I built an iOS app to control your Mac terminal — no SSH setup needed

I'm an indie developer and I just launched TermOnMac — an iOS app that connects to your Mac terminal over an E2E encrypted relay.

The Problem

I kept needing access to my Mac while away from my desk — checking build logs, restarting services, running quick commands. SSH clients exist, but they all need key setup, port forwarding, or a public IP.

I wanted something I could set up in 30 seconds.

How it works

1. brew install termonmac on your Mac
2. Open the iOS app and scan the QR code
3. You're in — full terminal, E2E encrypted

That's it. No SSH keys, no port forwarding, no public IP needed.

What makes it different

• Zero setup — QR code pairing, no configuration
• Remote Xcode build — build, archive, and upload to App Store from your phone
• E2E encrypted — Curve25519 + AES-256-GCM. The relay server only forwards ciphertext and cannot read your terminal content
• Auto-reconnect — network switches, subway tunnels, device sleep — your session stays alive with terminal history replay

Tech stack

• iOS: SwiftUI + SwiftTerm
• Mac Agent: Swift CLI with forkpty()
• Relay: Cloudflare Workers + Durable Objects (WebSocket hibernation)
• Crypto: Apple CryptoKit (Curve25519, HKDF-SHA256, AES-GCM)

Pricing

Free with optional Pro ($0.99/mo) and Premium ($2.99/mo) upgrades.

App Store | Website

Would love to hear your feedback!