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Merge pull request #134 from second-state/docs/claude-code-integration
Docs/claude code integration
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‎doc/dev/2026-02-24-echokit-remote-control-claude-code.md‎

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---
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slug: echokit-remote-control-claude-code
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title: "My Coding Assistant Lives in a Box Now | EchoKit"
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tags: [echokit, claude-code, remote-control, voice-ai]
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---
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It was 2 AM. I was deep in a coding session, fingers flying across the keyboard, completely in the zone. Then I hit a bug. I needed to run the tests.
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Which meant breaking my flow. Switching windows. Typing the command. Waiting. Switching back.
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I thought: *What if I could just say it?*
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**Not into my phone.** Not unlocking an app. Just speak—to a device sitting on my desk.
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## A Small Device, Big Idea
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That moment sparked an experiment. What if my AI coding assistant wasn't trapped in a terminal window, but lived in a small device on my desk? What if I could speak to it like a pair programmer sitting next to me?
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Not voice typing—I hate that. But voice *commands*. Like having a junior developer who actually does things, not just suggests them.
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So I built it.
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Today, I'm excited to share how EchoKit became a voice remote control for Claude Code. And why this changes everything about how I work.
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## It Started with a Problem
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Claude Code is amazing. It writes code, fixes bugs, runs tests, explains errors.
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**Yes, Claude Code now has an official Remote Control feature for mobile and web access.** But it's designed for phones and browsers—not for hands-free voice control or physical devices. You still need to look at a screen and tap buttons.
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I wanted something different. Something that felt like... magic.
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## The Missing Piece
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I had EchoKit—my open-source voice AI device sitting on my desk. It can hear me, think, and respond. But it couldn't control my code editor.
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I needed a bridge.
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That bridge is called [echokit_pty](https://github.com/second-state/echokit_pty).
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**What is echokit_pty?** It's the web version of Claude Code, but with a superpower: a WebSocket interface.
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See, Claude Code was designed as a CLI tool. You run it in your terminal, type commands, get responses. That's great for terminal workflows. But for voice control? For remote access? For building *anything* on top of Claude Code?
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You need something more.
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echokit_pty is that "more."
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## How echokit_pty Changed Everything
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Here's what echokit_pty does: it takes Claude Code and exposes it through a WebSocket server. Suddenly, Claude Code isn't just a terminal app—it's a service that *anything* can talk to.
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My EchoKit device can send commands. A web app could send commands. A mobile app. A game controller. Anything that speaks WebSocket.
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But here's the beautiful part: it's still Claude Code. All the capabilities, all the intelligence, everything that makes Claude Code amazing—just accessible through a clean, simple interface.
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## The Setup: Three Pieces, One Experience
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Now my coding setup looks like this:
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**1. echokit_pty runs on my machine** — Starts a WebSocket server (ws://localhost:3000/ws)
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**2. EchoKit Server connects to it** — Handles speech recognition and text-to-speech
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**3. EchoKit Device sits on my desk** — Listens for my voice, speaks back responses
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```
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My Voice: "Run the tests"
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↓
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EchoKit Device (hears me)
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↓
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EchoKit Server (transcribes speech)
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↓
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echokit_pty (WebSocket connection)
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↓
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Claude Code (executes the command)
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↓
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Tests run, results stream back
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↓
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EchoKit speaks: "142 tests passed, 3 failed"
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```
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All while I keep typing. No window switching. No flow breaking.
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## A Day in the Life
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Let me show you what this actually feels like.
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**Morning:**
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I sit down with coffee. "EchoKit, run the full test suite." I start reading emails while tests run in the background. Five minutes later: "Tests complete. Two failures in the auth module."
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**Afternoon:**
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I'm stuck on a bug. "EchoKit, why is the login failing?" It explains the issue while I'm looking at the code. "Can you fix it?" "Done. Want me to run the tests?" "Yes."
