Frequently Asked Questions

MobileVibe is a way to access your existing desktop development environment from a phone or browser.

MobileVibe connects to a development environment that is already running on your own computer. It does not create a new environment or move your work to the cloud. Files, tools, editors, extensions, and AI agents continue to run locally on your machine, while you interact with them through a mobile-optimized web interface.

MobileVibe provides mobile access to the same environment you already use on your desktop.

MobileVibe lets you do real work from your phone when you are away from your computer.

MobileVibe is useful when you want to stay involved without sitting at your desk. You can issue instructions to multiple AI agents, review or adjust code in your actual development environment, and receive notifications when work finishes or needs input. Because the interface runs in a mobile and web browser, you keep practical phone features like copy and paste, autocomplete, and autocorrect while interacting with the same tools you use on your desktop.

MobileVibe makes it possible to stay productive from a phone without switching to a different environment.

No. MobileVibe does not stream your screen or mirror your desktop UI.

Remote Desktop tools transmit pixels and input events, which makes them slow and difficult to use on a phone. MobileVibe exposes your development environment through a mobile-optimized web interface instead. You interact with files, editors, terminals, and AI agents directly, without streaming the desktop screen. See the Comparisons section for a detailed comparison with Remote Desktop and cloud IDEs.

MobileVibe provides access to your environment, not a video feed of your screen.

Yes. You do not need to be a developer to use MobileVibe.

MobileVibe gives you access to a real computer environment with AI agents that can perform tasks on your behalf. People use it to download and unzip files, crop or convert images, manipulate documents, and set up websites or tools without writing code themselves. If you find an interesting AI paper or a GitHub repository, you can create a new MobileVibe workspace and ask an agent to set it up, install dependencies, and troubleshoot until it runs. The technical work happens in the background, guided by natural language instructions.

MobileVibe can be used by non-developers to get real work done with the help of AI agents.

Yes. MobileVibe is useful for many tasks beyond software development.

MobileVibe provides access to a general-purpose computer environment with AI assistance, not just a coding toolchain. People use it to download and organize files, extract and convert archives, crop and resize images, transform data formats, and create or modify websites. Because AI agents operate directly on the environment, they can fetch resources from the internet, install tools, and carry out multi-step tasks that go beyond simple scripts or one-off commands.

MobileVibe can be used as a general-purpose, AI-assisted workspace, not just a development tool.

Your code runs on your own computer, not in the cloud.

MobileVibe connects you to a development environment that is already running locally on your machine. Builds, scripts, tools, and AI agents execute on that computer using its filesystem, CPU, and GPU. MobileVibe does not copy your code to a remote server or run it in a hosted environment.

MobileVibe gives you remote access, but execution stays local.

No. Your code is not uploaded to MobileVibe servers or stored by MobileVibe.

MobileVibe does not sync, mirror, or host your files. Your repositories and data remain on your own computer and are accessed through a secure connection when you connect to a workspace. MobileVibe servers coordinate authentication and routing, but they do not receive or retain your source code.

Your code stays on your machine and under your control.

AI coding agents handle your code the same way they do when you use them directly on your desktop.

When you use AI tools such as Claude Code or Codex, those tools may send parts of your code, prompts, or context to their respective services in order to generate responses. This behavior is determined by the AI tool itself, not by MobileVibe. MobileVibe does not add additional data sharing compared to running these tools locally on your machine.

MobileVibe does not alter or expand the data access of the AI tools you choose to use.

You can work with your files and direct multiple AI agents running in your desktop environment.

From your phone or browser, you can view and edit files, follow links, copy and paste text, and interact with multiple projects at the same time. You can issue instructions to several AI agents, switch between them, and receive notifications when work completes or needs input. The interface is designed for mobile and web use, rather than mirroring a desktop screen.

MobileVibe makes it possible to manage multiple projects and AI agents from a phone using a native web interface.

Yes. MobileVibe is designed to let you switch between projects and coordinate multiple AI agents.

