The Automations Wall
A big screen shows today’s Upcoming, Running now and Completed automations. Step up to the tablet to take a closer look at any run.
Manage your AI agents from your phone
Your AI agents can keep working on your Mac while you’re away. Open ShiftHands in your phone’s browser to see who’s working, read replies, give new instructions and answer flagged command approvals. Your Mac stays in charge of running the agents; your phone is where you check in and make decisions.
Phone tour
What managing agents from your phone looks like
A real recording of the ShiftHands web app on a phone: the home list, an agent at work, then a finished automation and its result card.
Away from your desk, a typical check-in
- NoticeYour phone shows a notification: an agent needs you.
- Open your phoneTap it to open that agent’s chat in ShiftHands.
- DecideRead the command and the reason, then tap Allow once or Deny.
- Agent continuesThe agent carries on the moment you tap, on your Mac.
Illustrative flow for an agent action that requires approval; not every action is gated.
Recorded in the ShiftHands demo workspace with made-up names.
Live status
See your AI agents from your phone
Open ShiftHands and the home list answers the first question in a few seconds: what is happening right now. Counts for Upcoming, Completed, Currently working and New replies sit at the top, with your projects below.
Inside a project, each agent shows what it is doing at a glance.
- Working: the agent is on your task, and its chat shows each step as it happens.
- Needs you: it is waiting on an approval or a quick hand in the browser.
- Idle: it is resting until the next message or scheduled automation.
- New replies: answers you haven’t read yet are counted, so nothing slips by.
Typing away on your task. The chat shows each step as it happens.
Waiting on an approval or a quick hand in the browser.
Resting until the next message or scheduled automation.
Virtual Environment
Your AI team, in a 3D office.
Every ShiftHands plan, Free included, comes with the Virtual Environment: a 3D office in the app where your agents work at their desks, grouped by project. Walk over, pull up a chair, and watch your crew get it done.
Your boss desk
Sit down to see every project and every agent at a glance, and chat with anyone without leaving your chair.
Watch your agents work
Every agent has a desk in its project area. Agents running an automation head to the Automations room. Walk up to any agent and chat.
- Free and Pro
- No extra AI usage for the 3D view
- Mac app and web, including phone browsers
Rendered in the ShiftHands demo workspace with made-up names. Open the Virtual Environment from the sidebar or from Chief of Staff in the app. Agents still run on your Mac and use your connected AI accounts.
How remote AI agent supervision works
One Mac does the work. Your phone is a window onto it.
Your Mac hosts the agents
Agents, their tools, browsers and schedules run in the ShiftHands Mac app on your Apple-silicon Mac, which stays on with ShiftHands open.
Your phone opens the same workspace
Sign in at shifthands.com in your phone’s browser to see the same projects, agents and chats. There is no separate phone agent runtime.
An encrypted relay connects them
Live traffic between your phone and your Mac passes through ShiftHands’ relay over an encrypted connection, and the relay does not save it.
Your AI provider runs the model
Requests go to the Claude, ChatGPT or API-key provider you connect, under its own terms and usage limits.
ShiftHands is not a native phone app, and it does not operate apps on your phone. It lets you supervise agents that run on your Mac.
Notifications
Know when an agent needs you
You don’t have to keep checking. When an agent needs you, ShiftHands tells you in a few places at once.
- A notice in the app, and a Mac or phone notification, even when the app is closed.
- One reminder after 15 minutes if it still needs you.
- A count on the Dock and on the browser tab.
- Tap a notification to open that agent’s chat.
- Quiet hours and a switch for each kind of notification live in Settings.
Turning on phone notifications
- iPhone and iPad: iOS sends web notifications only to the Home Screen web app (iOS 16.4 or later), not to a Safari tab. In Safari, open ShiftHands, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. Open ShiftHands from the Home Screen and tap Turn on notifications.
- Android: In Chrome and other supported browsers, tap Turn on notifications and allow them.
- Check it works: Settings → Notifications → Send a test notification.
Notifications depend on your phone’s browser and permission settings. Your Mac has to be on, awake and running ShiftHands for an agent to reach you.
Approvals
Approve flagged commands from your phone
Some agent commands are flagged for your decision. ShiftHands shows each one as a plain-English request you can answer from your phone.
Approval behaviour depends on each agent’s settings. Not every file change or send is gated.
- One line on what the command does and why the agent is asking.
- A Low, Medium or High risk level, with the real command always shown.
- Allow once or Deny. Your decision is sent to the agent on your Mac, which proceeds according to the result.
- Typing “yes” in chat never counts as approval.
An approval card from the ShiftHands demo workspace, with made-up names.
