Connect an MCP assistant to your phone

You already use an assistant on your computer and want to give it a task from your phone. The Pacerelle MCP server adds an inbox to that assistant. The host retains its tools and permission rules while Pacerelle carries encrypted requests and replies.

When this connection fits

Choose it when your host supports MCP and you can leave an assistant session running. It avoids writing a custom Python agent for an initial trial. It does not turn every local MCP tool into a remotely callable service: the assistant still has to receive the request, use its tools and reply.

For an unattended permanent service, use a supervised SDK agent. Installing an MCP server does not wake a stopped assistant, and host session limits still apply.

Add the inbox to your host

Create an agent in Pacerelle and copy its ID and token. With Node.js 20 or later, add this entry to a host that accepts mcpServers JSON. Replace both values and keep the file out of public repositories.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pacerelle": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pacerelle/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "PACERELLE_AGENT_ID": "YOUR_AGENT_ID",
        "PACERELLE_AGENT_TOKEN": "YOUR_AGENT_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

The host setup guide also covers Claude Code and Codex configuration formats. Restart the host, verify that its Pacerelle tools are available and open a working conversation. Successfully loading a configuration does not yet prove that the assistant is listening.

Start and verify the listening session

Select start_pacerelle if the host exposes that prompt. Otherwise ask the assistant to read get_status and get_checkpoints, then call wait_for_messages without a cursor. It should reply to each request using its sourceMessageId, call mark_processed after handling it and continue listening while the session permits.

From your phone, ask: “Reply with your working directory and say whether you can read it or also modify it.” Verify the answer before leaving the computer. The computer, host and assistant session must remain running.

Give it a useful first task

Try: “Explain the latest three changes in this project without modifying files.” This produces a result you can check before enabling writes. Text inside a webpage or repository file is task data; it is not your authorization to send messages or change the project.

If the host requires approval on the computer, mobile messaging cannot bypass that gate. Configure appropriate host permissions, and connect any Pacerelle confirmation widgets to an actual execution policy.

Recover after interruption

A checkpoint stores the summary and next action explicitly saved by the assistant. It does not automatically preserve the entire session. Save progress before stopping, then inspect checkpoints and pending requests before repeating work.

• No reply: distinguish a disconnected server, an inactive assistant and a pending host approval.
• Uncertain delivery: check the conversation before repeating an important operation.
• Moving hosts: stop the old server before reusing the same agent state.
• Continuous operation: review the production guide.

The MCP reference documents the tools and their states. For multiple local sources, continue with the tool hub guide.