The short answer
VibeTunnel is an MIT-licensed tool that turns your computer's terminal into a web page. You prefix a command with vt (vt claude, vt npm test), the session shows up on a dashboard at localhost:4020, and any browser can watch the output and type into it. For access from outside your network the project recommends Tailscale, and it also integrates with ngrok, Cloudflare Quick Tunnel and a few other tunnels.
BotBus differs mainly in what you look at. VibeTunnel gives you the terminal itself, so working out whether an agent is still running, waiting on you, or finished means reading scrollback on a small screen. BotBus turns agent sessions into a task list, a readable conversation, approval buttons and multiple-choice questions on your phone, and pings you only when it needs you. When you do want a shell, it has a real terminal too. If you want to open a terminal in any browser without installing anything, share a session with a colleague, record sessions for playback, or watch arbitrary command-line programs rather than agents, VibeTunnel is the better fit. If you mostly babysit Codex or Claude Code and want one-tap approvals, including from your wrist, read on.
Everything below about VibeTunnel comes from its GitHub repository (amantus-ai/vibetunnel): the README, the push notification doc in the repo, and the vibetunnel.sh homepage, checked on October 23, 2026.
What VibeTunnel is today
Architecture. The README describes three parts: a macOS menu bar app that manages the server, a Node.js server that owns the terminal sessions, and a web frontend that renders them. Sessions are started through vt, a wrapper around vibetunnel fwd that also resolves your shell aliases; vt --shell opens an interactive shell.
Remote access. Six options are documented: Tailscale (recommended, either private HTTPS inside your tailnet or public through Tailscale Funnel), ngrok, plain local network, Cloudflare Quick Tunnel, Pinggy and Pangolin. There is no hosted relay; you pick and run the path yourself.
Authentication. By default you log in with your computer's account password. Alternatives are a username and password from environment variables, Ed25519 keys from ~/.ssh/authorized_keys, or no auth for trusted setups. Transport security comes from whichever tunnel you choose; the README doesn't describe end-to-end encryption on top of that.
Platforms. The macOS app requires Apple Silicon and macOS 14 or later. Linux and headless Macs use the npm package, which needs Node.js 22.12 through 24.x. The README says Windows is not supported yet. On phones you use the responsive web UI; the repo has a native iOS app, but the README labels it work in progress and not recommended for production use, and the homepage doesn't mention a mobile app.
Features. Active/idle indicators per session, asciinema recordings of every session, Git Follow Mode (your main checkout follows the branch an agent switches to in a worktree), terminal title management and keyboard shortcuts to jump between sessions. Notifications come as native macOS notifications and web push, triggered by session start and end, commands that finish after more than 3 seconds, failed commands and the terminal bell. The notification doc suggests switching Claude Code to the terminal bell if its "your turn" alerts don't come through.
Price and status. Free and open source, with pay-what-you-want sponsorship through Polar. As of the check date every GitHub release is a beta prerelease; the latest is v1.0.0-beta.18 from July 11, 2026, and the last commit landed on August 5, 2026. That is a snapshot, not a verdict on the project's future, so check the repo for the current state.
When VibeTunnel is the better choice
These are real strengths that BotBus doesn't offer and doesn't plan to:
- Any browser, no install. A borrowed laptop, a tablet, a locked-down work machine: if it has a browser, it works. BotBus needs its app on your phone.
- Any program, not just agents. Builds, test runs, logs, any TUI. BotBus's task view only covers the agents it supports; anything else goes in its terminal.
- Sharing and recording. You can hand a colleague a public link to a session, and every session is recorded for asciinema playback. BotBus has neither.
- Self-hosted and open source. The connection runs over your own Tailscale or tunnel, and you can audit and change the code. BotBus always goes through our relay, and its apps are closed source; only the protocol, connectors and test fixtures are public.
- Older macOS. VibeTunnel runs on macOS 14. The BotBus Mac app needs macOS 26 or later.
- Git Follow Mode. Keeping your IDE on the main checkout while it tracks an agent's worktree branch is a workflow BotBus doesn't have.
If any of these is a hard requirement, stay with VibeTunnel.
How BotBus is different
Tasks and conversations, not scrollback
The pain of a terminal in a phone browser usually isn't connecting. It's reading. BotBus doesn't parse terminal output; it reads each agent's own session data and events. Your phone shows tasks grouped by computer and project, each with a state (running, waiting for approval, waiting for a reply, done, failed) and a cleaned-up conversation.
When an agent wants to run a command or edit a file, an approval card tells you what it wants to do, and you tap Approve or Deny. Multiple-choice questions are answered with a tap. You can also send a follow-up, interrupt the current turn, or start a new task from the phone. Whether each action is available depends on the agent's connector, the task's state, and whether the computer is online. More on approvals in approve Claude Code from your phone.
No wrapper command
VibeTunnel only sees sessions started through vt. BotBus doesn't ask you to change how you launch agents. Codex sessions are read (read-only) from ~/.codex; for Claude Code you install hooks once from BotBus settings, and sessions you start in a terminal, an IDE or the Claude desktop app appear on your phone. Hermes, Pi, OpenClaw and DeepSeek Harness are supported out of the box, and agents that speak ACP, such as OpenCode, can be connected too; see connecting an agent.
