Frequently asked questions

CLI Setu is a mobile app that securely connects your phone to the terminal on your computer. A small companion CLI runs on the computer, you pair it with the app once, and from then on you can watch, type into and control terminal sessions, including AI coding agents like Claude Code, Codex CLI and Gemini CLI, from anywhere.

“Setu” means “bridge” in Sanskrit and Hindi. CLI Setu is a bridge between the command line on your computer and the phone in your pocket.

CLI Setu is for developers, DevOps engineers and makers who run long tasks in a terminal, especially AI coding agents, and want to keep them moving while away from the desk. Typical uses are approving an agent’s next step from the couch, checking a build on a commute, or fixing a production issue while travelling.

No. Remote desktop apps stream your whole screen as video. CLI Setu streams only terminal sessions as text, so it is faster on mobile data, uses less battery and is readable on a phone. It also understands AI-agent prompts and turns them into tap-to-approve buttons.

The app is available now on Android through Google Play. There is no iPhone app. The companion CLI is built for Windows, macOS and Linux and needs Node.js 18 or newer; Windows is the platform tested end to end, while macOS and Linux are supported but less verified.

Install the companion with npm install -g cli-setu, run cli-setu pair to show a QR code, then scan it from the CLI Setu app. Pairing takes under a minute and only needs to be done once per computer. Pairing does not start a terminal session; run cli-setu session afterwards to start one. See the pairing guide.

No. The companion makes an outbound, encrypted connection, so there are no ports to open, no router changes and no VPN. It works behind home Wi-Fi, office firewalls and mobile hotspots.

Yes. You can pair several computers, such as a work laptop, a home desktop and a cloud VM, and switch between them from the app’s home screen.

Yes. Your commands run on your computer, not in the cloud, so it needs to be awake and connected with the companion running. Use your OS power settings to stop it sleeping during long agent runs.

Any AI tool that runs in a terminal works, including Claude Code, OpenAI Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot CLI, Cursor CLI, Aider, OpenCode, Qwen Code, Amp, Goose and Ollama. See the full supported AI tools list.

Yes. Start a CLI Setu session on your computer, run claude inside it, and the session appears on your phone. You can type prompts, send custom commands, and approve or deny Claude Code’s file edits and shell commands with one tap.

Because the agent keeps running on your computer either way - CLI Setu doesn't replace it, it lets you leave your desk without stopping it. Without CLI Setu, an agent waiting for a permission prompt just sits there until you're back at your keyboard. With it, that prompt becomes a push notification you can approve or deny from your phone, the session keeps streaming so you can see exactly what changed, and you can send a new prompt from the couch, on a commute, or away from your desk entirely. It's the same agent, same account, same terminal - just not tied to being physically at your computer.

Yes. CLI Setu doesn’t resell AI models. Each AI tool runs on your computer with your own account or API key, exactly as it does at your desk. CLI Setu only carries the terminal session to your phone.

No. CLI Setu never sends your code to any AI provider. The AI tools you choose to run talk to their own providers under their own terms. CLI Setu only relays the encrypted terminal stream between your computer and your phone.

Yes. Sessions are end-to-end encrypted between your computer and your phone, so the relay only sees encrypted data it can’t read. Pairing uses a one-time QR code, each device has its own keys, and you can revoke any device instantly. Read more on the security page.

No. Terminal content is encrypted on your computer and only decrypted on your paired phone. Our servers pass encrypted packets along and keep minimal connection metadata, such as when a device connected, to run the service.

Run cli-setu unpair on your computer, or remove the device from the Devices tab on another paired phone. We also recommend turning on the app lock (biometric or PIN) in Settings.

When an agent asks for permission, for example to edit a file or run a command, CLI Setu shows the request as a card with Approve and Deny buttons and sends a push notification. Tap a button and the answer goes straight to the terminal.

Yes. CLI Setu can notify you when a command finishes, when an agent is waiting for input, or when output matches a keyword you set, such as “error” or “deployed”. You choose which alerts to get in Settings → Notifications.

Yes. A key bar above the keyboard has Esc, Tab, Ctrl, arrows and common shortcuts like Ctrl+C and Ctrl+D. You can reorder it and add your own snippets.

Yes. It sends text, not video, so it needs very little bandwidth. If your phone drops off the network the session keeps running on the computer, and the app catches up on missed output when you reconnect.

Make the terminal window bigger, or type the short code that cli-setu pair prints under the QR code into the app’s Devices tab. Check that the app has camera permission.

Check that the companion is running with cli-setu status and that the computer is online and awake. If it still shows offline, stop it with cli-setu stop then start a new session with cli-setu session. See troubleshooting for more.

Set the terminal type to xterm-256color and make sure your shell uses UTF-8. In the app, you can switch fonts and color themes in Settings → Terminal.

Yes. CLI Setu is free to download on Google Play, and connecting your computers costs nothing. If optional paid extras are ever added, the price will be shown clearly in the app before you pay.

Go to Settings → Account → Delete account in the app, or email support@evyasys.com. We delete your account data as described in our privacy policy.

Use the form on the support page or email support@evyasys.com. Include your app version and computer OS so we can help faster.