|
| 1 | +# Lesson 24: Remote Control |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +## What You'll Learn |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +How to monitor and control a running Copilot CLI session from GitHub.com or GitHub Mobile. Perfect for long-running tasks, checking progress away from your desk, or finishing the tutorial on your phone. |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +## Concepts |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +--- |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +### What is remote control? |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +Remote control lets you access a running CLI session from anywhere — GitHub.com in your browser, or the GitHub Mobile app on your phone. You can: |
| 14 | + |
| 15 | +- Monitor the session in real-time as Copilot works |
| 16 | +- Respond to permission requests remotely |
| 17 | +- Provide input or answer questions |
| 18 | +- Review changes and approve tool calls |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +This is valuable when you kick off a complex task and need to step away. Instead of waiting at your desk, you can check in from anywhere and keep the work moving. |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +--- |
| 23 | + |
| 24 | +### Starting a remote session |
| 25 | + |
| 26 | +**From an interactive session**, enable remote control with: |
| 27 | + |
| 28 | +``` |
| 29 | +/remote enable |
| 30 | +``` |
| 31 | + |
| 32 | +This generates a link to view the session on GitHub.com. The link appears in your terminal — click it or copy it to your browser or GitHub Mobile app. |
| 33 | + |
| 34 | +**When starting a new session**, use the `--remote` flag: |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +``` |
| 37 | +copilot --remote |
| 38 | +``` |
| 39 | + |
| 40 | +The CLI displays the remote access link immediately. Open it on any device. |
| 41 | + |
| 42 | +### Viewing from GitHub.com or Mobile |
| 43 | + |
| 44 | +Once you open the remote link: |
| 45 | + |
| 46 | +- **On GitHub.com**: You see the conversation in real-time. Copilot's responses appear as they're generated. Permission requests show up as interactive prompts you can approve or deny. |
| 47 | + |
| 48 | +- **On GitHub Mobile**: The mobile app provides the same interface, optimized for touch. You can read, respond, and approve from your phone. |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +The remote view is **live** — it updates as the session progresses. If Copilot asks a question or requests permission, you'll see it immediately. |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +--- |
| 53 | + |
| 54 | +### Use cases |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +Remote control shines in these scenarios: |
| 57 | + |
| 58 | +- **Long-running tasks**: Start a large refactoring or test generation task, enable remote control, and step away. Check in periodically from your phone. |
| 59 | +- **Collaborative debugging**: Share the remote link with a teammate so they can follow along or provide input. |
| 60 | +- **Mobile check-ins**: Quickly approve a permission request or answer a question from GitHub Mobile while you're away from your desk. |
| 61 | +- **Cross-device workflows**: Start a session on your workstation, continue it on your laptop, finish it on your phone. |
| 62 | + |
| 63 | +--- |
| 64 | + |
| 65 | +## Exercise |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +**Finish this tutorial from GitHub.com or GitHub Mobile.** |
| 68 | + |
| 69 | +This is an optional capstone experience — you can complete this lesson from your terminal as usual, or try the remote control feature and finish the tutorial from a different device. |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +**If you want to try remote control:** |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | +1. Enable remote control for this session: |
| 74 | + ``` |
| 75 | + /remote enable |
| 76 | + ``` |
| 77 | + |
| 78 | +2. Open github another device: |
| 79 | + - **GitHub.com in a browser** |
| 80 | + - **GitHub Mobile app** on your phone |
| 81 | + |
| 82 | +3. Navigate to the agents tab and find your remote session. |
| 83 | + |
| 84 | +4. Prompt to finish the tutorial from there |
| 85 | + |
| 86 | +**If you prefer to stay in the terminal:** |
| 87 | + |
| 88 | +That's completely fine — remote control is an optional advanced feature. Just say **"next"** when you're ready to continue. |
0 commit comments