Take the session with you, not the machine
The scenario continues a course build from a phone while away from the desk. You will choose between Remote Control and cloud sessions, start a named session and keep track of what runs where. Outputs are illustrations.
Remote Control and headless sources checked September 30, 2026 describe two very different architectures: a window into a session on your machine versus a session running on Anthropic's cloud. Mixing them up confuses where files and effects live.
Remote Control: your machine, another screen
Remote Control connects claude.ai/code or the mobile app to a session running locally. Your filesystem, MCP servers and project config stay on your machine; the phone is a window. If the laptop sleeps, messages queue and deliver when it reconnects.
claude remote-control --name "course-build"
The server mode prints a session URL and can show a QR code. Requirements include an eligible sign-in through claude.ai, workspace trust accepted and feature-flag traffic enabled; it is not available on Bedrock, Google Cloud's Agent Platform, Foundry, a custom ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL or enterprise gateways. Team and Enterprise need an Owner to enable the toggle.
Illustrative setup record:
Mode: server, named course-build.
Machine: this laptop, project directory trusted.
Reached from: phone browser at claude.ai/code.
Not used: cloud session; files stay local.
Cloud sessions: the work moves
Claude Code on the web runs on cloud infrastructure. Files there are not your laptop's files, and the session's reach is the cloud environment's repositories, network and connectors. Pick this when the machine will be off, not just when the screen is far away.
A handoff prompt for either path should name the boundary explicitly:
Continue the course build in this session only.
Files live on this machine; do not assume cloud state or vice versa.
No deploy, push or purchases while I am away; ask and wait.
Names are addresses
Server mode names sessions (hostname prefix by default) and supports --continue and --session-id resume. In a house with several sessions, a wrong name is a wrong machine's work. Set a clear name and verify the session list before typing instructions remotely.
--spawn modes matter: same-dir shares one directory between sessions that can conflict; worktree isolates; session serves exactly one. Choose before inviting parallel remote work.
Offline does not mean stopped
A sleeping laptop pauses delivery, not necessarily queued work already running locally. Before walking away, know which long task is active, what it is allowed to do and when it will next need you. Remote Control requeues permission prompts; do not assume “I left” means “it stopped”.
Graded practice
Easy: architecture
Match three needs to Remote Control or cloud. Success: files-location reasoning.
Intermediate: setup
Start a named server session in a practice directory. Success: URL reached from a second browser.
Challenging: interruption
Simulate sleep and return. Success: queued state delivered, no duplicated instructions.
Troubleshooting
Startup error: check eligible login, custom base URL and flag-disabling variables.
Wrong session: use the name and session list, not the newest row.
Edits collide: switch spawn mode to worktree.
Phone sees nothing: laptop asleep or connection rebuilding; wait or check server.
Prompt stuck remotely: answer it; away-time does not auto-approve.