MobileVibe does not lock you into a single project or task. You can move between different projects, follow links across files, and issue instructions to multiple AI agents that are running in your development environment. This makes it possible to manage parallel work streams from a phone or browser without setting up separate environments.

MobileVibe supports parallel work across projects and agents.

Yes. MobileVibe can notify you when tasks finish or require approval.

MobileVibe can send push notifications to your phone or desktop through the MobileVibe web app or mobile app when tasks complete or when approval is needed. This allows you to stay aware of progress without keeping a session open or actively monitoring work.

MobileVibe notifies you when action is required so you can stay loosely connected.

The Desktop Connector is a small taskbar app that runs on your computer and lets you access your development environment through the MobileVibe web or mobile app.

The Desktop Connector runs locally on your machine and is responsible for authentication, workspace access, and secure connectivity. It makes your files and tools accessible to you through the MobileVibe web or mobile interface, without uploading them or running them elsewhere. All access decisions are enforced by the Desktop Connector on your computer.

The Desktop Connector is a lightweight taskbar app that securely exposes your environment to you, not to the cloud.

Logging out of a client ends that session, while unpairing the Desktop Connector revokes access entirely.

Logging out of the MobileVibe web or mobile app ends your session on that device but does not affect the Desktop Connector running on your development computer. Unpairing or signing out from the Desktop Connector revokes access at the source by stopping connectivity and invalidating credentials for the workspace. After unpairing, no clients can reconnect until the Desktop Connector is paired again.

Client logout affects one device, while unpairing the Desktop Connector removes access altogether.

Yes. You can connect to the same workspace from more than one device.

MobileVibe allows multiple active connections to the same workspace, such as a phone and a browser. All connections interact with the same underlying files and state on your computer. This makes it possible to switch between devices or keep more than one view open without creating separate environments.

Multiple devices can access the same workspace and stay in sync.

Your workspace is unavailable until the development computer is awake and running again.

MobileVibe connects to a development environment running on your development computer. If that computer goes to sleep, powers off, or loses its network connection, the Desktop Connector cannot accept connections. Once the computer wakes up and the Desktop Connector is running again, you can reconnect and continue working.

Your development computer must be awake and online for MobileVibe to work.

You authenticate through MobileVibe using your account, and access is enforced by the Desktop Connector on your computer.

When you sign in to MobileVibe, your identity is authenticated using cloud-based identity providers such as Google. That authentication is used to issue credentials that allow you to connect to a specific workspace. When a connection attempt reaches your computer, the Desktop Connector verifies those credentials and decides whether access is allowed. Cloud services are used to manage identity and routing, but the Desktop Connector running on your machine enforces access to your files and tools.

Identity is verified in the cloud, but permission to access your workspace is enforced on your computer.

No. Access to a workspace is tied to your MobileVibe account.

A workspace is associated with your login and can only be accessed by you. Connections are authenticated using your account credentials, and other users cannot connect to your workspace by default. In the future, MobileVibe may offer an option to explicitly share access to a workspace with other accounts, but sharing is not supported today.

Workspaces are private to your account unless you explicitly choose to share them in the future.

No. MobileVibe only accesses what your development environment already has access to.

MobileVibe connects to a workspace running under your user account on your development computer. It does not gain special system privileges or automatic access to unrelated files, other user accounts, or parts of the system your tools cannot already access. MobileVibe does not bypass operating system permissions or sandboxing.

MobileVibe does not expand what your development environment can access on your computer.

Yes. MobileVibe does not introduce a new execution environment or move your credentials elsewhere.

MobileVibe connects you to the same development environment running on your development computer, using the same credential storage, environment variables, and access controls you already rely on. It does not proxy your credentials through MobileVibe servers or require changes to how secrets are managed. As with any development setup, you should be deliberate about how production credentials are shared with tools or AI agents, since those tools may have their own data handling behavior independent of MobileVibe.

