Less terminal. More conversation.

HerdrChat turns the Claude Code and Codex agents running on your computer into chats on your iPhone and iPad. Read what each one did, answer the one that is stuck, and put the phone back in your pocket.

Source on GitHub

Free for iPhone and iPad. A built-in demo lets you look around before you connect anything.

~/code/herdrchat: claude

show the host fingerprint in monospace

Update(src/features/servers/HostKeyPanels.tsx)

Updated with 4 additions and 1 removal

Done. The fingerprint is monospaced and wraps in pairs now.

why does an empty folder look like an error?

Read(src/lib/herdr/client.ts)

Read 214 lines

Search(pattern: "; true", path: "src/lib")

Found 1 file

Found it. listDirectories appends "; true", so an unreadable path exits 0 and looks exactly like an empty folder.

Before I write to client.ts: this changes what every caller of listDirectories sees on failure. Want me to go ahead?

1. Yes, go ahead

2. No, tell me more first

herdr1 herdrchat2 notes3 scratch

9:41

herdrchat

Opus 5 · herdrchat · waiting for reply

Today 12:06

sort the host list by last connection

The host list sorts by last connection now.

show the host fingerprint in monospace

Edit src/features/servers/HostKeyPanels.tsx

Done. The fingerprint is monospaced and wraps in pairs now.

why does an empty folder look like an error?

Read src/lib/herdr/client.ts

Search "; true" in src/lib

Found it. listDirectories appends ; true, so an unreadable path exits 0 and looks exactly like an empty folder.

Before I write to client.ts: this changes what every caller of listDirectories sees on failure. Want me to go ahead?

1Yes, go ahead

2No, tell me more first

Message

The Chats screen: herdrchat under Needs you, waiting for input, with notes and scratch under Idle

Open it, and the agent that needs you is on top.

Every herdr workspace on your machine shows up as a chat, grouped by what it is doing. One glance tells you whether anything is waiting on you, and your history is all there, including the replies you started at your desk.

Needs you: Blocked on a question or a permission. It waits at the top, and your phone can buzz when it happens.
Working: Busy on its task. Open it and read along as the transcript grows.
Idle: Done, or waiting for the next thing to do. Send it one from wherever you are.

Bubbles, not scrollback.

HerdrChat reads each agent's own transcript files on your machine instead of scraping the terminal. What you get is the conversation: clean messages, code blocks and tables, with the tool activity folded out of the way.

1Model, folder and state live in the header.
2A tool call folds into a single line.
3What you type goes into the real session.
4A question arrives with its answers as buttons.

A conversation where Claude asks before editing client.ts, with Yes and No as tappable answers

On iPad, the list stays beside the conversation.

Keep the whole herd in the sidebar and one agent open beside it, on the couch or on a stand next to your keyboard.

9:41Tue 23 Sep

api

Codex · api · working

Today 09:40

ship 4.2.1 to staging

Run make deploy ENV=staging

4.2.1 is on staging and every check is green.

Today 11:02

p95 on /search doubled since Friday. Can you find out why?

Run git log --since=friday -- src/search

One change touches that path. a41c9e2 moved the rank filter after the join, so every query now scores the full table:

const rows = await db.search(q)
  // was: .where(rank > 0.2) before the join
  .join('docs')
  .where('rank', '>', 0.2)

Query	Before	Now
short	41 ms	88 ms
long	63 ms	131 ms

Move it back and add a benchmark.

Edit src/search/query.ts

Run npm run bench -- search

Message

Your phone, your computer, and nothing in between.

HerdrChat connects straight to your machine over SSH, usually across your own Tailscale network. There is no HerdrChat account and no relay, so your code and your conversations never pass through us. The privacy policy spells out the rest.

Your iPhone or iPad HerdrChat

SSH over Tailscale or your own network

Your computer herdrclaudecodex

No account: There is nothing to sign up for. Add a host and you are in.
Direct: The connection runs from your phone to your computer. No server of ours sits in the path; only notifications, if you turn them on, pass through a relay that keeps nothing.
Keys in the Keychain: Your SSH key or password stays in the iOS Keychain, never in the app's database and never off the device.
Host keys pinned: You check the fingerprint the first time you connect. After that, a changed key stops the connection.
Alerts from your own host: Optional. A small watcher on your computer pushes straight to Apple with your own key.
Open source: Apache-2.0. You can read every line that talks to your machine.

Running in three steps.

You need herdr and Claude Code or Codex on a computer your phone can reach over SSH.

1
Prepare your computer

Install herdr's integration for your agent, so each chat can find its own session.
```
$ herdr integration install claude
```
Using Codex? Open its chat in the app and choose Install it on the host.
2
Add it in HerdrChat

Under Hosts, enter the address, your SSH user and a key or password. Test the connection and check the fingerprint.
```
host 100.64.0.12   user you
```
3
Open a chat

Pick a workspace under Chats. From there it is a conversation: read it, answer it, send the next task.
```
Chats › herdrchat
```

Just looking? The app ships with a demo host, so you can try every screen before connecting anything. Read the full setup guide

Questions

Does my code go through your servers?

No. There are no HerdrChat servers. The app opens an SSH connection from your phone to your computer and reads the agent's transcript there. Nothing is copied anywhere else.

Can I try it before setting anything up?

Yes. The app ships with a demo host that behaves like a real one, with chats that need you, chats that are idle and answers you can tap. It is what you see before you add a host, and it stays under Hosts after.

Do I need Tailscale?

No. Any network where your phone can reach your computer over SSH works. Tailscale is simply the easiest way to do that from anywhere without opening SSH to the internet.

Which agents does it work with?

Claude Code and Codex, running inside herdr workspaces. Each workspace is one chat.

Can I get a notification when an agent needs me?

Yes, if you want it. A small watcher on your computer sends the push straight to Apple with your own key, so no service of ours is involved. The setup guide walks through it.

What does it cost?

Nothing. HerdrChat is free on the App Store and open source under the Apache License 2.0.

Is there an Android version?

Not yet. The Android build compiles, but it has not been tested on a device and there is no release. Follow the issues for progress.

Let the herd run.
Answer from anywhere.

Setup guide

Less terminal. More conversation.

Open it, and the agent that needs you is on top.

Bubbles, not scrollback.

On iPad, the list stays beside the conversation.

Your phone, your computer, and nothing in between.

Running in three steps.

Prepare your computer

Add it in HerdrChat

Open a chat

Questions

Let the herd run.Answer from anywhere.

Let the herd run.
Answer from anywhere.