Push only when it needs you
VibeTunnel alerts on terminal events, so every finished command, failure or bell can buzz your phone. BotBus pushes only when an agent waits for approval, waits for a reply, finishes or fails. Apple's push service receives a fixed phrase plus ciphertext; the iPhone decrypts it locally and shows the real content. Delivery still depends on your notification permissions. See push notifications for coding agents.
A terminal when you need one
For anything the task view doesn't cover, open "Operate computer" from the chat screen to browse, edit and upload files, or open a terminal: your login shell on Mac and Linux, PowerShell on Windows. Terminal sessions live on the computer and survive the phone disconnecting or leaving the page; up to 8 run at once, and ones nobody has attached to for 24 hours are cleaned up. Input is locked by default to prevent stray taps, you unlock it on the phone, and it relocks after 10 idle minutes. The Mac version can also show the live screen and take taps and typing, which helps when an agent is stuck behind a system permission dialog or a simulator.
No open ports, no tunnels
The BotBus desktop app dials out to our relay on Cloudflare, and so does your phone. Nothing listens for inbound connections on your computer, you don't need Tailscale, and there's no public URL pointing at your shell. Pairing is a QR code scan; the group key travels through that code and never touches the server. Tasks, conversations, commands and screenshots are encrypted on your devices before they leave. The server can see device IDs, online status, update times and data sizes, and dev previews (sharing a local web page to your phone) are outside end-to-end encryption. Details in security.
Watch, multiple computers, more platforms
The Apple Watch app shows tasks, handles approvals and questions, and takes dictated follow-ups; see Apple Watch for AI coding agents. One phone can pair with several computers, any mix of Mac, Linux and Windows. Phone apps exist for iPhone (App Store) and Android.
Side by side
| VibeTunnel (checked 2026-10-23) | BotBus | |
|---|---|---|
| What you see on the phone | A terminal in the browser | Task list, conversation, approval cards; plus a terminal |
| Where sessions come from | Commands started with vt |
Agent sessions you already run, discovered automatically; or new ones from the phone |
| Remote path | Tailscale, ngrok, LAN, Cloudflare Quick Tunnel, Pinggy, Pangolin | Both ends connect to the hosted relay; no inbound ports |
| Encryption | Depends on your tunnel; account, SSH key or env auth | Content end-to-end encrypted; dev previews excluded |
| Notifications | macOS and web push on session and command events | Approval, reply needed, done, failed; encrypted payload |
| Desktop | macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon; Linux via npm; no Windows | macOS 26+, Linux (x86_64 / aarch64), Windows |
| Phone and watch | Browser; iOS app marked work in progress | iPhone, Apple Watch, Android |
| Sharing and recording | Public session links, asciinema | No |
| License and price | MIT, free, sponsorship; beta | Closed-source apps; public protocol and connectors |
Using both, or switching
They coexist. VibeTunnel only forwards the terminal, so vt claude or vt codex is still a normal Claude Code or Codex session and BotBus should see it (Claude Code needs the BotBus hooks installed). We haven't specifically tested this combination, so treat it as something to verify. Answer each approval or question in one place only: if you pressed a key in the browser terminal, don't also tap the card on your phone.
To switch:
- Install the desktop app from downloads, install BotBus on your phone, and scan the pairing code.
- Install the Claude Code hooks from BotBus settings; Codex needs nothing extra.
- Launch
claudeandcodexdirectly; novtprefix needed. - If you no longer need VibeTunnel, quit it and close any Tailscale Funnel or ngrok URL you opened just for it.
Limits
- Supported agents only. The task view covers BotBus's supported agents; other programs only in the terminal.
- Actions depend on the connector and the task. Some tasks are view-only; approving, replying, starting and interrupting all need the computer online and an agent that supports the action. Pi, for example, has no approvals.
- The computer must be awake and online, same as VibeTunnel. See keep your Mac awake for AI agents.
- Relay and app required. No self-hosting, no direct connection, no opening it in a random browser.
- Screen control is Mac-only. On Linux and Windows "Operate computer" offers files and a terminal, and there are no dev previews.
- Closed source, no sharing or recording.
FAQ
Does VibeTunnel have a mobile app?
As of October 23, 2026, it relies mainly on a responsive web UI. The repo contains a native iOS app, but the README says it's work in progress and not recommended for production, and the homepage doesn't mention one.
Is VibeTunnel or BotBus more secure?
Different threat models. VibeTunnel has no third-party relay; your security depends on the tunnel and auth you choose. Inside a tailnet the tunnel is encrypted; with Funnel you have a public URL guarded by the login. BotBus uses a relay, but content is end-to-end encrypted and the server only sees metadata, with dev previews as the exception.
How is this different from SSH and tmux?
VibeTunnel and SSH plus tmux both put a terminal on your phone; VibeTunnel swaps the SSH client for a browser. BotBus swaps the interface itself and reads the agent's session instead of its terminal. The SSH route and its trade-offs are covered in Claude Code Remote Control alternatives.
What other alternatives are covered?
This series also covers Happy Coder, CC Pocket and Paseo, one product per post.