How to Use Codync: The Beginner's Guide (Message Your Coding Agents From Your iPhone)

CodexFuse Team · 2026-11-04T00:52:26.265Z · 11 min read min read

Learning how to use Codync feels backwards the first time: you install it on your computer, but you end up using it mostly from your phone. Codync turns the coding agents already on your machine — Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini, and dozens more — into persistent bots you message like teammates. You pick who, say what, and put the phone away.

One note before we start: this is Codync, the open-source phone-to-agents project at codync.dev — not Sourcegraph's Cody assistant and not codyn.app, a different product with a similar-sounding name. If you run several agents from your desk and want to keep them working from the couch, this beginner's guide covers the whole arc: install the host, pair your iPhone, create your first bot, and delegate real work. For the mission-control dashboard angle on remote agents, see our Omnara beginner guide; this page is the phone-delegation lane.

What Is Codync, in One Paragraph?

Codync is an open-source app that turns coding agents into messageable bots. It has two parts: the host (codync-host), a small background service on the computer where your coding agents are installed, and the apps — iPhone, desktop, and terminal UI — which are windows onto that host, according to the project's getting-started documentation at codync.dev.

The mental model that makes it click: on a phone, hunting for the right working session and picking an environment is too slow. Bots fix that. You give each bot a name, a character, standing instructions, an agent, and a project folder — and each bot is one ongoing conversation. No session archaeology, no environment setup. Just open the chat and type.

Codync Tutorial: Your First Delegation in Six Steps

Here is the complete first-run arc, start to finish. Follow it in order and you will have a bot doing work for you within minutes.

1. Install the host on your computer. On a Mac: brew install --cask leepokai/codync/codync. On Linux: run the one-line installer, then codync-host install. On Windows: download codync-windows-x64.exe and run it.
2. Sign in once. The app asks you to sign in with Apple, Google, or GitHub. A free account — an account alone never unlocks a computer; pairing still needs a QR scan or a 6-digit approval on the computer.
3. Pair your iPhone. Run codync-host pair in the terminal (or choose Pair iPhone… from the menu bar on macOS) and scan the QR code with the Codync iPhone app. The pairing code expires, so scan it promptly.
4. Meet your lead bot. Your computer already has a bot — Codync, marked with a star — running Claude Code when it can, otherwise the first agent Codync knows on that machine.
5. Create a second bot. Give it a name, a character, standing instructions, pick an agent and a project folder. Each bot is its own ongoing chat.
6. Delegate from your phone. Message the bot like a teammate: pick who, say what, put the phone away. Approval cards arrive when the agent wants to run a command or change files — Allow once, Always allow, or Deny.

That is the whole product in miniature. Everything below is detail on the six steps.

How Do I Install Codync on My Computer?

Installation is per-platform and quick. Codync is free and open source under Apache-2.0, and — the part people check twice — there is no paid tier. The documentation's pricing line is blunt: "Codync is free and open source (Apache-2.0). You pay only your agent's provider, through the plan or key you already use." You bring your own agent subscriptions or API keys; Codync adds no fees of its own, and the hosted Cloudflare relay is included at no cost.

Two platform caveats, stated once: the Windows installer is not code-signed yet, so SmartScreen asks you to confirm once — choose More info, then Run anyway. And remote screen is not available on Windows yet. If you run a headless box for your agents, see our explainer on what is VPS hosting — the --host-only flow is exactly what it is built for.

How Do I Pair the Codync iPhone App?

Pairing is a one-minute QR-code handshake. Run codync-host pair in the terminal (or press P in the terminal UI, or choose Pair iPhone… from the macOS menu bar), then scan the code with the Codync iPhone app — the free app on the App Store requires iOS 26.0 or later and is rated for ages 4+ in the Developer Tools category.

Two rules of the pairing system: your phone must be signed in with the same account (Apple, Google, or GitHub) as the computer, and the pairing code expires — if you dawdle, generate a fresh one. After pairing, connection behavior is automatic. On the same Wi-Fi or Tailscale network, the phone connects directly to the computer; anywhere else it goes through the Codync relay, end-to-end encrypted, while "Reach from anywhere" is turned on in the computer's Codync settings. The relay only ever forwards ciphertext — it cannot see what your bots said, and push-notification text is sealed to your phone's key so the push relay never sees it either.

How Do I Message Claude Code From My iPhone?

To message Claude Code from your iPhone, open the bot whose agent is Claude Code and type. Your lead bot — the one with the star on its avatar — already runs Claude Code when it can run on the computer, so your very first delegation needs no setup at all. Think of the whole thing as a Claude Code phone app: this "message Claude Code from iPhone" flow is the product's core, and our Claude Code beginner guide covers the agent itself; Codync is the remote control around it.

Each bot has a name, a character, standing instructions, an agent, and a project folder, and each bot is one ongoing conversation — so "message Claude Code from the iPhone" is really "open the chat and talk to the bot that runs Claude Code." While a bot works, you see what it is doing right now; when it finishes, you get a notification. You can put several bots in a group chat and they answer in turn like a team channel — @name picks who replies — and you can reply to any message, yours or a bot's, right in the chat.