MobileVibe preserves your existing credential model, and standard care still applies when using credentials with AI tools.

No. Knowing a workspace URL is not enough to gain access.

Workspace URLs are only one part of how MobileVibe connects a client to your development computer. Access also requires valid authentication tied to your MobileVibe account and an active pairing with the Desktop Connector. Requests that are not properly authenticated are rejected, even if the URL is known.

Workspace access is protected by authentication, not just by an address.

MobileVibe tracks limited product usage events, but does not log your code, files, or workspace contents.

MobileVibe collects basic product analytics such as page views, feature usage, and connection events to understand how the product is used and to improve reliability. MobileVibe does not record your source code, file contents, commands, or interactions inside your workspace. All development activity remains on your development computer.

MobileVibe tracks high-level product usage, not the contents of your work.

MobileVibe connects your phone to your computer using a secure, encrypted connection without requiring port forwarding.

When you connect from the MobileVibe web or mobile app, traffic is routed through Cloudflare's global network to the Desktop Connector running on your computer. This provides encrypted connectivity, high reliability, and broad network compatibility without requiring firewall changes or inbound ports. The Desktop Connector then serves your workspace through this connection.

MobileVibe uses Cloudflare for reliable, secure connectivity while keeping your environment on your computer.

In most cases, yes.

MobileVibe is designed to work on networks that block inbound connections, since it does not require opening ports or configuring firewalls. Because connections are established over standard encrypted web traffic, MobileVibe often works in corporate, hospital, and travel network environments where traditional remote access tools fail.

MobileVibe works in many environments where inbound access is restricted.

You can reconnect without losing your workspace state.

If your phone or browser disconnects due to a weak or unstable network, your workspace continues running on your computer. Users regularly connect from airplanes, trains, or poor mobile connections where drops are common. When the connection is restored, you can reconnect and continue working with the same files and running processes.

Temporary network issues do not interrupt the work running on your computer.

Yes. You can switch to other apps and return without losing your place.

MobileVibe is designed for normal mobile multitasking. You can switch to other apps to look at files, check documentation, or test websites and then return to MobileVibe. If the operating system or browser suspends the connection while you are away, the connection is restored almost immediately when you reopen the app.

MobileVibe works naturally with mobile app switching and resumes quickly when you return.

Yes. MobileVibe is designed to tolerate unstable or intermittent connections.

MobileVibe keeps your workspace running on your development computer even if your network connection drops. Users regularly use MobileVibe from airplanes where connectivity can be intermittent. When the connection is restored, MobileVibe reconnects quickly without resetting your workspace or losing state.

Temporary or unstable connections do not interrupt the work running on your computer.

Yes. You can use MCP servers from your phone through MobileVibe.

MobileVibe connects you to a development environment running on your computer, where MCP servers can run normally. From your phone or browser, you can direct AI agents that use MCP servers such as Playwright to access websites or run browser-based tests, Unity or Blender MCPs to create games or 3D assets, or Firecrawl MCP to collect structured data from websites. The MCP servers run locally in your environment, and MobileVibe provides mobile access to control and interact with them.

MobileVibe lets you use MCP servers from a phone by connecting to the environment where they already run.

No. With MobileVibe, you do not need to own a Mac to build and ship iOS apps.

Many developers ask whether they can build iOS apps from Windows or even from a phone. With MobileVibe, you can trigger macOS-based builds using services such as GitHub Actions and automatically upload your app to TestFlight or the App Store. A MobileVibe agent can configure the required workflows, install tools, and manage the build process for you.

The MobileVibe iOS app itself was built this way, using MobileVibe from a phone. A detailed guide will be available on our blog soon.

You do not need to own a Mac to build and publish iOS apps when your builds run on macOS infrastructure through MobileVibe.

No. MobileVibe does not run your code in the cloud.

Cloud IDEs create a hosted copy of your development environment and run your code on remote servers. MobileVibe connects you to the environment already running on your development computer. Your files, tools, extensions, and configurations stay exactly where they are, and execution continues to happen locally.

