Read beyond the last line.
Follow live output or scroll through available history. Switch between Terminal and Reading views when you want easier reading.
Your terminal, on your phone.
Leave your desk.
Keep your terminal.
Your coding agent needs an answer. Your build just finished. You need one more command. Pick up the session from your phone.
Free and open source.
The Mac app and the macOS and Linux service are free to download. Android is on Google Play. For iPhone and iPad, request a TestFlight invite.
Try a moment away from your desk.Interactive product preview
coding agentmain
~/projects/good-work
❯ Make the donation flow accessible.
Checking the form and payment screens…
↳ Updated focus states and field labels
↳ Added keyboard navigation
✓ All 24 checks passed
I’m ready to apply the changes.
Shall I continue? [y/n]
❯
The work keeps running here.
9:41
Shellbellcoding agent
~/projects/good-work
❯ Make the donation flow accessible.
✓ All 24 checks passed
I’m ready to apply the changes.
Shall I continue? [y/n]
Shellbell nowYour coding agent is waiting on you.
Choose a session, then send a reply from the phone.
Your reply goes back to the same session on your computer.
Keep the setup you like.
Shellbell connects to sessions you already run.
iTerm2Existing tabs and panes on macOS, once its Python API is onSetup guide
tmuxOn macOS and Linux, in your terminal of choice
HerdrCoding-agent panes on macOSSetup guide
How it works.
A small service on your computer, an app on your phone, and a relay that introduces them. Your shell keeps running on the computer; the phone gets an encrypted view and sends input back.
- 1
Run Shellbell on your computer.
The Mac app or the headless service finds the iTerm2, tmux, or Herdr sessions you already have open. Nothing gets moved or restarted.
- 2
Pair your phone once.
Scan a temporary QR code, then approve the phone on the computer. The pairing keys stay on both devices. There’s no Shellbell account.
- 3
Open a session from anywhere.
Both devices connect out to the relay to find each other, then terminal traffic flows over an end-to-end encrypted WebRTC connection. No shared Wi-Fi, open ports, or SSH tunnels.
- 4
Get pinged when it needs you.
When a command finishes, a session goes quiet, or a coding agent needs an answer, a notification takes you straight back to that session.
Your computer
Keys stay here
WebRTC
data channelDirect path
blockedEncrypted
terminal trafficSame encrypted
channel, via TURN
data channelDirect path
blockedEncrypted
terminal trafficSame encrypted
channel, via TURN
Your phone
Keys stay here
Your chosen relayTURN serverSetup & coordinationForwards ciphertext only
Once WebRTC connects, screens, history and input travel directly between your devices. The relay stays connected for pairing, encrypted signaling, revocation and push. It never carries terminal content.
If a network blocks the direct path, WebRTC sends the same end-to-end encrypted channel through a TURN server. The relay hands your devices short-lived TURN credentials; the TURN server sees addresses and traffic volume, never terminal content. TURN is optional: turn it off on your computer and terminal data never passes through a TURN server, though networks that block direct connections then can’t reach it.
Your terminal content stays end-to-end encrypted on both paths and never passes through the relay. Transport details
You’re away.
Your work stays put.
The process, working directory, and shell state stay on your computer. Your phone is another way into that same session.
Send real terminal input.
Type a response, run a command, or control an interactive program.
escctrltab↑↓ctrl+c
Move between your sessions.
Check the build, return to the agent, then open another pane. You don’t need to start the work again.
Before you pair.
Does it stay connected in the background?
Live terminal connections close when the app goes into the background. Alerts use your phone’s native push system, without an always-on terminal stream.
How the phone connection worksCan the relay read my terminal?
Only your paired phone and computer decrypt terminal content. The relay coordinates connections but never carries terminal screens, history, or input. It sees connection metadata. Read the protections, their limits, and what we store.
Security and privacyYour organization.
Your relay.
Use the project’s relay, or run the same open source relay under your own account and hostname. Organizations can keep its metadata and operations under their control.
Take a session with you.
Your computer needs to stay awake, online, and running Shellbell.