Guide

Use Claude on your phone with the files on your computer

You are on the sofa, the laptop is in the other room. Here is how to ask Claude on your phone to find, sort or send a file that lives on the computer. No technical steps, about five minutes once.

What you need

  • A Mac or Windows computer with Claude Desktop and Desktop Steward installed. The computer must be on and Claude Desktop open while you use it from the phone.
  • The Claude app on your phone (iPhone or Android), or Claude in a browser, or ChatGPT.
Remote access goes through the Desktop Steward relay, which only passes messages back and forth and stores nothing. It is part of Desktop Steward Pro ($10 a month, first 7 days free). The first 7 days are free on every computer.

Step 1 — on the computer: turn remote access on

  1. Open Claude Desktop and start a new chat.
  2. Type: “Turn on remote access” (or “enable remote access”).
  3. Claude answers with two things: an address that looks like https://relay.desktopsteward.com/mcp, and a one-time code of 8 digits, for example 4821 0375. The code works for 10 minutes and for one app.

Turn on remote access

Remote access is on. Connector address: https://relay.desktopsteward.com/mcp
One-time code: 4821 0375 (valid 10 minutes, one use). …

Keep this chat open; you will type the code on the phone in a moment.

Step 2 — on the phone: add the connector

Claude app (iPhone or Android)

  1. Tap your profile picture or the menu, then Settings.
  2. Tap Connectors, then Add custom connector.
  3. In the address field, type exactly https://relay.desktopsteward.com/mcp. Name it “My computer”. Leave the authentication fields empty. Tap Add.
  4. The phone opens a sign-in page titled “Connect Claude to your computer”. Type the 8 digits from Step 1 and tap Connect.
  5. You are back in the Claude app. The connector shows as connected.

Claude in a browser (claude.ai): the same path, Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector.

ChatGPT (Plus, Pro or Business): Settings → Connectors → Create. Paste the same address as the MCP server, choose OAuth as authentication, save. When ChatGPT opens the sign-in page, type the code. If you do not see “Create”, turn on Developer mode in Settings → Connectors → Advanced.

Step 3 — ask

What is in my Downloads folder?

Claude on the phone lists the folder from the computer.

Find the invoice from March and read me the total.

Claude searches the computer, opens the PDF and answers.

Everything works the same as on the computer: the same folders, the same rules, undo for every change.

When Claude needs your OK

Deleting, replacing or moving many files opens the confirmation window on the computer, not on the phone. If you are away from the computer, the phone waits up to a minute and then says the computer did not answer. That is on purpose: a lost phone cannot delete anything on your computer.

If something does not work

  • “The computer is offline” — the computer is asleep or Claude Desktop is closed. Wake it up, open Claude Desktop, try again.
  • “That code did not work” — codes expire after 10 minutes and work once. On the computer say “show remote access code” for a new one.
  • The sign-in page never appears — check that the address was typed exactly, with /mcp at the end.
  • Another phone or ChatGPT too — each app needs its own code: “show remote access code”.

Turning it off

On the computer say “Turn off remote access”. Every app that was connected is signed out at once. Say “turn on remote access” to start again; connected apps will need a new code.

Start on the computer

Install Desktop Steward, say “turn on remote access”, and your phone can reach your files.

Download for Mac or Windows