@firstpick/pi-package-remote-webui

Mobile connection helper for Pi coding agent.

This package adds a /remote slash command that reuses the existing @firstpick/pi-package-webui server/UI, opens it to a trusted local network, and shows a QR code in Pi so a phone can connect quickly.

Security: Pi Web UI can control the Web UI/Pi session. /remote asks whether to activate Remote PIN authentication before showing the QR code. Use /remote only on trusted local networks and close LAN access when done.

Install

pi install npm:@firstpick/pi-package-remote-webui

Restart Pi after installation so the /remote command is loaded. /remote expects @firstpick/pi-package-webui to be installed in the same Pi/npm environment or available from this checkout; install @firstpick/pi-package-webui first if Pi cannot locate pi-webui. The QR renderer (qrcode-terminal) is a runtime dependency of this Pi package and is installed with the package. For local checkout development, run npm install in this package directory instead of installing qrcode-terminal globally.

Usage

/remote

Default behavior:

1. Reuse a running Pi Web UI on 127.0.0.1:31415, or start one for the current working directory.
2. Ask whether to activate Remote PIN auth when it is currently off.
3. Open the Web UI listener to the local network through the existing Web UI /api/network/open endpoint.
4. Show a terminal QR code, the LAN URL, and the current Remote PIN auth state.
5. Scan the QR code from your phone and use the normal Pi Web UI. If Remote PIN auth is enabled and the local server reports the PIN, the QR code opens an auth link that signs in automatically; the displayed PIN remains a manual fallback.

Commands

/remote
/remote status
/remote refresh
/remote close
/remote --port 31500
/remote --name mobile
/remote --yes

Command	Behavior
/remote	Start/reuse Web UI, confirm LAN access, ask whether to activate Remote PIN auth, open LAN access, and show QR plus auth state.
/remote status	Show Web UI online/network state, LAN URLs, and auth state.
/remote refresh	Re-read current LAN URL/auth state and redraw the QR widget.
/remote close	Close Web UI LAN exposure and clear the QR widget.
/remote --port 31500	Use another Web UI port.
/remote --name mobile	Name the initial Web UI tab when this package starts the server.
/remote --yes	Skip prompts and activate Remote PIN auth automatically before opening LAN access.

Remote PIN auth

/remote checks the Web UI server's auth state before opening LAN access:

• If Remote PIN auth is off, /remote asks whether to activate it.
• /remote --yes treats the auth prompt as accepted and activates it automatically.
• Enabling it generates a random 4-digit PIN.
• Non-local browser clients must authenticate before reaching Web UI.
• Localhost clients can always use the UI and toggle the setting.

The /remote QR widget shows Remote PIN auth: off or Remote PIN auth: on · PIN 1234 when the Web UI server reports it. When a PIN is available, the QR code targets /remote-auth#pin=1234 so the phone can authenticate automatically without typing the PIN; the fragment is scrubbed by the auth page before it posts to the server. You can also start Web UI with auth already enabled by using pi-webui --remote-auth or /webui-start --remote-auth from @firstpick/pi-package-webui.

Caveat

This package does not mirror the exact live TUI conversation into the phone. It connects mobile to the existing Pi Web UI package, which starts/uses Pi RPC tabs with the same Pi installation, working directory, settings, packages, and session storage.

Development

cd pi-package-remote-webui
npm test
npm run check

Network safety

/remote intentionally uses pi-package-webui's direct LAN mode instead of a reverse proxy, preserving Web UI's current localhost-vs-remote trust boundaries. Remote PIN auth remains an explicit Web UI Controls toggle and is a trusted-LAN convenience gate, not hardened multi-user authentication. Use /remote close when you are done.