Keep working from anywhere

Your agents keep running on your computer while you're out. Check in, answer them, and start new work from a browser or the bb mobile app.

Download for macOS
Hand this to your agent
Ask me about each of these, one at a time, with a suggested default:
- Phone (iPhone or Android)
- Notifications (yes or no)
- Keep this computer awake (yes or no)
Skip any I've answered. Then sum up the plan in three bullets and wait for my go. My answers override the steps below.
If a wait times out, wait again, up to three times.

Get this bb ready for me to use from my phone.
Guide: https://getbb.app/guides/work-from-anywhere

Do these steps in order and run each check. If a check fails, stop and tell me what you saw. Don't change any other settings.

1. Check the account: run `bb account status`.
   Check: it shows a signed-in getbb.app account. If not, run `bb account login`, send me the link and code it prints, and ask me to approve it and claim a handle, then tell you "done". Then run `bb account status` again.

2. Check remote access: run `bb connect status`.
   Check: it shows connected and an https://<handle>.getbb.app address. If remote access is off, run `bb connect on` and check again.

3. Only if "Keep this computer awake" is yes: run `bb keep-awake enable`, then `bb keep-awake status`.
   Check: it shows Keep Awake enabled. If the command isn't found, run `bb plugin enable keep-awake` and try again.

4. Set up the phone app: tell me to open Settings → Mobile in bb on this computer, install the app for my phone (TestFlight for iPhone, the Android download for Android), choose Add mobile device, and scan the code in the app. If Notifications is yes, tell me to allow them when the app asks. Wait until I say "done", then run `bb push-notifications list`.
   Check: my phone shows up in the list.

Reply with my getbb.app address (I can also open it in any browser), whether my phone is connected, and whether Keep Awake is on. Remind me that closing a laptop's lid still puts it to sleep.

Steps

  1. 1Turn on bb connect
  2. 2Keep your computer awake
  3. 3Get the bb app on your phone
  4. 4Get notified
1

Turn on bb connect

Your bb gets a private getbb.app address you can open from any device.

  1. Open Settings → bb connect and choose Sign in to your bb account.
  2. Approve the sign-in on getbb.app and claim a handle.
  3. Check that your address shows. If it says Remote access is off, choose Turn on.
  4. You can open that address in any browser and use bb from anywhere.
2

Keep your computer awake

Your agents keep working while you're away from the desk.

  1. Open Settings, and under Plugins, choose Keep Awake.
  2. Turn on Prevent idle sleep. Keep All hosts, or choose Specific hosts for the computers that run your agents.

Closing a laptop's lid still puts it to sleep. For agents that never stop, run bb on a desktop or mini PC that stays on.

3

Get the bb app on your phone

Pick up any thread where you left it, answer your agents, or start new work.

  1. Open Settings → Mobile, and choose Join iOS TestFlight or Download Android APK on your phone.
  2. On the same page, choose Add mobile device. It appears once bb connect is on.
  3. In the app, choose Connect with bb connect and scan the code.
4

Get notified

Know when an agent finishes or needs you, even with the app closed.

  1. When the app asks, allow notifications.
  2. Choose what reaches you in Settings → Push notifications.

Troubleshooting

My phone says disconnected while my computer is on
  1. Wait a moment. bb reconnects on its own while the server runs.
  2. Check that the server's computer hasn't gone to sleep, and that Prevent idle sleep is on for it.
  3. On that computer, open Settings → bb connect. If it says Remote access is off, choose Turn on.
My agents stopped while my computer slept
  1. Once the computer is back, open the thread and send a message to pick up where it left off.
  2. To keep it awake, open Settings, choose Keep Awake under Plugins, and turn on Prevent idle sleep. It works on macOS and Windows.
  3. Closing a laptop's lid still puts it to sleep. For agents that run all day, run bb on a computer that stays on.
I don't see Add mobile device
  1. Open Settings → bb connect and sign in to your bb account.
  2. If it says Remote access is off, choose Turn on, and wait for your address to show.
  3. Go back to Settings → Mobile.
A machine shows as disconnected
  1. Check that its computer is on, awake, and online.
  2. In Settings → Machines, open its menu and choose Reconnect.
  3. Run the command it shows on that machine. Its threads and worktrees are kept.
A machine is stuck updating
  1. Machines update themselves to match the server's version.
  2. If an update failed, open its menu in Settings → Machines and choose Retry update.
  3. If it still fails, check the logs from the next question on that machine.
I need bb's logs
  1. In the desktop app, choose View → Server & Daemon Logs.
  2. Otherwise, open logs/server-stdio.log and logs/host-daemon-stdio.log in bb's data folder, ~/.bb.
  3. On a machine you added, look in ~/.bb-machines/<server> instead.

FAQ

Do I need to install anything on my phone?

The bb app for iPhone or Android, from Settings → Mobile. You can also open your getbb.app address in any browser.

How do my devices connect?
  • The server runs on one computer, usually the first one you set bb up on. It keeps your threads, settings, and history. While it's asleep or off, nothing can reach bb.
  • Machines are the computers that run agents. Each one connects to the server. The server's own computer is a machine too.
  • Apps, like the desktop app, the mobile app, and your getbb.app address, all open the same server. Your agents run on machines, not in the app you're looking at.
Which of my computers is the server?

Open Settings → Machines. The server's computer has a server badge.

I set up bb on two computers. Why don't they share threads?

Each setup runs its own server. To use one bb everywhere, keep the server on the computer that stays on, and add the other one from Settings → Machines. New threads can then run on either computer.

Does quitting the desktop app stop my agents?

On the server's computer, yes. Agents, automations, and remote access stop until you open it again. On a Mac, closing the window keeps bb running.

Do my terminal sessions show up?

No. bb runs your signed-in agents, like Claude Code and Codex, but it doesn't attach to sessions already open in a terminal. Start the work in bb.

Who can open my getbb.app links?

Only you, signed in to your getbb.app account, and devices you've paired. They aren't public, so webhooks and other services can't call them. To shut off access, open Settings → bb connect and choose Turn off, or choose Disconnect on that bb in your getbb.app dashboard.

Does bb store my traffic?

No. bb connect doesn't store what you send or receive. Like a CDN, it caches public files that are marked cacheable, including ones from shared dev servers, and it logs a request's path when something errors.

Does it cost anything? Can I keep my plan?

bb is free and open source, and bb connect is free. bb runs your agents on the subscriptions or API keys you already have. Machines you add cost what they do now.

Take your agents with you

Free and open source. Your agents keep running on your computer.

Download for macOSApple Silicon · Also for Linux (Alpha)bb runs on macOS, Windows, and LinuxWindows (Alpha), Intel Macs & remote machines