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**Evening:**
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I'm tired, don't want to type. "EchoKit, create a new feature branch called dark-mode." "Deploy staging." "Check if the build passed." Each command happens while I'm leaning back in my chair.
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It feels like having a coding companion. Not a tool—a teammate.
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## Why This Matters
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I know what you're thinking: *Voice control for coding? Sounds weird.* And doesn't Claude Code have Remote Control now?
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You're right—it *is* weird at first. But here's the thing: **Claude Code's Remote Control is great for mobile access, but EchoKit isn't your phone.** It's a dedicated device that sits on your desk. Always on. Always listening. No unlocking, no apps, no picking it up.
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Here's what I discovered:
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**It's not about voice typing.** I'm not dictating code. That would be terrible.
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**It's about having a physical device.** Think of it like a smart speaker for coding. It just sits there, ready to help. No screens to tap, no apps to open, no phone to find.
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**The magic is the always-there presence.** The device lives on my desk. It's part of my workspace. I don't need to grab anything or unlock anything. I just speak.
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**It keeps me in the flow.** That's the biggest one. I can stay focused on coding while EchoKit handles tasks in the background. It's like having a second pair of hands.
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## The Tech Behind the Magic
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If you're curious how echokit_pty works technically, here's the short version:
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**PTY** stands for "pseudo-terminal"—a Unix concept that lets a program control a terminal as if a user were typing. echokit_pty uses this to create a bridge between:
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- **WebSocket clients** → send JSON commands
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- **Claude Code CLI** → executes the commands
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- **Response streaming** → sends results back
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It's built with Rust, runs locally, and is completely open source. No cloud required. Your code never leaves your machine.
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But here's what I care about: it just works.
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## What You Can Do
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So what does this actually look like in practice?
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**"Create a web page for me"**
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→ Claude Code generates the HTML, EchoKit confirms when done
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**"Run the tests"**
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→ Tests execute, EchoKit tells me the results
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**"Explain this error"**
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→ Claude Code analyzes, EchoKit reads the explanation
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**"Deploy to staging"**
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→ Deployment triggers, EchoKit confirms when complete
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**"Create a new branch"**
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→ Git command executes, no typing required
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I can speak from across the room. Keep my hands on the keyboard while EchoKit works in the background. Get voice feedback without breaking my flow.
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## Building Your Own
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This is the part I'm most excited about: everything here is open source.
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- **EchoKit** — Open hardware, Rust firmware, fully customizable
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- **echokit_pty** — Open source WebSocket interface for Claude Code
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- **EchoKit Server** — Rust-based voice AI server
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You can build this yourself. Or modify it. Or extend it.
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Want to add custom voice commands? Go ahead.
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Want to integrate with other tools? echokit_pty makes it possible.
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Want to build a completely different interface? The WebSocket is waiting.
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## The Future
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This experiment showed me something: AI coding assistants can take many forms beyond screens and apps.
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**Claude Code's Remote Control solved mobile access.** But what about specialized hardware? What about completely hands-free experiences? What about devices that do one thing perfectly?
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echokit_pty is the bridge that makes these experiments possible. And EchoKit is just one example.
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Imagine what else we could build:
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- Voice-controlled development environments
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- Specialized devices for specific workflows
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- Educational tools that feel like magic
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- Assistive technology for developers with disabilities
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All built on top of echokit_pty's open WebSocket interface.
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## Try It Yourself
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Ready to turn your AI assistant into a physical device?
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**Full Documentation:** [Remote Control Claude Code with Your Voice](https://echokit.dev/docs/use-cases/claude-code)
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**EchoKit Hardware:**
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- [EchoKit Box](https://echokit.dev/echokit_box.html) — Pre-assembled device
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- [EchoKit DIY Kit](https://echokit.dev/echokit_diy.html) — Build it yourself
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**echokit_pty Repository:** [github.com/second-state/echokit_pty](https://github.com/second-state/echokit_pty)
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**Join the Community:** [EchoKit Discord](https://discord.gg/Fwe3zsT5g3)
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Build something cool. Then tell me about it.