Chats & results
Reply to agents and review completed work
Short interventions are what a phone is good for. Open an agent, read where it is, send the next instruction and move on.
Follow live steps
Open any agent’s chat to see its step log and live status. Send a message mid-task and it reaches the agent right away.
Review finished automations
The Completed list shows each scheduled run as Done or Needs review. Open one for its result card in the agent’s chat.
Want recurring work ready to review when you check your phone? Our scheduled AI agent tasks guide shows how to set up automations and review each run’s result.
Step in when a site needs a human
If an agent’s browser hits a code or sign-in step, open its live browser view, do that step, then tap Return to agent.
Links an agent shares open in a panel on your phone, with back, forward, reload and copy controls. Screens come from the ShiftHands demo workspace with made-up names.
Set up remote access to your AI agents
There is no pairing code, port forwarding or phone app to install.
1. Install the Mac app
Download ShiftHands on an Apple-silicon Mac. See where ShiftHands agents run.
2. Connect a model
Sign in with Claude or ChatGPT, or add an API key.
3. Create an agent
Give it a project and a job, and let it start working.
4. Keep the Mac running
Leave it on and awake with ShiftHands open. A dedicated machine works well; see the Mac mini AI agent setup guide.
5. Sign in on your phone
Open shifthands.com in your phone’s browser and sign in to the same account. Turn on notifications if you want them.
What happens when your Mac goes offline?
Your phone can only reach agents through the Mac that runs them.
Agents pause
If the Mac sleeps, shuts down or quits ShiftHands, its agents stop working until it is back.
Your messages wait
Messages you send while the Mac is offline wait on ShiftHands’ servers and are delivered when it reconnects, then deleted from the server.
Missed schedules catch up
Scheduled work that was missed while the Mac slept runs when it wakes.
Plans and supported devices
You need one Mac to host the agents. Any recent phone browser can supervise them.
Host Mac
Apple silicon (M1 or newer), macOS 13 or later and 8 GB of RAM.
Phone
A phone browser for viewing, chatting and approvals. On iPhone, add ShiftHands to the Home Screen for notifications.
Other computers
Any web browser can open the same workspace.
Phone access is part of every plan. Full details are on ShiftHands pricing.
Free, $0
25 agent messages a day, 1 project, 3 agents and 2 daily automations.
Pro, $49.99 a month or $499 a year
No plan-level caps on projects, agents or automations. Fair-use caps still apply.
Your AI usage
Agent work uses the AI accounts you connect, under their own limits.
Who should manage agents from their phone?
It suits quick check-ins and decisions while the real work carries on at home or in the office.
Phone supervision fits if
- Your agents run long tasks or schedules while you’re out.
- You want to answer a blocker in a minute instead of waiting until you’re back.
- You review finished work and give the next instruction on the go.
- You have an Apple-silicon Mac that can stay on.
Look elsewhere if
- You want an AI agent that operates apps on your phone.
- You need to supervise agents built in other tools or frameworks.
- You want agents to run in the cloud with no computer of your own.
- You only have Windows or an Intel Mac to host agents.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a ShiftHands phone app?
No. ShiftHands is not a native phone app. You use it in your phone’s browser, and on iPhone you can add it to the Home Screen. Nothing is installed from the App Store or Google Play.
Does it work on iPhone and Android?
Yes, in the phone’s browser. On iPhone, notifications need the Home Screen web app on iOS 16.4 or later.
Will I get notified when an agent needs me?
Yes, once you allow notifications on that phone. You get one reminder after 15 minutes. Delivery depends on your phone’s settings, and your Mac must be on with ShiftHands open.
Can I approve commands from my phone?
Yes. Flagged commands show Allow once and Deny. Which commands are flagged depends on each agent’s settings, and typing “yes” in chat does not approve one.
What if my Mac goes to sleep?
Its agents pause. Messages you send wait and are delivered when the Mac reconnects, and missed scheduled work runs when it wakes.
Do I need port forwarding or a VPN?
No. Your phone reaches your Mac through ShiftHands’ encrypted relay after you sign in to the same account.
Which AI models can my agents use?
The Claude or ChatGPT account you sign in with, or providers you add with an API key.
Can I manage agents from my phone on the Free plan?
Yes. Free includes 25 agent messages a day, 1 project, 3 agents and 2 daily automations.
Keep your agents moving while you’re away
Download the Mac app, start an agent, then sign in on your phone to check in from anywhere.
Needs an Apple-silicon Mac (M1 or newer) with macOS 13 or later. See where ShiftHands agents run, or the AI agent dashboard for the full workspace view.
Screens and video come from the ShiftHands demo workspace with made-up names. Features and prices were checked on October 26, 2026 and can change.