Devices & remote access
Register your machines once, then start a taiku session on any of them from anywhere, with no SSH keys, VPN, or port forwarding.
Register the machines you work on, then reach into any of them from your laptop, a borrowed computer, or your phone.
Register a device
Registration happens on its own. When you start taiku while signed in, that machine joins your account as a device. There is no separate setup step. Each device shows up with a friendly name, its hostname, and operating system so you can tell your machines apart.
A device's online status reflects its recent check-ins. After check-ins stop, it can take a few minutes for the dashboard to show the device as offline. An online indicator alone does not confirm that a command can reach it.
Allow remote access on the host
Registering a device does not automatically make a fresh install remotely controllable. On the computer you want to reach:
- Open the taiku desktop app.
- Open Settings → Permissions & access.
- Turn on Allow remote access to this device.
- Grant the permission rows that apply to your operating system.
The app explains each permission before you grant it. Screen Recording lets taiku stream the display, Accessibility and Input Monitoring let a remote controller send clicks and keys, and Full Disk Access allows file sync outside the folders the app can already read. Only relevant permissions appear. If a permission says a relaunch is required, quit and reopen taiku after granting it.
A fresh install starts with remote access off. Upgrades from an older version that already exposed the device keep their previous enabled state. Turn the toggle off at any time to stop active desktop hosting and prevent new remote starts; the dashboard will mark that device as Remote access is off.
Enabling remote access lets your signed-in account, including anyone holding
your account API key, start remote shells, access files, and run programs with
taiku device exec. Commands run as the local user running taiku. They do not
use the remote-desktop connection approval prompt.
Choose how desktop connections are approved
On the host, open a local session's Settings, then expand Share → Remote desktop. The Remote desktop access menu offers three guards:
- Ask me each time: the host shows an approve or reject prompt before a connection starts.
- Require a password: the controller must enter the desktop password; a correct password starts the connection without a separate approval prompt.
- Auto-accept: someone holding a session admin link can take control immediately, with no host prompt. Use this only for sessions and devices you trust.
These guards do not bypass operating-system permissions or the session's sharing controls.
Start a session remotely
The dashboard lets you launch a fresh session on any online machine, even when you are nowhere near it.
- Open your dashboard and find the machine in your device list.
- Click Start session next to it.
- The machine receives the request and opens a new session with a live terminal.
- The session link appears in the dashboard. Click it to drop straight into a terminal on that machine.
The target machine needs to be online, signed in, and accepting remote access. It can take a moment for the request to land, but most launches complete in seconds. You can also click the link beside any device that is already running a session to jump into it directly.
A machine that cannot share its desktop can still start sessions. Its card shows Start session with a note that desktop viewing is not available, and no View desktop button.
Keep a machine available in the background
Running taiku from the command line registers a device only while that terminal is open. To keep it available after closing that terminal, run the desktop app instead. It keeps the device registered in the background, opens incoming sessions in its own window, and gives you quick status from the tray icon.
Mac sleep reachability is untested, including command delivery while asleep
and recovery after wake. Keep the Mac awake when you need remote access.
Quitting the desktop app stops its device commands; a separately running
taiku bystand can keep an awake computer reachable.
Manage devices
Your dashboard is the home for everything across your machines:
- See which devices are online and how recently each one checked in.
- See whether a device is accepting remote access.
- Open any device's active session with one click.
- Start a session remotely on any online machine.
- Manage your account, API key, and subscription.