Does ServerCC need a relay server or a CLI wrapper on my computer?

No. ServerCC opens an SSH connection from the phone to the server and runs the agent inside a terminal there. Nothing is installed on the host beyond the agents themselves and, optionally, tmux or herdr. No traffic passes through a third-party server. Happy Coder runs a `happy` CLI on the computer that wraps the agent and syncs the session through an end-to-end encrypted relay, which can be Happy's hosted server or one you self-host.

Which coding agents does each app support?

ServerCC launches and resumes seven agents: Claude Code, Codex, Grok Build, OpenCode, Kimi Code, Pi and OMP, and any other CLI runs in the same terminal. Happy Coder wraps Claude Code and Codex through its own CLI.

Do sessions keep running after I close the app?

In both. ServerCC runs each agent in a tmux or herdr session on the server, so closing the app or losing signal does not stop it, and the same session can be reattached from another phone or from the desk. Happy keeps the agent alive inside its wrapper process on the computer and syncs the conversation back when the phone reconnects.

ServerCC vs Happy Coder

Happy Coder is an open-source (MIT) mobile and web client for Claude Code and Codex. You run happy instead of claude on your computer; the CLI wraps the agent, encrypts the session end to end, and syncs it through a relay server to a chat-style app on your phone. The relay is hosted by Happy or self-hosted. It is free.

ServerCC takes the other route. The phone opens an SSH connection to your server and runs the agent in a real terminal there, inside tmux or herdr. Nothing is installed on the host except the agents. No relay, no wrapper, no account. This page lists what that difference changes in daily use.

How the phone reaches the agent

Happy: phone → Happy relay (encrypted) → happy wrapper on the computer → agent. The relay lets the phone reach a laptop behind any NAT without network setup, and the same encrypted stream feeds the web and macOS clients.

ServerCC: phone → SSH → your server → agent in tmux/herdr. For machines without a public address, ServerCC embeds Tailscale inside the app, so a tailnet host is reachable without turning on a system VPN. Your code and session never pass through anyone else's server.

Side by side

	ServerCC	Happy Coder
Connection	SSH direct to the server; nothing installed on the host	`happy` CLI wrapper on the computer + encrypted relay (hosted or self-hosted)
Private networks	Tailscale built into the app, no system VPN	Relay reaches any machine, no network setup
Agents	Claude Code, Codex, Grok Build, OpenCode, Kimi Code, Pi, OMP; any other CLI in the same terminal	Claude Code, Codex
Interface	Full terminal with a native text field: compose and edit the prompt in an iOS text view, send as one line; full-height editor for long prompts	Chat-style view that renders tool calls and file edits; no shell
Parallel sessions	Any number per workspace or worktree; Running tab lists them; Background Run (Pro) switches without stopping any	Session list across paired machines
Survives app close	tmux/herdr on the server; reattach from any device	Wrapper process on the computer; phone resyncs on reconnect
Take over a session started at the desk	Attach to any existing tmux or herdr session on the host	Only sessions started through `happy`
App in the background on iOS	Location mode keeps the SSH connection alive while the app is in the background	Not needed; the relay holds the session
Preview the result	Ports: HTTP preview through the SSH tunnel; VNC remote desktop	—
Files and git	SFTP file browser with markdown and image preview; git diff view; git worktree create/switch	File edits and diffs shown inside the conversation
Skills and MCP	Browse, install and toggle Claude Code skills and MCP servers from the app	Through the agent's own config
Notifications	Completion notifications for bg sessions	Push when the agent needs permission or idles
Voice	iOS dictation in the native text field	Built-in voice via a hosted provider
Offline	Needs the SSH connection	Queues messages and shows diffs offline
Terminal themes	Eight built-in themes, switchable per session	—
Sync and backup	iCloud backup of servers and workspaces; optional credential sync via iCloud Keychain	Session sync across devices through the relay
Platforms	iPhone, iPad, Android	iOS, Android, web, macOS
Price and source	Free tier; Pro as a one-time purchase or subscription; closed source	Free; MIT

Choose ServerCC if…

Your agents run on a server or a tailnet machine and you do not want a relay between the phone and the code
You want a real shell next to the agent: tail a log, restart a service, run tests by hand, then go back to the session
You use Grok Build, OpenCode, Kimi Code, Pi or OMP alongside Claude Code and Codex
You run several agents in parallel across worktrees and want to attach to sessions you started at the desk
You want to open the dev server or the desktop of the machine from the same app (Ports, VNC)

Stay with Happy if…

The agent runs on a laptop that is not reachable over SSH and you do not want to set up Tailscale
You prefer a chat view with rendered tool calls over a terminal, and want permission prompts as push notifications
You need the web or macOS client, offline message queueing, or an MIT-licensed codebase you can change

Setup takes about five minutes: Quick Start. Claude Code on iPhone covers the full workflow, and Tailscale explains reaching machines without a public address. No server yet? The app can claim a free sandbox with the agents preinstalled.