Everything, in order.
Install the server, pair your phone, and understand exactly what is encrypted and what is not. Every command and every failure mode is on this page.
Three steps. Zero config.
No port forwarding. No VPN. No firewall rules. Just install, scan, and connect.
Install the server
One command. Auto-detects platform and installs everything.
macOS
Open Termcast from your Applications folder.
Linux / WSL
Download app, scan QR
Download Termcast on your iPhone, then scan the QR code to pair.
Download on the App Store →You're connected
Full terminal on your iPhone. E2E encrypted. Auto-reconnects. Remembers your pairing.
Set it up in three minutes.
One command on your computer, one app on your phone, one QR scan. Nothing to configure.
Install Termcast on your computer
Pick your platform. Everything it needs — including Node — is installed for you, no sudo required.
This installs the Termcast menu-bar app. Open it from your Applications folder — the terminal server starts with it.
Then run termcast start in a terminal.
x64 and arm64 both work. If the termcast command isn't found, open a
new terminal (or run source ~/.bashrc) so your PATH picks it up.
Windows runs Termcast through WSL. If you don't have it yet, run
wsl --install in PowerShell once, then reboot.
Get the app on your iPhone
Free to download. It's the same app whether you're on the free tier or Pro.
Scan the QR code to pair
Your computer shows a QR code as soon as the server is running — in the menu-bar
app, or printed in the terminal by termcast
start. In the iPhone app, tap the QR scanner icon in the top-right corner and
point the camera at it.
That single scan exchanges the encryption keys. The pairing is remembered, so you only ever do this once per machine.
The QR also prints as text in the terminal, and it's served at http://localhost:8080 while the server runs — handy from WSL, where you can open that address in your Windows browser.
"termcast: command not found"
The installer adds ~/.termcast/bin to your PATH, but your current shell was already open. Open a
new terminal, or run source ~/.zshrc (or ~/.bashrc).
The app says it can't reach my computer
Check the server is up with termcast status, and start it again with
termcast start if not. Termcast dials out to the relay, so no port forwarding or firewall rule is
needed — only outbound HTTPS.
The QR code won't scan
Open http://localhost:8080 on the computer and scan the QR from the screen — it's much crisper
than the terminal version. Run termcast qr for a fresh one if it has expired.
I want to remove it
Run termcast stop, then rm -rf ~/.termcast and delete the PATH line the installer
added to your shell rc file. On macOS Homebrew: brew uninstall termcast.
Zero-knowledge relay.
Your terminal data is encrypted before it leaves your device. The relay routes messages but can never decrypt them. Not even we can see what you type.
Every release is independently scanned.
6 automated security checks run on every build before distribution. All results are public and verifiable.
All checks passingOne tool for every machine.
Agent-only remotes control a single AI. VPNs still need an SSH client and network setup. Termcast gives you a real terminal on any machine you own — and links them into a mesh — from one QR scan.
| Termcast | Agent-only remotes | VPN + SSH client | SSH terminal apps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A real terminal for any tool not just one AI agent's chat |
✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reach any machine you own | ✓ | one agent | ✓ | ✓ |
| No VPN, ports, or firewall rules | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Pair by scanning one QR | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| End-to-end encrypted relay | ✓ | varies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Machine-to-machine mesh jump box → any box, no bastion |
✓ | ✕ | network only | ✕ |
| Babysit your AI coding agents | ✓ | that vendor | via SSH | via SSH |
Comparison reflects typical out-of-the-box setups; other tools are capable and evolving. Termcast's edge is being a full terminal for any machine, meshed together, with nothing to configure.
Made for the moments you're away from your desk.
Termcast isn't for writing a whole app on a phone. It's for the five minutes when a machine needs you and your laptop isn't there. Here's where it shines — and why it fits.
Babysitting your AI coding agents
You set Claude Code or Codex loose on a big refactor and stepped out — now it's stuck on a yes/no question and the whole run is idling until you answer.
Perfect fit Because Termcast is a real terminal, you see the agent's actual screen — approve, redirect, or Ctrl-C right from your phone. It works with any agent, not just one vendor's.
On-call & incident response
A service falls over at dinner. Prod is throwing 500s, the pager is buzzing, and your laptop is at home.
Perfect fit Reach any box — even a jump host — with one QR and no VPN. Restart the service, tail the logs, and confirm recovery before your food gets cold.
Long-running jobs you can't sit and watch
A model is training, a build is churning, a migration is running for hours — and you need to know the moment it finishes or breaks.
Perfect fit Kick it off, leave, and watch from anywhere. Pinch-to-zoom logs, auto-reconnect after your tunnel drops, and step in the instant it asks for input.
Homelab & self-hosting, without exposing it
Your NAS, your Pi, and the home server all need the occasional poke — but you refuse to punch holes in your router to the open internet.
Perfect fit The server mesh links every box behind your router. No port forwarding, nothing exposed — hop between them from the couch or the office.
The developer with machines everywhere
A laptop, a cloud VPS, a beefy workstation at home — and you're never sitting at the right one when you need it.
Perfect fit Introduce them once with your phone, then jump from any machine into any other's terminal in the browser. After setup, your phone can stay in your pocket.