[BUG] Remote Control sessions require PC-side input to reconnect after restart; phone-side reconnection fails
Preflight Checklist
- [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
- [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
- [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code
What's Wrong?
Remote Control sessions fail to reconnect properly after a Windows PC restart. While one session reconnects successfully on the phone, other sessions remain stuck in "Disconnected" status. These disconnected sessions only reconnect after manually sending input from the PC CLI, not from the phone.
This contradicts the August 21 announcement ("Dropped connections now recover on their own...it'll automatically reconnect") and defeats the core purpose of Remote Control for mobile access.
Environment
OS: Windows
Claude Code: 1.44121.1.0
Session type: remote-control (running as Windows services)
Device: iPhone + Windows PC
Plan: MAX
Expected Behavior
After a Windows PC restart:
All active Remote Control sessions should show as "Connected" on the iPhone
Phone should be able to reconnect to any disconnected session without PC-side intervention
Sessions should reconnect automatically within seconds, not require manual input from the CLI
Actual Behavior
After PC restart, some sessions show "Disconnected" on iPhone
Tapping the disconnected session on the phone does not reconnect it
Session only reconnects after going to the PC and sending input via the CLI (e.g., /status or other command)
Only then does the session become "Connected" on the phone
Steps to Reproduce
Set up 2+ Remote Control sessions running as Windows services
Connect to them via Claude mobile app (both should show "Connected")
Restart the Windows PC
Check iPhone app immediately after restart
Observe: one session shows "Connected", one or more show "Disconnected"
Attempt to reconnect from iPhone — session remains "Disconnected"
Go to PC, send input to the CLI on the disconnected session
Check iPhone — session now shows "Connected"
Why This Matters
Remote Control's core value proposition is enabling mobile access to machine sessions without requiring desktop presence. If sessions require PC-side input to reconnect after a restart, it breaks the entire workflow — especially for users with unattended machines or automation agents.
Additional Context
Sessions are running as Windows services for persistence
One session consistently reconnects; others consistently do not
This appears to be a regression from the August 21 reliability improvements
Feel free to add your Claude Code version, plan level, and any error logs from the Claude app or Windows event logs if you have them. If you can add a screenshot of the "Disconnected" status on your iPhone, that helps too.
What Should Happen?
Expected Behavior
After a Windows PC restart:
All active Remote Control sessions should show as "Connected" on the iPhone
Phone should be able to reconnect to any disconnected session without PC-side intervention
Sessions should reconnect automatically within seconds, not require manual input from the Claude session
Error Messages/Logs
Steps to Reproduce
Steps to Reproduce
Set up 2+ Remote Control sessions running as Windows services
Connect to them via Claude mobile app (both should show "Connected")
Restart the Windows PC
Check iPhone app immediately after restart
Observe: one session shows "Connected", one or more show "Disconnected"
Attempt to reconnect from iPhone — session remains "Disconnected"
Go to PC, send input to the CLI on the disconnected session
Check iPhone — session now shows "Connected"
Why This Matters
Remote Control's core value proposition is enabling mobile access to machine sessions without requiring desktop presence. If sessions require PC-side input to reconnect after a restart, it breaks the entire workflow — especially for users with unattended machines or automation agents.
Claude Model
_No response_
Is this a regression?
No, this never worked
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
1.44121.1.0
Platform
Other
Operating System
Windows
Terminal/Shell
Other
Additional Information
_No response_
Showing cached comments. Read the full discussion on GitHub ↗
3 Comments
The 'requires PC-side input' finding is right: only a message through the app's own send path re-arms Remote Control (socket-injected turns and deep-link warms don't). But that path can be driven without a human: a launchd job wakes a dedicated relay desktop session after the relaunch and it messages each restored session via
send_message. Verified twice today on macOS 1.52386.x. Write-up: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/91915#issuecomment-5642590073 — code: https://gist.github.com/BuckG71/d83659fa9b85443de16d7ed259795799Also experiencing this on Windows 11, Claude Code Desktop v1.52386.6.0. New sessions connect to Remote Control fine, but an older/pre-existing session stays stuck "Disconnected" on mobile — even after fully quitting and relaunching the desktop app.
Also seeing this with brand new sessions, not just pre-existing ones — a new session started on the same Windows PC also never appears/connects on mobile. So it might not be isolated to reconnecting old sessions specifically.
Update: also tried a full uninstall + reinstall of the Claude Code desktop app — no change, still doesn't sync with any device (new or old sessions).