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---
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*PS: The first time I heard EchoKit say "Tests passed" while I was making coffee? That's when I knew this wasn't just a cool experiment. This was how I wanted to work from now on.*

‎doc/dev/2026-02-25-echokit-pty-intro.md‎

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---
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slug: echokit-pty-websocket-claude-code
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title: "echokit_pty: Giving Claude Code a Remote Control"
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tags: [echokit-pty, claude-code, websocket, developer-tools]
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---
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Claude Code is amazing. It writes code, fixes bugs, runs tests, explains errors. But it lives in your terminal. To use it, you type commands, get responses. It's a CLI tool, designed for terminal workflows.
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But what if you want to build something on top of Claude Code? What if you want a web app? A mobile interface? A physical device? Voice control?
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That's why we built **echokit_pty**.
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## What Is echokit_pty?
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**echokit_pty** is the web version of Claude Code with a superpower: a WebSocket interface.
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It handles Claude Code's input and output, turning its CLI into a WebSocket service. Suddenly, Claude Code isn't just a terminal app—it's a service that *any application* can talk to.
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**What makes it special?**
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- Full Claude Code capabilities (file editing, command execution, tool use)
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- **Clean JSON API for integrations**. Check out the full API documentation [here](https://github.com/second-state/echokit_pty?tab=readme-ov-file#api).
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- **Open and extensible** - unlike Claude Code's official Remote Control, you have full control over the protocol and can customize every aspect
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- **No subscription required** - free and open source vs. Max-only Remote Control
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- Bidirectional streaming (real-time responses)
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- Runs locally
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- Built for developers building custom solutions
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## The Problem: Claude Code Is Trapped in the Terminal
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Claude Code was designed as a CLI tool. You run it in your terminal, type commands, get responses. This works great for terminal workflows.
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But what if you want to:
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- Build a web app that uses Claude Code?
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- Create a physical device that talks to Claude Code?
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- Integrate Claude Code into another tool?
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- Build a custom application that needs programmatic access?
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**Yes, Claude Code now has an official Remote Control feature** for mobile and web access. But it's designed as a user-facing feature, not a developer platform. It requires a Max subscription, uses a closed protocol, and can't be integrated into custom applications.
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That's where echokit_pty comes in.
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## The Solution: PTY + WebSocket
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The bridge is **echokit_pty**.
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**What does "pty" mean?**
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PTY stands for "pseudo-terminal"—a Unix concept that allows a program to control a terminal as if a user were typing.
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echokit_pty uses this technology to create a bridge between:
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- **WebSocket clients** → send JSON commands
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- **Claude Code CLI** → executes the commands
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- **Response streaming** → sends results back
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## How It Works
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echokit_pty is built with Rust. Here's the architecture:
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```
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┌─────────────────┐ WebSocket ┌──────────────┐
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│ Any Client │ ◄─────────────────► │ echokit_pty │
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│ (Web, Mobile, │ (ws://localhost)│ (Rust) │
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│ Device, etc.) │ └──────┬───────┘
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└─────────────────┘ │
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│ PTY
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↓
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┌──────────────┐
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│ Claude Code │
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│ CLI │
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└──────────────┘
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```
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**The flow:**
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1. echokit_pty starts a WebSocket server (default: `ws://localhost:3000/ws`)
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2. Clients connect via WebSocket and send JSON commands
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3. echokit_pty forwards commands to Claude Code CLI through a pseudo-terminal
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4. Claude Code executes the command
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5. Results stream back through the WebSocket in real-time
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**Example:**
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```json
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// Client sends
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{"type": "command", "content": "run the tests"}
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// echokit_pty forwards to Claude Code
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// Results stream back
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{"type": "response", "content": "Running tests...\n142 passed, 3 failed"}
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```
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## Use Cases: What Can You Build?
