How to Access Claude Code with MCP Servers from Your Phone

Mar 17, 2026

Purpose

I want to access Claude Code with all my MCP servers from my phone. I have Gmail, Google Calendar, Slack, and Google Docs integrations set up on my Mac. I need to use these while away from my desk.

I used to think I’d need a Telegram bot or some third-party bridge. But it turns out the remote-control feature handles this directly.

Environment

Claude Code with MCP servers on macOS
Claude iOS/Android app
Remote-control feature enabled

What is remote-control?

Remote-control is a Claude Code feature that lets the Claude mobile app connect to your Mac’s Claude Code session. Your Mac runs the actual Claude Code instance with all your MCP servers, and your phone acts as a remote interface.

Here’s what this architecture looks like:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        Mac                               │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐      │
│  │   Gmail     │  │  Calendar   │  │   Slack     │      │
│  │  MCP Server │  │  MCP Server │  │  MCP Server │      │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘      │
│                          │                              │
│                          ▼                              │
│                 ┌─────────────────┐                     │
│                 │  Claude Code    │                     │
│                 │  remote-control │                     │
│                 └────────┬────────┘                     │
└──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┘
                           │
                           │ Network
                           │
                           ▼
              ┌───────────────────────┐
              │    Claude Mobile App   │
              │   (iOS / Android)      │
              │                         │
              │  - Full MCP access      │
              │  - Full CLAUDE.md       │
              │  - Persistent memory    │
              └───────────────────────┘

How to set it up

Step 1: Configure MCP servers on your Mac

I set up my MCP servers in the Claude Code configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gmail": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/gmail-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "GOOGLE_CREDENTIALS": "path/to/credentials.json"
      }
    },
    "google-calendar": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/gcal-mcp-server/build/index.js"]
    },
    "slack": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/slack-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "SLACK_BOT_TOKEN": "${SLACK_BOT_TOKEN}"
      }
    },
    "google-docs": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/google-docs-mcp-server/build/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Step 2: Create your CLAUDE.md

I documented my context and preferences:

# My Workflow Context

## Team
- Alice: Frontend lead, prefers async communication
- Bob: Backend, available 9-5 EST

## Clients
- ClientA: Weekly reports due Friday
- ClientB: Prefers email over Slack

## Scheduled Tasks
- Memory refresh: Every 6 hours
- Calendar sync: Every 2 hours
- Email digest: Daily at 8 AM

Step 3: Start remote-control

# Basic start
claude remote-control

# With specific port
claude remote-control --port 8080

# With authentication
claude remote-control --auth

Step 4: Connect from phone

Open the Claude app on iOS or Android
Navigate to the remote-control section
Connect to your Mac

What I can do from my phone

Now I have access to everything from my phone:

Gmail MCP: Read and send emails with full context
Calendar MCP: Check and schedule meetings
Slack MCP: Read messages and respond
Google Docs MCP: Review and edit documents
CLAUDE.md context: My team, client, and workflow info
Persistent memory: All my stored context

One user described it well:

"All of that lives on my Mac. And now all of that is in my pocket.
I'm literally sitting in my car on 5G right now talking to the same Claude
that has full context on my entire workflow."

Current limitation

There’s one limitation to be aware of:

No slash commands: Remote-control doesn’t support slash commands yet. I need to use the web or desktop app for slash commands.

Common mistakes

Mistake 1: Trying to run MCP servers on the phone

MCP servers stay on my Mac. The phone is just a remote interface. I don’t need to install or configure anything MCP-related on my phone.

Mistake 2: Configuring everything twice

One configuration on my Mac serves both desktop and mobile access. I don’t need duplicate setups.

Mistake 3: Expecting full feature parity

Remote-control doesn’t have slash commands. I plan my workflows accordingly.

Mistake 4: Ignoring network requirements

My Mac needs to be accessible. If I’m on a different network, I might need port forwarding or a VPN like Tailscale.

Summary

In this post, I showed how to access Claude Code with MCP servers from a phone using remote-control. The key point is that MCP servers run on the Mac, and the phone connects as a remote interface. No Telegram bots, no third-party bridges, no duplicate configurations needed.

Final Words + More Resources

My intention with this article was to help others share my knowledge and experience. If you want to contact me, you can contact by email: Email me

Here are also the most important links from this article along with some further resources that will help you in this scope:

👨‍💻 Reddit: Claude Code from phone discussion

Oh, and if you found these resources useful, don’t forget to support me by starring the repo on GitHub!