PC Remote Commander
PC Remote Commander · Beta

Connect your computer, then your assistant.

Start with the Windows beta installer. Pair your own PC, choose an AI client, and try one small task.

Using Claude Desktop or Cursor on this computer? You can also set up a local stdio connection without website pairing.

1. Install on Windows

Download once. Double-click each day.

Download Start-PCRC.cmd

  1. Save Start-PCRC.cmd to your desktop or another convenient location.
  2. Double-click Start-PCRC.cmd. The online installer prepares missing Node.js and the bundled PCRC runtime.
  3. Approve your matching-code connection in the browser. Keep the terminal open.
  4. For daily use, double-click that same file again. You can also use the commands below.

This is an online launcher; first installation and reconnect need internet.

Use Windows 10/11 x64. The primary command uses Node.js and npm. Python is bundled. If the command does not work, the fallback below prepares a verified portable Node.js automatically without an administrator installation.

  1. Open PowerShell, Command Prompt, or Windows Terminal on the PC you want to connect.
  2. Run this command:
    npx --yes pcremotecommander@beta setup

    If the command above does not work, use this automatic installer. It also prepares Node.js if missing:

    powershell -NoProfile -Command "irm https://pc-remote-commander.pcremotecommander.workers.dev/install.ps1 | iex"
  3. Standard setup requests full computer control: files, commands, browser and desktop. Review these permissions on the website. Control runs with your OS account permissions and starts only after approval.
  4. Open the pairing link from the terminal. Sign in with your own GitHub account on the public website. Compare the terminal and website codes, review the computer and permissions, check that the codes match, and approve. No code typing is needed.
  5. Leave Use this computer for AI tools checked during approval for automatic selection on Devices. Keep the agent running; the row should show Online and Selected for AI tools.

Use the same setup command for first installation and later connections. Both commands use the same PCRC runtime and website approval flow. The fallback saves Node.js, npm and npx commands to your user PATH. After first setup, close all terminal windows and open a new terminal; use npx --yes pcremotecommander@beta setup for later connections. If your terminal still cannot find npx, sign out of Windows and back in once.

Linux: source setup only

The public npm launcher supports Windows only. A public Linux download and its clean-install verification are not available yet.

The development source includes a Linux setup script. If you already have an authorized source checkout with setup-linux.sh, requirements-linux.lock, and jan-cli.sh, the local setup is:

bash setup-linux.sh
bash jan-cli.sh serve

Requires Python 3.11+ with venv and pip. This starts a local MCP server; it does not automatically pair Linux with the hosted dashboard. Desktop and browser capabilities also depend on the environment. Do not run the Windows npm command on Linux.

Ask about Linux availability →

macOS: native installer pending

A verified public Mac installer is not available yet. Do not run the Windows npm package or .cmd file on macOS. You can use a compatible AI client on a Mac to reach an already-paired Windows PC: keep its Windows agent running and selected, then follow the assistant guides below with the same PCRC account.

Native macOS installation and desktop control remain pending verification.

2. Choose your AI client

PCRC supplies tools to your assistant; it does not include an AI model or subscription. Your client must support remote MCP with OAuth. Client plans and workspace policies apply.

Use this server URL in the guides below:

https://pc-remote-commander.pcremotecommander.workers.dev/mcp

Review pcrc:read for inspection. pcrc:control also requires that your paired agent has the relevant control capabilities. A consent grant cannot upgrade a read-only device.

ChatGPT

  1. Confirm your ChatGPT plan and workspace allow custom MCP connections. Your workspace admin may need to create the connection.
  2. Open Plugins → + → Add custom MCP server.
  3. Name it PC Remote Commander, paste the server URL above, and configure OAuth authentication.
  4. Review the risk warning, create the connection, and inspect the discovered tools.
  5. Complete PCRC consent in the same browser account that owns your selected PC. Enable the connection in your chat.

PCRC is not listed in the public ChatGPT directory. See the official ChatGPT guide for current access requirements.

Claude web and Claude Desktop

  1. Open Customize → Connectors. For managed workspaces, ask the owner to add the custom web connector first.
  2. Choose Add → Add custom connector, enter PC Remote Commander and the server URL.
  3. Click Continue and review detected authentication. Choose Sign in now and Claude’s published identity when offered, or automatic registration. Do not choose No sign in or paste owner credentials.
  4. Click Add and finish PCRC OAuth with the account that owns your selected computer. In a conversation, open + → Connectors and enable PC Remote Commander.

This uses a remote connector, including in Claude Desktop. See Claude’s current connector guide.

Cursor

  1. Open Customize → MCP in Cursor, or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json for all projects (%USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json on Windows). For one project, use .cursor/mcp.json in its root. Add the pcrc entry below inside mcpServers, preserving existing servers:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pcrc": { "url": "https://pc-remote-commander.pcremotecommander.workers.dev/mcp" }
  }
}
  1. Save the configuration. Open Cursor’s MCP controls and connect or authenticate the pcrc server.
  2. Complete browser OAuth with the PCRC account that owns your selected computer. Return to Cursor, enable the server and check that tools are listed. No owner API keys or static OAuth secrets are needed.
  3. Review requested tools before allowing changes.

See Cursor’s MCP documentation for configuration locations and current UI.

3. Try one small task

Check whether my selected computer is online.
Tell me which capabilities are available.
Do not change any files or run commands.

Then try a file search in an approved folder. For writes, ask for a preview and review approvals before execution. Browse original task prompts for examples.

If something doesn’t connect

No matching version found (npm ETARGET)

If npm has stale package information after a release, run this recovery command once:

npx --yes --prefer-online --registry=https://registry.npmjs.org/ pcremotecommander@beta setup

Then return to the normal setup command. This refreshes package metadata from the official npm registry. It cannot fix an unpublished version or a network outage.

Computer offline or no computer selected

Keep the agent running. Open Devices using the same account used for your client’s OAuth consent. Select an Online computer.

Pairing or authorization expired

Restart pairing or the client connection to get a fresh link. Complete it once in the same browser profile; do not reuse an old link.

Permission denied

Check the device capabilities and the client’s scopes. Upgrading a read-only device requires fresh device approval. Sensitive actions can require a separate one-time approval.

How do I stop access?

Stop AI access or revoke the device in your dashboard, or stop its local agent. Revocation invalidates the device key but is not account deletion.

Check that it works

Follow the connection and feature test checklist →