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The beauty of echokit_pty is that it turns Claude Code into a *platform*. Here's what you can build:
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### Voice-Controlled Coding
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Speak commands, Claude Code executes, hear results. Perfect for hands-free workflows. This is what EchoKit + echokit_pty enables.
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**Why echokit_pty for voice control?** While Claude Code's Remote Control works great for mobile/web access, it doesn't support voice interfaces or custom hardware. echokit_pty's open API lets you build exactly the voice experience you need—whether that's a custom device, specialized voice commands, or integration with other speech services.
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But it's just one implementation. For more details, check out EchoKit's full integration [documentation](https://echokit.dev/docs/use-cases/claude-code).
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### Web Apps
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Build a web interface for Claude Code. No terminal required. Just open a browser, connect to the WebSocket, and start coding. Great for presentations, teaching, or developers who prefer GUIs.
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### Mobile Apps
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Control Claude Code from your phone. Run tests while walking. Check build status from the couch. Deploy from anywhere. Your coding environment fits in your pocket.
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### Pair Programming Platforms
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Create a web app where multiple people can interact with Claude Code simultaneously. Real-time collaboration, shared context, better than screen sharing.
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### Teaching & Demos
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Show Claude Code in presentations without terminal windows cluttering the screen. A clean web interface for live coding demos, tutorials, and workshops.
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### Custom Developer Tools
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Build your own tools on top of Claude Code. Automations, dashboards, integrations—anything you can imagine. The WebSocket interface makes Claude Code a building block.
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### IDE Integrations
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Embed Claude Code directly into your IDE. VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, custom editor—give Claude Code a proper home in your development environment.
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## Getting Started
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**Installation:**
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First, clone and build echokit_pty:
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```bash
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git clone https://github.com/second-state/echokit_pty.git
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cd echokit_pty
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cargo build --release --bin echokit_cc
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```
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**Running echokit_pty:**
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Set your workspace directory and start the server:
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```bash
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ECHOKIT_WORKING_PATH="/path/to/your/workspace" \
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./target/release/echokit_cc -c ./run_cc.sh -b "localhost:3000"
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```
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The WebSocket server will start on `ws://localhost:3000/ws`.
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![](./2026-02-25-echokit-pty.jpg)
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## echokit_pty vs. Claude Code Remote Control
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You might be wondering: *Should I use echokit_pty or Claude Code's official Remote Control?*
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**Use Claude Code Remote Control if:**
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- You want to control Claude Code from your phone or browser
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- You have a Max subscription and don't need customization
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- You just need remote access, not programmatic control
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**Use echokit_pty if:**
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- You're building a custom application or service
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- You need full control over the protocol and behavior
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- You want to integrate Claude Code into hardware (voice devices, custom interfaces)
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- You need a free, open-source solution
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- You're building something beyond simple remote control
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**They're complementary, not competing.** Remote Control is perfect for individual developers who want mobile access. echokit_pty is for builders who want to create entirely new experiences on top of Claude Code.
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## The Vision
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Claude Code is the most capable AI coding assistant today. With Remote Control, it can now follow you beyond the terminal. But that's just the beginning.
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echokit_pty is about turning Claude Code into a true **platform for innovation**.
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Imagine what we can build:
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- Voice-controlled coding assistants with custom hardware
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- Specialized interfaces for specific workflows
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- Custom developer tools and dashboards
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- AI-powered IDE integrations
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- Educational platforms with tailored experiences
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All built on top of echokit_pty's open API.
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**Claude Code as a platform for builders, not just a tool for users.**
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---
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**Ready to build something?**
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Start with the [echokit_pty repository](https://github.com/second-state/echokit_pty). See EchoKit's full integration [documentation](https://echokit.dev/docs/use-cases/claude-code) for a complete example. Join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/Fwe3zsT5g3) to share your ideas.

‎doc/dev/2026-02-25-echokit-pty.jpg‎

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