iPad + Claude + Vault Setup

Getting the vault accessible from iPad. May delete this once everything is configured.

Links: Working With Claude

Current iPad Apps

• Obsidian — vault viewer/editor, synced via GitSync
• GitSync — syncs vault repo to On My iPad > Obsidian
• Claude app (native, not Safari) — may have more functionality than web
• Files app — can see both Obsidian and Claude folders

Option 1: Remote Control (best — full CLI from iPad)

This is the desktop CLI experience on the tablet. Claude runs locally on the Windows PC; the iPad app is a window into it. Full CLAUDE.md, vault filesystem, skills, MCP servers.

Setup on Windows

# From the vault directory
cd C:\Users\Chris.Isaacson\vault
claude --remote-control "Vault Session"

• Press spacebar to show QR code
• Or copy the session URL

Connect from iPad

• Open Claude app → Code tab → find the session by name (green dot = online)
• Or scan the QR code from the Claude app
• Or open the session URL in Safari

Requirements

• Claude Code v2.1.51+ (claude --version to check)
• Logged in via /login (not API key)
• Pro/Max/Team/Enterprise plan
• PC must stay awake (~10 min network timeout kills session)

Potential blocker

Machine policies may block this. Test and see. If corporate firewall blocks the websocket connection, this won’t work.

Solving the “PC sleeps” problem

Run Remote Control on a persistent cloud VM instead of your Windows PC. See Claude Code on a Persistent Cloud VM for full setup — Hetzner CX22 at ~$4/month, tmux + OAuth login, always-on.

Quick commands once connected

/remote-control "Vault Session"    # from existing session
/rc                                 # shorthand
/rename "New Name"                  # rename session

Option 2: claude.ai/code (cloud — no PC needed)

Already partially working — this is what happened when you connected to the vault repo and it read CLAUDE.md.

How it works

1. Open claude.ai/code in Safari or Claude app
2. Select the vault repo from GitHub
3. Claude clones repo into a fresh cloud VM (4 vCPU, 16GB RAM, 30GB disk)
4. Reads CLAUDE.md, .claude/skills/, .claude/settings.json — everything committed
5. Can read, write, commit, push to GitHub
6. Sessions persist — close browser, come back later

Environments

Environments configure cloud sessions. The “default” was auto-created.

To create a Vault environment:

1. In claude.ai/code, click the environment name → “Add environment”
2. Name: “Vault”
3. Network access: “Trusted” (default — package registries + GitHub)
4. Setup script (runs at VM start):

   #!/bin/bash
   # Install vault tools
   pip install yt-dlp 2>/dev/null
   npm install -g @marp-team/marp-cli 2>/dev/null
   

Limitations

• Fresh VM each session (packages don’t persist without setup script)
• No local MCP servers
• No access to local filesystem (only the cloned repo)
• Can’t use tools that require local machine access

Option 3: Claude Projects (thinking/discussing)

For conversations with vault context where you don’t need to edit files.

Setup

1. Open claude.ai (web or app) → Projects → New Project
2. Name: “Vault”
3. Set project instructions — paste CLAUDE.md content
4. Upload key files to knowledge base:
   • INDEX.md (rename to .txt or paste directly)
   • Key research pages you’re currently working on
5. Every chat in this project has vault context

Limits

• 30 MB per file, unlimited files
• .md files: rename to .txt or paste content directly
• Free: 5 projects max. Pro/Max: unlimited.
• Must manually update when vault changes significantly

Recommended Workflow

Tags

ai