Take your local GitHub sessions anywhere - The GitHub Blog
Candy Ho & Ellie Bennett
May 18, 2026
| 3 minutes
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The best GitHub Copilot workflows don’t happen one–thing–at–a time. You might have an agent refactoring a module in VS Code, another debugging tests in the CLI, and a third scaffolding a new feature in the background.
Managing all of that used to only be possible from your desk. The moment you stepped away from your laptop, you lost visibility into every session you had running.
Now, developers can take their GitHub Copilot agent anywhere, with remote control for GitHub Copilot CLI sessions, now generally available on github.com and the GitHub Mobile app. We’re also introducing remote control in VS Code and JetBrains IDE, making GitHub Copilot truly multi-surface and available across any device.
How it works
Start a Copilot session in VS Code or the CLI, take it on the go with /remote on. Your session will be available on github.com and the GitHub Mobile app. Developers will experience one continuous workflow across CLI, VS Code, web, and mobile. Remote control works with any repository as well as directories without repositories, so you can take your work on the go, regardless of set up.
Monitor in real time
Open your session on any device to track progress as it happens. See exactly what Copilot is doing in real time, from the plans it’s researching, files it’s reading, the changes it’s making, to the commands it’s running.
Change course mid-flight
Send additional instructions to a running session from anywhere using natural language. If an agent is heading in the wrong direction, you can send a follow-up to redirect it. Or you can tell your agent to expand scope while a task is in progress. Approve or deny permission requests and manage your sessions on the go.
Complete the full workflow, from anywhere
Remote control enables a complete developer workflow once a session is sent to the web or GitHub Mobile app. For example, using Copilot CLI you could:
/planand scaffold with Copilot CLI.
/remote onto monitor progress in the GitHub Mobile app or web.
Steer the session with follow-up instructions.
Review the implementation plan and proposed changes.
Create and review a pull request, right from your phone.
Merge and move on.
/remote on brings everything together, removing the pain of switching surfaces.
Private by default
Your sessions are only visible to you. Remote control maintains full privacy; no one else can see or access your sessions.
Get started
Remote control is more than a convenience feature. It’s another step toward an end-to-end agentic platform.
Install GitHub Copilot CLI to get started in the CLI.
Or, if you’re already using the latest version of GitHub Copilot CLI or GitHub Copilot in VS Code, there’s nothing new to install. Start a session as you normally would, then use /remote on to send it to the web or mobile.
To learn more and for more detailed instructions, view our remote control documentation for CLI, VS Code, and JetBrains.
Download or update GitHub Mobile today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to get started.
Tags: agentic AI CLI GitHub Copilot GitHub Mobile VS Code
Written by Staff Product Manager
Staff Product Manager
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