Set up ShellSpeak

The free Mac gateway — one‑time, ~2 minutes

ShellSpeak on your iPhone controls Claude Code running on your own Mac. A small free helper — the ShellSpeak Gateway — runs on that Mac and bridges the two over your local Wi‑Fi. Your phone talks only to your Mac; nothing goes to any NYRAI or cloud server, and it uses your Claude — we never see your commands.

Get ShellSpeak Gateway (macOS) →

On nyrai.ai · universal (Apple Silicon & Intel) · signed & notarized by Apple · free.

▶ Prefer to watch? See the animated walkthrough — how it works and every step, for Wi‑Fi and from anywhere.

What you need first

1
A Mac and an iPhone with the ShellSpeak app.
2
Claude Code installed on that Mac and signed in. Get it here: Claude Code setup — then confirm claude --version works in Terminal. The gateway can’t do anything without it.
3
Both devices on the same Wi‑Fi to start. (Want to use it from anywhere — cellular, a coffee shop, on the road? See Connect from anywhere below.)

Set it up

1 · Install the gateway

Open the downloaded .dmg and drag ShellSpeak Gateway into Applications. The first time you open it, right‑click the app → Open (this confirms you trust an app downloaded outside the App Store — you only do it once).

2 · Start it

The window checks that Claude Code is installed (green dot = good). Click Start Gateway. A QR code appears. Leave this app running while you use ShellSpeak.

3 · Connect your phone

On your iPhone: open ShellSpeakConnectScan QR Code → point it at the code on your Mac. That’s it — start speaking.

If iOS asks for Local Network permission, allow it — the phone needs it to reach your Mac. (You can also turn it on later in iOS Settings → ShellSpeak → Local Network.)

Connect from anywhere — optional

On the same Wi‑Fi, ShellSpeak works out of the box. To reach your Mac from any network — cellular, another Wi‑Fi, anywhere — add Tailscale, a free, separate app that creates a private, encrypted link between your own devices. Your phone still talks only to your Mac (never the public internet), over the same certificate‑pinned connection. It’s entirely optional; the local Wi‑Fi setup above keeps working without it.

1 · Install Tailscale on both devices

Get it on this Mac (tailscale.com/download/mac) and on your iPhone (tailscale.com/download/ios), and sign in to both with the same account. The free personal plan is enough.

2 · Open the gateway’s “Anywhere” tab

In ShellSpeak Gateway, click Start Gateway, then switch the connection toggle from This Wi‑Fi to Anywhere. It checks that Tailscale is ready on both devices and shows a new QR code for the private link.

3 · Scan it once

Scan that QR in the ShellSpeak app just like before. From then on your phone can reach this Mac from any network — no need to be on the same Wi‑Fi.

Tailscale is a separate third‑party app and a trademark of Tailscale Inc. ShellSpeak works with it but is not affiliated with or endorsed by Tailscale.

Is this safe?

Yes. The connection is encrypted and the gateway pins your Mac’s own certificate, so only your phone (with the key from that QR) can connect. Every spoken command is screened against a safety denylist — destructive operations like rm -rf, disk formatting, or “delete everything” are blocked before they ever reach Claude Code, and deletions are sent to the Trash rather than permanently removed.

Trouble?

“Claude Code was not found”

Install it (setup guide) and confirm claude --version works in Terminal, then click Start again. Apps opened from the Finder don’t inherit your Terminal’s PATH; the gateway re‑reads your login shell to find claude, but a very custom setup (nvm/asdf) may still hide it — put claude on a standard path like /usr/local/bin.

“That network port is already in use”

Another program holds the port. Edit ~/.shellspeak/config.json, change "port" (e.g. to 3100), and click Start again.

My phone won’t connect

Make sure both devices are on the same Wi‑Fi, and on the phone that iOS Settings → ShellSpeak → Local Network is ON. Then re‑scan the QR code.

“Anywhere” says Tailscale isn’t detected

Make sure the Tailscale app is installed and signed in on both this Mac and your iPhone, using the same account. The gateway’s Anywhere tab updates on its own once both are connected — no need to re‑click. On the same Wi‑Fi, This Wi‑Fi works without any of this.

It stopped by itself

The gateway times out after a long idle period (a safety feature). Just click Start Gateway again.

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