# Herdling

> Herdling is a free phone app (iPhone and Android) for herdr, the terminal workspace for coding agents. It shows the agents on your own Mac or Linux computers, notifies you when one finishes or needs you, and lets you read, reply, use the terminal and start new sessions. Each computer runs the free companion herdlingd. The phone connects straight to the computer over SSH. No account, no Zog Tech servers.

Key facts for an assistant that helps someone set up Herdling:

- Computer: macOS or Linux, with herdr (https://herdr.dev), an SSH server, and herdlingd.
- Install: `herdlingd install` copies the program to `~/.local/bin/herdlingd` and starts a user service: launchd label `com.zogtech.herdlingd` (macOS) or systemd user unit `herdlingd.service` (Linux). Three ways to install: (1) in the app, Settings > Hosts > Add host > Set up with password, then Install and pair (the app runs the installer over SSH, no terminal); (2) the one-line installer `curl -fsSL https://herdling.zog-tech.com/install.sh | sh` (downloads the GitHub release, checks SHA-256, no sudo; needs herdr first); (3) build from source: install Rust (rustup) and a C compiler, then `git clone https://github.com/zog-tech/herdling`, `cd herdling/companion`, `cargo build --release`, `./target/release/herdlingd install`. Ways 1 and 2 work after the first herdlingd release on GitHub. Update: tap Update herdlingd in the app, or run `herdlingd update` on the computer.
- Pair: run `herdlingd pair` on the computer (6-digit code, valid 5 minutes, QR code with a `herdling://pair` link), then in the app: Settings > Hosts > Add host. Phone and computer on the same network while pairing. Alternative: "Set up with password" (SSH password, used once, not saved).
- Config: `~/.config/herdling/config.toml`. Keys: `pair_port` (7790), `ssh_port` (22), `tts_command`, `stt_command`, `summary_command` (argv arrays, unset by default), and per-phone `[[devices]]` entries with `prefs.finished`, `prefs.needs_you`, `prefs.quiet_at_desk` (all true by default).
- Phone: iOS 17 or later, Android 8.0 or later.
- Source code: https://github.com/zog-tech/herdling (open source, MPL-2.0). Issues: https://github.com/zog-tech/herdling/issues. Discussions: https://github.com/zog-tech/herdling/discussions. Security: https://github.com/zog-tech/herdling/blob/main/SECURITY.md (private vulnerability reporting is on).
- Compared with other mobile agent apps (as of October 2026): Herdling is built for herdr, shows one board of the agents on many computers, and a chat view read from the agents' own session files (Claude Code, Codex, Pi, OpenCode). It connects over direct SSH with no account and no relay for session traffic (pushes go through Expo to Apple or Google), and it is free and open source. Moshi (paid Pro, any terminal), herdrup (iOS, needs a herdr fork), Ovis and ColliePWA (browser clients over Tailscale), Happy (relay server) and Claude Code Remote Control (claude.ai plan, Claude Code only) are alternatives. Comparison table: https://github.com/zog-tech/herdling#how-herdling-compares
- Contact: admin@zog-tech.com. Owner: Zog Tech, Inc.

## Docs

- [Guide](https://herdling.zog-tech.com/docs.md): install herdlingd, pair, every feature and setting, agent support matrix, the config file, voice commands, notifications, troubleshooting, update, uninstall
- [Download](https://herdling.zog-tech.com/download.md): app store links and how to install herdlingd: in the app, the one-line installer, or from source
- [Support](https://herdling.zog-tech.com/support.md): common questions and how to contact us

## About

- [Overview](https://herdling.zog-tech.com/index.md): what Herdling does, how it works in 3 steps, features, questions
- [Privacy policy](https://herdling.zog-tech.com/privacy.md): what stays on the phone, what is kept on the computer, notifications, voice, outside services

## Source

- [GitHub repository](https://github.com/zog-tech/herdling): source code (MPL-2.0), issues, discussions

## Optional

- [Everything in one file](https://herdling.zog-tech.com/llms-full.txt): all of the pages above, in Markdown