Supervise a coding agent from your phone

You started a code change on your computer and need to leave your desk. The goal is not to read an entire repository on a small screen. You need progress, a way to resolve decisions and evidence before publishing. Pacerelle can provide a remote conversation with the coding assistant doing the work.

Connect the assistant already working

If your coding environment supports MCP, add the Pacerelle server and keep a listening session active. The assistant retains that environment's tools, Git account and permissions. Pacerelle does not automatically create commits or pull requests.

Before leaving, ask for the current branch, already-modified files and planned test command. This establishes context without changing anything. A stopped host session or pending local approval remains a blocker even when you can message from mobile.

Define a verifiable change

Use observable behavior: “Prevent the contact form from submitting an invalid email, show the error beside the field and confirm that a valid address still works.” Include the allowed scope, existing work to preserve and actions that require your decision.

Before editing, the assistant should inspect Git state and isolate the change where needed. It must not clean the repository by discarding your work. A branch separates history; a worktree can also separate files when several tasks are active.

Request a mobile-friendly report

• The behavior before and after the correction.
• Affected files and a link to the diff or existing pull request.
• Checks actually run, their outcomes and coverage limits.
• Remaining blockers and decisions.
• The proposed next action: continue, open a PR, publish or wait for review.

A failing test command must remain a failure in the report. An interrupted command is not a passing check. For interfaces, request an actual user-flow and mobile-layout check as well; unit tests do not establish that a button is reachable on screen.

Separate implementation from publication

Permission to edit does not always include merging or deploying. Define that boundary in the initial task. When a decision is needed, tie it to a specific commit or diff and destination environment.

If the assistant changes the implementation after approval, the publication candidate has changed. Reassess it rather than reusing an old confirmation. Pacerelle permissions show how to bind a grant to an operation; an MCP host also retains its own controls.

Resume without losing work

Save a checkpoint containing the branch, latest commit, uncommitted changes, checks and next step. On resumption, compare it with the live repository because another developer may have changed the branch.

Rehearse on a small correction: inspect state, edit, encounter and fix a failing test, review the diff and stop before publishing. Success means the mobile report matches the actual files and results. If you add a second reviewer agent, apply the same evidence standard described in the collaboration guide.