Originally published at Agent Terminal's blog.
Keeping an agent running while you check it from your phone should not need a setup guide. With Moshi it takes extra programs on your computer and a VPN such as Tailscale. With Agent Terminal it takes one app.
Art on the original post: a terminal on a PC keeps running tests while the phone's connection drops twice, moving from Wi-Fi to mobile data and back. Each time, the phone reattaches to the same session.
Who should pick which
Moshi fits better if your agents run on Linux servers or a VPS.
Agent Terminal fits better if your agents run on a Windows PC or a Mac, and you want it simple, with nothing to set up on a server.
How Moshi keeps a session alive
Moshi is an SSH app. To keep a session alive, it needs two more programs on your computer:
- mosh keeps the connection when your phone changes networks.
- tmux keeps the shell running when the connection ends.
Moshi's own docs recommend both. You install them, open a firewall range for mosh if yours is strict, and connect through them. The mosh and tmux reattach support is in Moshi Pro. To reach a home computer from outside your Wi-Fi, you also need your own route to it, such as Tailscale or another VPN; Moshi's install guide lists these.
What goes on the host with Moshi
- macOS:
brew install mosh tmux, and SSH access to the Mac. - Debian, Ubuntu or WSL:
sudo apt install mosh tmux, plusopenssh-serverin WSL. - With a strict firewall, open mosh's UDP range (60000 to 61000) on the host.
- Optional:
moshi-hook, for agent notifications and the diff viewer.
Sources: Moshi's install guide and mosh.org.
How Agent Terminal keeps a session alive
Agent Terminal puts the session in a host process on your PC. Closing the phone app, losing signal, moving from Wi-Fi to mobile data, closing the desktop app or updating it does not end the shell. When the phone comes back, it reattaches to the same session and catches up on what it missed.
There is nothing to install on a server: no mosh-server and no tmux. All of this works without Pro. Free and self-sustained on your own Wi-Fi, no account.
Away from home, the free plan relies on n0's public relays, a free service run by n0, not by us, with no promise of uptime or speed (what the relay can see). Expect it to be slow, to drop, or not to connect at all; we have no control of n0's side. With Pro, it is dependable through Agent Terminal's dedicated relays. The catch: it reaches only Windows PCs and Macs that run the desktop app.
Compared
| Moshi | Agent Terminal | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the session lives | tmux, Herdr or Zellij on the host | A host process on your PC |
| What you install | SSH, mosh and tmux on the host, plus Tailscale or a VPN to reach it away from home | The desktop app |
| Away from home | Your own route: Tailscale, a VPN or a public address | Best effort through n0's public relays; dependable with Pro |
| Hosts it reaches | Mac, Linux, VPS, homelab, WSL | Windows 10 (1809+) and 11, macOS 13+ |
| Phones | iPhone, iPad, Android 10+, Apple Watch | Android, iPhone, iPad |
| Without Pro | SSH, 2 saved connections; mosh and tmux reattach are Pro | Sessions survive; no account |
| Notifications | Agent push through moshi-hook
|
Terminal and agent notices, also with the app closed; Pro raises the rate limit |
Switching from Moshi on a Mac
- Download Agent Terminal for macOS 13 or later, open it and scan the QR code with the phone app.
- New tabs open in your login shell. Start your agent in one, as you would inside tmux.
- For notices, paste the Agent Event Notifier prompt from Settings into an agent that has hooks. It does the job
moshi-hookdid. - Lock the phone and walk away. The tab is still there when you come back.
You can still run tmux in a tab; you just no longer need it. Keep Moshi for your Linux servers.
Questions
Is there a Moshi alternative for Android?
Moshi itself is on Google Play, for Android 10 or later. If your agents run on a Windows PC or a Mac, Agent Terminal for Android keeps the session on that PC.
Is there a mosh alternative for Windows?
mosh.org lists no native Windows mosh, and Moshi reaches Windows through WSL. Agent Terminal keeps native PowerShell, Command Prompt, WSL and Git Bash sessions in its host process.
Do I need tmux with Agent Terminal?
No. The host process on your PC keeps the session. tmux is optional.
Keep the session on your PC. Reach it from your phone. Free and self-sustained on your own Wi-Fi, no account. Windows and macOS.
Checked against Moshi's docs and mosh.org on 21 October 2026. Written by Edward, from the team that builds Agent Terminal. Product names are trademarks of their owners. Agent Terminal is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
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