HopshellLeave your desk.
Not your session.
Hopshell is an SSH terminal for Android built around tmux. Every session is one tap away, a bell tells you when a job or agent needs you, and AI help never presses Enter.
Stop typing tmux ls.
Other SSH apps give you a bare prompt and make you remember session names. Hopshell lists every tmux session on the server the moment you connect. Tap one and it opens as a tab, attached to the exact session it checked.
Know when Claude needs you.
Start Claude Code, Codex, a build or a deploy at your desk, then walk away. When it finishes or asks for permission, it rings the terminal bell. Hopshell turns that bell into a notification. Tap it and you're in the right tab, with the question on screen.
Claude Code: set its notification channel to terminal_bell. Your own scripts: end with printf '\a'.
Start one from the bus.
Agent apps can pick up a session you left running at your desk. Hopshell starts new ones on your own machines, in any project, with any agent. tmux keeps every one of them running.
Background tabs show an amber count until you look. Notifications work while Hopshell is in the background.
Lose signal.
Lose nothing.
tmux keeps your work running on the server. Hopshell remembers your tabs on the phone. Together, a dead train tunnel is just a pause.
Signal drops
Your builds, agents and editors keep running inside tmux on the server.
Android closes Hopshell
Low memory, a swipe away, a long night. Hopshell already saved which tabs were open.
Tap Restore
Hopshell reconnects and reattaches the same tmux sessions, checked by name and start time. Plain shells without tmux start fresh.
Explains everything.
Never presses Enter.
Select an error and ask what it means, or describe what you want. Hopshell types the command at your prompt. You read it. You run it.
Select the error
Ask
You decide
Your AI, on your machine.
If claude or codex is signed in on your server, Hopshell asks it there, on the subscription you already pay for. It runs read-only: no tools, no MCP servers, no session saved.
When your agent is stuck, ask another one.
Select the error it keeps hitting and get a second opinion from Claude, Codex or any model you have a key for, right in the same terminal. Copy the fix back to your agent.
It refuses when it isn't safe.
Insert won't type into vim or less, a line that already has text, a prompt it doesn't recognise, or a tmux pane that changed. You get Copy instead.
Or bring your own API key. Keys are encrypted on your phone, shown only as the last 4 characters, and never put in backups. Only the text you ask about, the tab's folder and the host's OS name are sent.
The keys a phone forgot.
Ctrl, Esc, Tab and arrows sit right above your keyboard, with a light tap under your thumb. Arm Ctrl, press c, and the server gets ^C.
Your layout, free
Presets for coding, shell or minimal. Drag to reorder, add your own keys, give any key a hold action.
Quick commands
Save git status or a deploy once. Insert types it; Run asks first, unless you set it to run without asking. {branch} blanks ask for a value each time.
The password key
Types this host's saved sudo password. It asks first and never presses Enter.
Hold for a menu
Hold Ctrl for ^C, ^B, ^D, ^R or ^U, slide and let go. Up to five keys, shortcuts or saved commands on one key.
Everything a real terminal needs.
Many hosts, many tabs
Keep your Mac, NAS and VPS connected at once. Swipe between tabs. Up to 8 per host.
Themes
11 themes for the app and terminal, your font, your cursor.
SSH keys and jump hosts
Make a key on the phone and install it with one pasted command. Reach private servers through a jump host.
Files and ports
Upload and download over SFTP. Long-press a localhost:3000 link and tap Forward & open to see your dev server in the phone's browser.
History and search
Search this tab, or the tmux workspace's own history on the host. Copy or share the recent transcript. Help & FAQ is built in and works offline.
It holds your keys.
So it acts like it.
Nothing to sign up for. Nothing to log in to.
No ads, no analytics, no Binky Labs server in the middle.
Passwords, key passphrases and API keys are stored encrypted on your phone. Binky Labs never receives them.
You accept a server's fingerprint once. If it ever changes, Hopshell refuses to connect.
