Home & self-hosted

Remote tech support for someone else's machine

Q: Can I fix someone else's server without a screen-sharing session?

Yes, when the problem is fixable from a shell. Once the AI Commander agent is running on their machine, they send you the session code and you (or your AI client) read logs, restart services, and install packages remotely — no live screen-sharing call to schedule.

Q: How do I make sure access ends after I'm done helping?

The session code is the credential: anyone who knows a current code can run commands until the owner resets the code or blocks their account. To cut you off, the owner blocks your account at any time with aicommander-agent block-admin, or resets the code with aicommander-agent change-code (which mints a brand-new code, kills the old one, and clears every linked account). The session code is the credential, so they stay in control.

Your dad's home server stopped serving photos, or a friend's VPS won't boot a service. With AI Commander they install a small agent once and send you a session code — then you (or Claude) fix it over a real shell: read the logs, restart the service, install the missing package. No screen-sharing call to schedule, no ports to open on their side.

The job

Remote support is the original use case for tools like TeamViewer and AnyDesk — but most of those are built around seeing a desktop. A huge share of "can you fix my box?" requests are actually headless: a home server, NAS, Raspberry Pi, or VPS where the fix lives at the command line. AI Commander is purpose-built for that half:

Diagnose from logs: journalctl, service status, recent errors — without dictating commands over the phone.
Restart or reconfigure the broken service and confirm it's healthy.
Install or update the package they're missing.
Free a full disk, fix permissions, or recover a wedged Docker stack.

What it looks like

Claude — helping out

You: my dad's nextcloud (code AIC-7K3P-WX9M-RTBN) stopped working — see what's wrong and fix it Claude: > docker logs --tail 20 nextcloud Error: Redis connection refused > docker start redis && docker restart nextcloud ✓ nextcloud responding (200) on /status.php Claude: Redis had stopped, so Nextcloud couldn't start. Brought Redis back and restarted Nextcloud — it's serving again.

They stay in control. The session code is the credential: whoever knows a current code can run commands until the owner blocks them or resets the code. To revoke you specifically, they block your account at any time (aicommander-agent block-admin); to lock everyone out, they reset the code (aicommander-agent change-code), which mints a new code and clears every linked account. You only have access while they want you to.

Why AI Commander for headless support

	AI Commander	TeamViewer / AnyDesk	Guided SSH
Headless box (no monitor)	✓	needs a screen	✓
Their side opens a port	No	No	Often
Both of you online at once	Not required	usually	required
AI can do the fixing	✓ MCP	✗	✗
Setup on their machine	one install command	app + ID/password	SSH + keys

Honest scope. This is for problems you can fix from a shell. If the person needs help with a graphical desktop app, a screen-sharing tool remains the right choice.

Set it up

Have the person you're helping run this on their Linux machine (or install the desktop app on macOS / Windows):

curl -fsSL https://aicommander.dev/install | sudo bash

They send you the session code it prints; you connect your AI client, quote the code, and fix it. For machines you support regularly, sign in and save them under aliases.

FAQ

Can I fix someone else's server without a screen-sharing session?

Yes, when the problem is fixable from a shell. Once the agent is running, they send you the session code and you (or your AI client) read logs, restart services, and install packages — no live screen-sharing call.

Is this a TeamViewer alternative for helping family or friends?

For headless and Linux machines, yes. AI Commander is a remote shell, not screen sharing, so it's ideal for a relative's home server, NAS, or Raspberry Pi. For a graphical desktop, a screen-sharing tool is better.

How do I make sure access ends after I'm done?

The session code is the credential: whoever knows a current code keeps access until the owner blocks them or resets the code. They can block your account at any time with aicommander-agent block-admin, or reset the code with aicommander-agent change-code to lock everyone out (a new code is minted, the old one dies, all links are cleared).

Fix it from your own chat

Have them install the agent once; help them whenever something breaks, no call required.

Install the agent Connect your AI client