Put the computer you already own back to work
Reuse a Mac mini, old MacBook, or another idle computer as a private home for remote coding agents.
A spare Mac or PC that becomes your own always-on agent host. It runs repositories and toolchains at home while TalkTerm controls them remotely.
Choose a Mac when the agents also need Xcode and iOS builds.
Pick the box by its toolchain
Almost any reliable spare computer can become an agent host. For web, backend, and container work, use the operating system that matches your toolchain. For native iOS development, use a Mac because Xcode and Apple-platform builds require macOS.
- Mac mini: quiet, compact, and a natural Xcode host.
- Idle MacBook: useful when it already has the right Apple toolchains.
- Linux PC or home server: strong for web, backend, and containers.
Give agents their own user
Create a dedicated operating-system user for agent work. Keep its repositories, toolchains, and credentials separate from personal desktop data. On a Mac, enable Remote Login only for that user instead of opening it to everyone.
Keep remote access deliberate
- Use an SSH key and explicit host-key verification.
- Do not grant full-disk access unless the workflow truly needs it.
- Use Tailscale when the host should stay private to your tailnet.
Prove it works unattended
- Keep the computer on power and configure sleep intentionally.
- Test a restart before leaving it alone.
- Verify free disk space before large builds.
- Keep persistent sessions under the dedicated agent user.
Add it to TalkTerm once
Save the computer as an SSH host and confirm its fingerprint. Repositories, processes, and credentials stay on that machine; TalkTerm carries the terminal interaction to your iPhone or iPad.
If Herdr is installed, the same host is ready for TalkTerm’s planned optional native agent overview.