GitHub Copilot CLI: Remote Control Sessions from Web and Mobile
GitHub CopilotGitHub has launched copilot --remote, a public preview feature that lets developers monitor and steer a running Copilot CLI session from any device — including web browsers and the GitHub Mobile app via a QR code. The CLI streams session activity to GitHub in real time, supporting mid-session messages, plan review and modification, mode switching, and permission approvals from the remote device. Each session is private and visible only to the user who started it.
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Overview
GitHub has introduced remote control for Copilot CLI sessions, now in public preview. The feature allows developers to start an agentic coding session on one machine and then monitor, steer, and interact with it from a completely different device — including a smartphone via the GitHub Mobile app.
How Remote Sessions Work
When a developer runs copilot --remote, the CLI establishes a secure, real-time stream of session activity to GitHub. The terminal displays both a URL and a QR code that can be opened on any other device to join the remote view. From that remote interface — whether a web browser or the GitHub Mobile app — the developer sees exactly what the agent is doing and can send instructions as if they were at the original terminal.
Sessions can also be activated mid-session by typing /remote in an existing Copilot CLI session, without restarting the agent's work.
Supported Remote Actions
Remote sessions are not read-only dashboards. From the connected device, developers can:
- Send mid-session steering messages to redirect the agent while it works
- Send follow-up commands once the current turn completes
- Review and modify the agent's plan before implementation begins
- Switch modes between plan, interactive, and autopilot
- Approve or deny permission requests that the agent raises during execution
- Respond to
ask_userprompts when the agent needs clarification
Privacy and Security
Each remote session is strictly private — only the user who initiated the session can view or control it. Sessions are not shared with teammates or accessible to anyone else.
Mobile Access
GitHub Mobile support for remote sessions is available in the beta releases on Google Play and iOS TestFlight. The QR code displayed in the terminal makes it straightforward to connect from a phone without copying long URLs.
Availability and Requirements
Remote CLI sessions are in public preview and subject to change. Run /update in the Copilot CLI to get the latest version with remote support enabled. The feature requires a GitHub repository as the active working directory for the session.
Copilot Business and Enterprise users must have an administrator enable both the remote control policy and CLI policies before the feature becomes available to organization members.