When to choose claude-remote-approver
- You only need Claude Code approvals and want something free and small.
- You already run ntfy, or use an iPhone.
- You want open-source code you can read in one sitting.
Compare · claude-remote-approver
claude-remote-approver is a small MIT-licensed Claude Code PermissionRequest hook. It sends permission prompts to ntfy and waits for Approve or Deny from the ntfy phone app; it also handles Always Approve, AskUserQuestion choices and plan reviews. On a timeout or network failure it falls back to Claude's own prompt.
Facts about claude-remote-approver come from its own public pages, accessed (sources below). "Not established" means those sources did not show it, not that it is missing.
| Aspect | claude-remote-approver | handup |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A Claude Code permission hook that sends prompts to your phone as ntfy notifications with Approve and Deny. | A standalone approval inbox: agents and scripts ask before risky steps, and you approve, deny with a note, or answer. It never runs agents and never runs anything on its own. |
| Agents | Claude Code only. | Claude Code and Codex through permission hooks plus MCP. Cursor, omp and any MCP client through MCP tools the agent calls (omp also has an optional tool-gating bridge). Shell scripts and CI through the CLI. |
| Where you decide | The ntfy iOS or Android app. Notifications carry a short summary; full-context review is not promised. | Terminal inbox, Linux, macOS and Windows desktop app and Android app (sideloaded APK). A browser inbox for iPhone and other devices ships after v0.1.1. No native iPhone app. |
| Price | Free. Works with ntfy's free hosted service or a self-hosted ntfy server; ntfy's paid plans are optional. | $30 USD one-time personal license, plus tax where applicable, after a 14-day trial. One person, their own machines. No team licensing. |
| Hosting | A Node.js 18+ hook on your machine, plus ntfy.sh by default or your own ntfy server. | A daemon on your machines; your phone connects over Tailscale or a self-hosted end-to-end encrypted relay (Linux binary included in releases). The managed relay is not for sale. |
| Source code | MIT. | Private. Downloads are public compiled binaries. |
| Privacy | Tool names, commands and file paths pass through the ntfy server; the README recommends self-hosting for sensitive work. Uses a random 128-bit topic. End-to-end encryption is not claimed. | Requests, previews and decisions are stored on your machines; the apps have no telemetry or analytics. License activation and rechecks contact gethandup.dev, and optional push notifications include request titles by default. |
Free for 14 days, no signup. Setup guides per agent.
All accessed . Prices are as displayed then; taxes, hosting and underlying AI subscriptions can be extra. Vendor security statements are their claims, not audits.