MobileVibe provides remote access to a local environment, not a hosted development environment.

MobileVibe connects to your existing desktop environment, while VS Code Tunnels create a separate remote VS Code instance.

Visual Studio Code Tunnels spin up a new VS Code server instance that you connect to remotely. That instance is not the same as the VS Code session running on your desktop and may differ in extensions, configuration, running processes, and agent support. MobileVibe connects to the development environment already running on your computer, including the same files, tools, extensions, and AI agents you use at your desk. This means there is no second environment to configure or keep in sync.

Key differences:

• VS Code Tunnels create a separate VS Code instance; MobileVibe uses your existing one
• Extension and agent support can differ in tunnels; MobileVibe uses whatever already works locally
• MobileVibe preserves the exact state of your desktop environment

VS Code Tunnels provide remote access to a new editor instance, while MobileVibe gives mobile access to your actual desktop environment.

MobileVibe uses your local development environment and is designed for mobile use, while GitHub Codespaces runs your code in a cloud environment with limited mobile usability.

GitHub Codespaces creates a cloud-hosted development environment that runs on GitHub's infrastructure. While it can be accessed from a browser, it is primarily designed for desktop use and does not offer a mobile-optimized interface. MobileVibe connects you to the development environment already running on your own computer and provides a web and mobile interface designed for phones. This allows practical interaction from a mobile device without provisioning or maintaining a separate cloud environment.

Key differences:

• Codespaces runs code in the cloud; MobileVibe runs code on your computer
• Codespaces is desktop-oriented; MobileVibe is designed for mobile and web use
• MobileVibe preserves your local tools, extensions, and AI agents exactly as they run on your desktop

GitHub Codespaces is a hosted desktop-oriented environment, while MobileVibe is built for mobile access to a local one.

MobileVibe connects you to your local development environment, while cloud Codex workflows operate on repositories in hosted environments.

Some Codex-based workflows run entirely in the cloud and are designed to analyze repositories, open pull requests, or fix GitHub issues without connecting to a developer's local machine. These workflows operate on hosted copies of code and do not have access to your local tools, environment state, or running agents. MobileVibe, by contrast, connects you to the development environment already running on your computer, where Codex agents, extensions, and other tools operate directly on your real files and projects.

Key differences:

• Cloud Codex workflows operate on hosted repositories; MobileVibe operates on your local environment
• Cloud workflows are asynchronous and detached from your machine; MobileVibe provides live access
• MobileVibe works with Codex agents and extensions running locally, not instead of them

Cloud Codex workflows act on repositories in the cloud, while MobileVibe lets you use Codex locally from a mobile device.

The Desktop Connector currently requires Windows and Visual Studio Code.

The MobileVibe Desktop Connector runs on Windows and requires Visual Studio Code to host the development environment. The web interface works in modern browsers and has been tested on iOS browsers and desktop Chrome. The MobileVibe mobile app for iOS will be available imminently. MobileVibe also supports installation as a Progressive Web App on all platforms, though it is currently tested primarily on iOS and desktop Chrome.

Today, MobileVibe requires Windows and Visual Studio Code on the desktop, with browser and PWA access tested on iOS and desktop Chrome.

No. You can use MobileVibe directly from a browser or install the mobile app.

MobileVibe works through a web-based interface that runs in modern mobile and desktop browsers. You can also install the MobileVibe mobile app or web app for a more app-like experience, including push notifications and quick access. The same workspace is accessible regardless of how you connect.

MobileVibe works in a browser, with optional app installation for convenience.

MobileVibe is currently in early alpha.

MobileVibe is in early alpha with known bugs and an active roadmap of planned improvements. It is already being used for real work, but parts of the product are still evolving and may change as stability, performance, and capabilities improve. Users should expect occasional issues and ongoing updates as the system matures.

MobileVibe is usable today, but it is still in early alpha with known limitations and active development underway.