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This article is a repost from I Started Using Claude Code.
I released an iPhone app called Approval Box on the App Store. It's an app that lets you receive consultations coming from AI running on your PC on your phone, and answer them on the spot.
When you work with AI, you end up opening a lot of sessions. I also use multiple tools (harnesses) to run AI. As development goes on—and not just development, but any kind of work—the AI in each session starts asking questions. The questions get scattered all over the place, and answering them becomes a chore.
I often step away from my computer. If the AI asks a question while I'm away, that session stops and waits for an answer. Before I know it, the work has ground to a halt.
Approval Box was made to solve that.
When AI needs a human decision or approval, it submits a request to Approval Box. Requests gather in the phone app, and the subject arrives as a push notification. The app lists which AI it came from, what work it's about, whether it's urgent, and when it's due.
The inbox screen. Consultations from Claude Code, Codex, and Grok are lined up in a single list.
When you open a request, the background and options written by the AI appear. The AI's recommendation is marked, so you can choose while looking at it and send your answer. Besides the options, you can also write instructions in text, or attach images and documents in your reply. If you can't decide right away, you can put it on hold and answer later.
The consultation screen. Read the background, look at the AI's recommendation, choose an option, and send your answer.
The amazing thing about this app is that once you send an answer, even sleeping sessions wake up. The answer goes straight back into the conversation of the AI that submitted the request. If the AI is working, it reaches the current turn; if it's stopped, it arrives as a new turn, and the AI continues the work from there. Answer from your phone, and the work resumes on the spot.
Another feature: the AI itself can withdraw or update an approval request. If circumstances change after submitting a request, the AI can revise the content or withdraw a request that's no longer needed. The app reflects this directly, so the list keeps only the consultations that need an answer now.
In the history, you can check whether your answer reached the AI. I also added a feature to copy a "nudge to resume" for when you want to continue the conversation.
The history screen. Answered consultations and whether they reached the AI are lined up.
Run the following command on your PC.
npx -y approval-box@latest setup
It will find the AI on your PC and register Approval Box for you. It shows you the files it will modify first, keeps a backup, and then makes the changes. After that, just scan the QR code shown on screen with the app, and your PC and phone are connected.
The add device screen. Run the command on your PC and scan the QR code with your phone.
Finally, ask the AI to "run Approval Box's setup_test." A test request will arrive on your phone, so answer it, and if the answer reaches the AI, you're all set.
The supported AIs are Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and Grok, and the PC can run macOS, Windows, or Linux. The PC side requires Node.js 20 or higher.
The app can be downloaded for free, and the official service's monthly plan is 300 yen in Japan. A separate contract for the AI itself is required. There's also a web version you can use in a browser, and usage instructions are compiled on the support page. The server and web version code are published on GitHub, so you can also host the server yourself.