Ciaobot

Advanced

Use it from anywhere

Run Ciaobot on one computer, the host, and use it from your phone, tablet or laptop. The host can be your Mac or Windows PC at home, or a small rented server. Your notes, memory and AI sessions stay on the host; the other devices are just windows onto it.

One host, many devices A host computer at home runs Ciaobot and keeps all data. A phone, a tablet and a laptop connect to it through a private Tailscale network. Host a Mac or PC at home, or a server notes · memory · automations Tailscale: your private network 📱 Phone 📲 Tablet 💻 Laptop

A good host is a computer that is usually on: a Mac mini at home, a desktop, or a small Linux server in the cloud. Scheduled tasks run on the host, so it needs to be awake for them to fire on time.

💻 A Mac at home

The one-line install, and a browser or installed PWA to use it. Needs to stay awake for schedules.

☁️ A VPS in the cloud

Always on and reachable from anywhere, for a few euros a month. How →

Step 1: connect your devices with Tailscale

Tailscale is a free app that links your devices into a private network. They can reach each other from anywhere, but nobody else on the internet can see them. No router settings needed.

  1. Install Tailscale on the host

    Download it from tailscale.com/download and sign in.

  2. Install it on every other device

    On your phone, tablet and laptop, install Tailscale and sign in with the same account.

  3. Find the host's address

    In Ciaobot on the host, open Settings → General. The Other devices card lists the addresses where Ciaobot can be reached, each with a Copy and a QR button. The Tailscale address starts with 100., for example http://100.101.102.103:8443.

    The Other devices card in Settings, listing the addresses where Ciaobot can be reached, with Copy and QR buttons
    Settings → General → Other devices. The host lists its addresses; scan the QR code with your phone.

Step 2: use it from a phone, tablet or any browser

Nothing to install besides Tailscale. Open the host's address in the browser (or scan the QR code), log in with your Ciaobot password, and you're in, with all your workspaces, chats and memory.

Make it feel like an app: on iPhone or iPad, tap Share → Add to Home Screen; on Android, use Install app in the browser menu.

Optional: a secure https address. Browsers enable some app features (installing to the home screen, notifications) only over https. Tailscale can provide one. On the host, run:

tailscale serve --bg 8443

Then use the https://<host-name>.<your-tailnet>.ts.net address it prints. The first time, Tailscale may ask you to enable HTTPS for your network in its admin page.

Keep it private

Run it on a server (VPS)

A VPS is a small computer you rent in a data centre: always on, so automations run on time even with your laptop closed. Any provider that offers Ubuntu 24.04 works; for example a Hostinger VPS. A small plan is fine for one person.

  1. Rent the server

    Choose Ubuntu 24.04 as the operating system and note the server's address and the login the provider gives you.

  2. Put it on your private network

    Install Tailscale on the server, exactly as in Step 1.

  3. Install Ciaobot and an AI tool

    The server install is a few terminal commands: create a dedicated user, install Ciaobot, then sign in to Claude Code or opencode as that user. docs/LINUX.md lists every command, including running Ciaobot as a background service that starts on boot.

    Not comfortable in a terminal? Open a chat with Claude Code or opencode on your laptop, give it the link to docs/LINUX.md and your server's address, and let it walk you through (or do) the setup.

  4. Open it from anywhere

    Continue with Step 2, including the https address.

What's different on a server: updates are installed by you rather than with one click. Everything else works the same.