Hosts that give a new password each time: Hopshell asks during login and never saves it.
AES-256-GCM with your password. Private key files and API keys are never included.
Free to work.
Pro for extras.
Connecting, tmux and security are never behind a paywall. Pro adds things that save time, with a free trial first. Prices are announced at launch.
Price at launch Free trial first. Monthly or yearly.
Everything in Free, plus
- Keyboard menus: up to five actions per key
- Every theme, plus your own
- New Hopshell-only keyboard features as they ship
$0 Free for good. No trial, no card.
Always free
- SSH with passwords or keys, jump host
- tmux workspaces and Restore last session
- Tabs across many hosts
- Files over SFTP
- Quick Keyboard, fully customisable
- AI with your own claude, codex or API key
- App lock and encrypted backups
- 5 themes
Questions.
Getting started
What is Hopshell?
An SSH terminal for Android, built around tmux. You connect to your own Mac, Linux machine, NAS or server, and your work there keeps running when your phone disconnects.
What do I need on my computer?
An SSH server. On a Mac: System Settings → General → Sharing → Remote Login. On Linux: the openssh-server package. On a Synology or other NAS: turn on SSH in its control panel. tmux is optional but recommended.
How do I reach my computer when I'm away from home?
Hopshell connects to any address your phone can reach: your home Wi-Fi, a public server, a VPN or a Tailscale address. For home machines, the free Tailscale app on your phone and computer is the easiest way. Hopshell does not include its own VPN.
Do I need tmux?
No. Without tmux, Hopshell opens a normal shell. With tmux on the host, you get workspaces that keep running when your phone disconnects.
How do I install tmux?
Mac with Homebrew: brew install tmux. Debian or Ubuntu: sudo apt install tmux. Fedora: sudo dnf install tmux.
Do I need an account?
No. There is nothing to sign up for. Everything stays on your phone.
Which phones does it run on?
Android 8 and later.
Is there an iPhone version?
Not yet. Hopshell is Android only for now.
Sessions and connections
What happens when I lose signal?
tmux keeps your work running on the host. Hopshell remembers your tabs and offers to restore them; tmux workspaces reattach where you left off. Plain shells start new.
What if Android closes the app in the background?
Next time you open it, Hosts shows Restore last session. One tap reconnects and reattaches your tmux tabs.
Can I use the same tmux session on my laptop and my phone?
Yes. Both see the same session. How the window size is shared follows your tmux settings on the host; Hopshell doesn't change them.
How many hosts and tabs can I have open?
Several hosts at once, up to 8 tabs per host.
Does it use mosh?
No. Hopshell uses plain SSH and lets tmux keep your sessions alive, so nothing extra is needed on the host.
Can I connect through another machine?
Yes, through one jump host. For example, reach your NAS through your Mac.
"The host refused another SSH channel." What does that mean?
One SSH login allows a limited number of channels (OpenSSH's MaxSessions, 10 by default). Each tab uses one, and AI, Files and tmux checks need one more. Close a tab, or raise the limit on the host and reconnect.
Agents, jobs and alerts
Can it tell me when a long job or AI agent finishes?
Yes. When a program in a background tab rings the terminal bell, that tab shows a count. Turn on notifications in Settings → Terminal to get an Android notification even when Hopshell is in the background. Tapping it opens the tab.
How do I make Claude Code ring the bell?
Set Claude Code's notification channel (preferredNotifChannel) to terminal_bell. It then rings when it finishes or asks for permission.
How do I make my own scripts ring it?
End them with printf '\a', for example make build; printf '\a'.
I already use Claude Code Remote Control. Why Hopshell?
Remote Control continues a session you started on your computer before you left. Hopshell can start new sessions on your machine from your phone, in any project, with Claude, Codex or any other tool, and tmux keeps them running however long you are away. You also get a full terminal for everything around the agent: git, logs, builds and files.
AI
Do I have to use AI?
No. AI is optional. Nothing is sent anywhere unless you tap Explain or Ask AI.
