm Remote Control access.
• It keeps disconnecting: the computer slept, lost its network or closed the app. Keep it awake and connected.

Remote control, cloud tasks or an AI employee?

Remote control is a window into Codex on your computer: it waits for you to tell it what to do next. The other two keep working without you.

Check in from your phone, let it work on its own

Remote control means you still decide every next step. Crewmark turns your Codex into an AI employee with a role, a goal, working hours and a heartbeat: it wakes on a schedule, takes the next issue from a board, and messages you when it needs a decision. Remote control is then how you look in from your phone.

1. Hire an employee on your Codex

   Run the setup command in a Codex chat; that chat becomes the employee and keeps its memory between wake-ups. See what an AI employee is.

2. Give it working hours and a heartbeat

   During its shift, the crewmark CLI queues a message into the same Codex chat every 15 to 240 minutes so it picks up its next issue. See Codex long-running tasks.

3. Look in from your phone when you want

   Open the employee's chat from Codex in the ChatGPT app to watch or steer it, or just answer its messages. For the Claude Code version, see Claude Code Remote Control.

FAQ