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remotty

remotty is a Telegram bridge for watching Codex work and sending short follow-ups on Windows.

The common failure mode for delegated AI work is simple: you walk away, and the run stops on an approval prompt, an error, or a small missing instruction. remotty gives you a narrow Telegram surface for that moment.

Use Codex CLI as the local session that remotty connects to today. Use the main Codex workspace, or Codex CLI, for richer task control, diff review, and long instructions. Use remotty for Telegram notifications, approval relay, concise status, and short follow-up messages while away from the full Codex interface.

Here, "main Codex workspace" does not mean a specific mobile app. It means the place where you read work, review diffs, and give fuller instructions. remotty does not replace that workspace.

You send a message to your Telegram bot. remotty receives it on your Windows PC, sends it to the Codex CLI session you connected, and returns the reply to the same Telegram chat.

remotty does not expose a public webhook server. It also does not type into the open Codex App window. It is not an official remote-control surface for Codex. In the current public flow, it talks to local Codex through the local codex command and the app_server transport.

What It Is Not

remotty is not a mobile Codex App or a Web IDE. Its strength is letting you answer the small moments that matter while away from your desk: notifications, approvals, short replies, and Codex input requests through Telegram. It is a lightweight contact point for the moments when Codex needs a human, not a full remote workspace.

The positioning is:

• Codex Remote connections: an OpenAI feature that lets Codex work in projects on SSH-connected or cloud environments.
• A mobile web app: a full browser UI that a developer may build separately to operate Codex remotely.
• remotty: a lightweight Telegram contact point for Codex confirmations, approvals, and input requests.

What It Does

• Connects a Telegram bot to Codex on your Windows PC.
• Connects Telegram to the Codex CLI session you start for the project.
• Sends Telegram messages to that session.
• Queues text you send while Codex is already working.
• Returns Codex replies to the same Telegram chat.
• Relays approval prompts to Telegram.
• Stores the bot token in Windows protected storage.
• Stores remotty state under %APPDATA%\remotty.

When To Use It

Use remotty when you want to leave your desk and keep watching, approving, or sending short follow-ups to Codex work that is running on your Windows PC.

Requirements

• Windows 10 or Windows 11
• Codex CLI
• Node.js and npm
• A Telegram bot token from @BotFather

Rust is only needed when you build from source.

Get Started

Use the Telegram Quickstart.

It walks through installation, bot setup, token storage, pairing, channel startup, and a first Telegram test message.

Want to try the local loop before making a Telegram bot? Use the Fakechat Demo.

Update

Run this in a normal user PowerShell when you want the latest published remotty package:

npm install -g remotty

Then follow the Telegram Quickstart from the project you want to use.

Quickstart Overview

Do not copy the setup commands as one script. The Telegram setup uses separate PowerShell windows because the codex and remotty processes both stay open while you use Telegram.

| Window | Keep it open? | Use it for | | --- | --- | --- | | Setup PowerShell | No | Install remotty, register the project, store the bot token, and pair Telegram. | | Codex PowerShell | Yes | Start codex in the project you want to continue from Telegram. | | Bridge PowerShell | Yes | Start remotty --config "$env:APPDATA\remotty\bridge.toml" for the same project. |

Follow the Telegram Quickstart for the exact step-by-step commands.

When the bridge starts successfully, the terminal prints Listening for Telegram channel messages from: remotty:telegram. Keep that Bridge PowerShell window open while you use Telegram.

If you also use Codex App, the bundled plugin can help with setup tasks. The plugin is optional. The supported Telegram flow is the Codex CLI flow above: Codex CLI plus the remotty PowerShell commands.

Run these in Telegram:

/help
/status
/stop
/approve <request_id>
/deny <request_id>
/answer <request_id> <value>
/workspace
/workspace <id>

For /answer details, see Codex Input Requests.

Security

• Store bot tokens with remotty telegram configure so they stay in Windows protected storage.
• Use a dedicated Telegram bot for remotty.
• Do not paste bot tokens into chat, issues, or pull requests.
• Do not paste bot tokens or api.telegram.org/bot... URLs into issues.
• remotty rejects Codex input requests marked as secret. Treat Telegram messages as chat history: do not send passwords, API keys, recovery codes, or other secrets with /answer.
• Keep project files separate from %APPDATA%\remotty runtime state.

Related Docs

• Telegram Quickstart
• Telegram Bridge Direction
• Fakechat Demo
• Advanced CLI Mode
• Upgrade Notes

Note: if your project lives on an SSH host, Codex Remote connections may also be useful. remotty is for returning to Codex work on your Windows PC from Telegram.

License

MIT

Disclaimer

This is an unofficial community project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by OpenAI.

Codex, ChatGPT, and related marks are trademarks of OpenAI. They are referenced here only to describe the local tools that remotty works with. All other trademarks belong to their owners.