Beyond chat, three features make the phone feel like a desk. Remote screen lets you see and control your computer over WebRTC with hardware H.264 encoding, and bots can use the screen themselves through a built-in computer tool. Voice lets you talk to a bot hands-free and hear its replies read aloud. And usage at a glance shows your Claude and Codex subscription limits in the app, in widgets, and on the Lock Screen — Claude limits are read locally with claude -p /usage, no model call involved — so you always know how much agent runway you have left. Follow a working bot in a Live Activity and the Dynamic Island.

Which AI Agents Work With Codync?

The supported list is long and agent-agnostic. Per the project README, Codync turns "Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Pi, OpenCode, Grok Build, Gemini, Copilot, Hermes Agent and ~40 more" into bots, connected through the Agent Client Protocol registry — so you bring the subscription you already pay for and message each agent the same way.

Skills and connectors follow the same bring-your-own rule: every connector and skill installed on the computer is turned on for the bots by default. If you have spent time collecting agent skills elsewhere — say while working through our OpenClaw beginner guide — Codync picks them up from the machine without any re-configuration. Your bots, chats, and memory stay on your computer; nothing about your code is uploaded to Codync itself.

How Do Approval Cards Keep My Computer Safe?

Approval cards are the entire security model, and they arrive as chat messages. When an agent wants to run a command or change files, an approval card appears: Allow once, Always allow, or Deny. New bots default to letting the agent do what is safe and asking about the rest.

You get exactly two dials, and you should set them deliberately:

You only get a notification when a bot needs you or finishes — the phone stays quiet otherwise. And remember the first-launch question: the app offers Computer access (needed only for bot screen use), which you can skip with "Set up later" if you do not want bots touching the screen at all.

Codync vs Omnara: Which One Is for You?

The "Codync vs Omnara" question comes up because both put your coding agents on your phone — but they are different shapes of the same idea. Omnara is the mission-control dashboard angle: agents as a control surface you monitor. Codync is the phone-delegation angle: persistent bots you message like teammates, each one an ongoing chat. Start with our Omnara guide if the dashboard model appeals; stay on this page if you want the chat model.

The deciding differences: Codync's bots keep per-bot memory and standing instructions across conversations, so you never re-brief the same bot twice; group chats let several bots work side by side and even ask each other for help; and the whole project is free and open source (Apache-2.0) with no paid tier — the project's own FAQ answers "Is Codync free?" with "$0 with every feature included." You pay only your agent's provider, through the plan or key you already have.

How Much Does Codync Cost?

Codync pricing is the shortest section of this guide: $0. No paid tier, no subscription, no seat fees, no credits. The App Store listing shows "Price: 0 USD," the README says "Free, open source, no paid tier," and the hosted Cloudflare relay — the piece that connects your phone from anywhere — is included at no cost. The project's donations page accepts Ko-fi tips, which is the entire monetization story.

The honest version of the cost question is that you already pay someone: Codync is useless without an agent provider, and those are your own subscriptions — Claude, ChatGPT/Codex, Copilot, or whatever your bots run. Say it once and move on: you bring your own agent subscriptions and API keys; Codync itself charges nothing. If that sentence ever stops being true, the project's getting-started page — stamped with "Price: 0 USD" — is where the change would land first.

Sources

The facts above were verified against the project's own pages on 2026-11-03/04: the Codync getting-started documentation (codync.dev/docs/getting-started, crawled under an hour before reading), the GitHub repository at github.com/leepokai/Codync (release v2.38.0, Apache-2.0 license, README feature list), the App Store listing for Codync (version 2.38.0, iOS 26.0 floor, free price), and the AgentFilter Codync page (pricing FAQ, pros and cons). Version numbers and the GitHub star count move with releases — treat them as current at the time of writing, not permanent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Codync actually free, or is there a paid plan?

Codync is actually free. The project's FAQ answers "Is Codync free?" with "Yes. $0 with every feature included, Apache 2.0 licensed." There is no paid tier, no credits, and the hosted relay is free. The only money in the picture is your existing agent subscriptions — Claude, Codex, Copilot, or whichever providers your bots use.

Which coding agents can I use with Codync?

Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Pi, OpenCode, Grok Build, Gemini, Copilot, Hermes Agent, and about 40 more, connected through the Agent Client Protocol registry. The list is agent-agnostic: whatever you already pay for is what your bots run. Your lead bot defaults to Claude Code when it can run on the computer.

Is Codync the same thing as Sourcegraph Cody?

No. Codync (codync.dev) is the open-source project that turns your coding agents into phone-messageable bots. Sourcegraph Cody is a different product — an AI coding assistant for editors — and codyn.app is yet another, unrelated product. The names collide; the products do not.

Can my bots read my files or run commands without asking?

Only within the permissions you set. By default, an approval card arrives in the chat when an agent wants to run a command or change files — Allow once, Always allow, or Deny. You can switch a bot to Manual (review every request) or Approve automatically (skip the cards). Your bots, chats, and memory stay on your own computer, and push notifications are sealed so the relay never sees their content.

Do I need an iPhone to use Codync?

No. The phone is one window onto the host. Codync also ships a desktop app, a menu-bar/tray experience, and a terminal UI (codync-host tui) for the machine the host runs on. The iPhone app requires iOS 26 or later and is the best way to delegate away from your desk, but everything the host does is reachable without it.