Can I use my own AI subscription?
Yes. If claude or codex is signed in on your host, Hopshell asks it there. Or add your own API key in Settings → AI.
Which AI providers work?
Your host's Claude Code or Codex, or an API key for Claude, OpenAI, Google Gemini, OpenRouter, Kimi, DeepSeek, Groq, Mistral, or any Anthropic- or OpenAI-compatible service.
My coding agent is stuck. Can Hopshell help?
Yes. Long-press the error it keeps hitting and tap Explain. A different AI explains it; Ask more to go deeper, or try another provider with one tap. Copy the answer and paste it back to your agent.
Does AI run commands?
Never. Insert types the command at an empty prompt without pressing Enter. You read it and run it yourself.
Why did Insert refuse?
It only types into a plain, empty prompt. It refuses in full-screen apps (vim, less, top), when the line already has text, when it doesn't recognise the prompt, or when the tmux pane changed. Each refusal offers Copy instead.
What does the AI see?
Only the text you asked about, the tab's folder and the host's OS name. With an API key, that goes to the provider you chose, billed to your account there. With host claude or codex, it goes to your host, and the program there sends it to Anthropic or OpenAI under your own account. It runs read-only, but the text still leaves your machine.
Keyboard
How do I send Ctrl-C, Esc or Tab?
Use the Quick Keyboard row above the phone keyboard. Tap Ctrl, then type c on the phone keyboard.
Can I change the keys?
Yes, for free. Choose a preset (Coding, Shell, Minimal), drag keys to reorder, add your own, and give any key a hold action.
How do keyboard menus work?
A key marked ˑ has hold actions. With one, holding sends it at once. With two to five, a small row opens above the key: slide to one and let go, or let go and tap one. Tap outside to close; nothing is sent. Set them in Settings → Quick Keyboard → tap a key → Hold menu.
Why did a Quick command run straight away?
It is set to Run without asking, so from a key or a hold menu it is sent with Enter at once. Other commands are typed without Enter. To change it, edit the command and untick Run without asking.
What does the password key do?
It types this host's saved sudo password. It asks first and never presses Enter. It does nothing until you save a password in the host's settings.
Security and privacy
Where is my data?
On your phone. Passwords, key passphrases and API keys are stored encrypted. Binky Labs has no server that holds your data. Read the privacy policy.
How does Hopshell know it's talking to the right machine?
The first time, it shows the host's fingerprint for you to accept. If that key ever changes, Hopshell refuses to connect until you check and remove the old trust.
My host gives a new password each time. Does that work?
Yes. Leave the password empty when saving the host. Hopshell asks for it during login, uses it once and never saves it.
Can a server change my phone's clipboard?
Not unless you allow it in Settings → Terminal. It's off by default.
Can I lock the app?
Yes: fingerprint or device unlock in Settings → Security. Your connections keep running while it's locked.
Files and ports
Can I move files to and from my computer?
Yes. Tools → Files browses the host over SFTP: upload (up to 100 MiB), download, rename and delete. The attach key uploads straight into the tab's current folder.
Can I open a web app running on my computer?
Yes. Long-press a localhost:3000-style link in the terminal and tap Forward & open. Hopshell forwards the port and opens it in your browser. Port forwarding is in Preview.
Backup and moving phones
How do I move to a new phone?
Settings → Backup & Restore. Set a password and save the file. On the new phone, restore it. Saved passwords are included only if you tick it. Private key files and API keys are never included: import or paste them again.
How safe is the backup file?
It's encrypted with AES-256-GCM, using a key made from your password with 310,000 rounds. Without the password it can't be opened.
Price
What does it cost?
Hopshell is free to download. SSH, tmux workspaces, files, keys and AI with your own provider stay free. Pro adds extras such as keyboard menus and every theme, with a free trial first. Prices are announced at launch.
How do I cancel a subscription?
Google Play → profile icon → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions → Hopshell → Cancel.
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