Astropad

Pro tools for the Apple ecosystem. Built by ex-Apple engineers.

[Matt Ronge @mronge]

My MacBook Pro is closed, but I'm controlling it from my iPad.

Demo 👇

[Astropad @Astropad]

@taranx0911 That's right! You can use your iPhone, iPad, or another Mac

[Astropad @Astropad]

Running AI agents on a headless Mac Mini? Check logs, monitor outputs, and restart stuck tasks — all from your iPhone.

[Astropad @Astropad]

@9to5mac Or just add Fresh Coat 👀

https://t.co/jtyKnaN8eo

[Astropad @Astropad]

*iPhone OR iPad! 😗

[Astropad @Astropad]

@jorybraun But what if you're sitting on your couch and want to check on your Mac mini that's sitting in the other room? You can do that from your iPhone or iPad with Workbench 😗

[Astropad @Astropad]

Running AI agents on a headless Mac Mini? Check logs, monitor outputs, and restart stuck tasks — all from your iPhone or iPad.

[Astropad @Astropad]

@gonxolotl But no voice input or unified display :/

[Astropad @Astropad]

20 minutes of free remote access a day. Enough to check in on your agents, restart a stuck task, or see what's actually happening on your Mac.

[Astropad @Astropad]

@ZeroDarkDev VNC if you like network config and port forwarding. Workbench if you don't.

[Matt Ronge @mronge]

The iPad is my favorite way to remote into a Mac.

• Magic Keyboard just works
• Unified display matches the iPad screen
• Apple Pencil for precise clicks and Pencil-native drawing

Cramped VNC viewer this is not. Here's a short demo:

[Matt Ronge @mronge]

Do you need a HDMI dummy plug for your headless Mac Mini?

No.

Here's why and what to do instead:

[Astropad @Astropad]

@HansOnTech Try quitting and relaunching the client app

[Matt Ronge @mronge]

https://t.co/NTBZToZgDE

[Matt Ronge @mronge]

I've been running my Mac mini headless as an always-on AI agent host for months.

Here's my full setup video (3min) covering:

• FileVault + auto-login
• Sleep settings
• Remote access
• Reaching it from anywhere (yes, even from your phone)

[Astropad @Astropad]

Running a Mac mini for AI agents? Our setup guide covers:

System settings for a truly headless setup (FileVault, sleep, auto-login); Quirks to watch out for (spoiler: dummy plugs are mostly a thing of the past); and how to connect over remote desktop apps, SSH, VPNs, and more.

[Astropad @Astropad]

@shMorganson We're collecting feedback and feature requests here! https://t.co/JfNTcqttT8

[Matt Ronge @mronge]

Workbench 1.2 just shipped - Remote desktop for your headless Mac from iPhone or iPad.

New stuff:
- Full Screen Unified Display on Mac
- Speech-to-text for non-English languages
- App stays connected in the background
- Improved zooming on iPad/iPhone
- Improved Intel Mac support
- Login stability fixes everywhere
- Option to hide the dock icon

Stick around to the end of the video for a little surprise 😗

[Matt Ronge @mronge]

The iPad's external display support is underrated.

I connected my iPad to a Studio Display and ran Workbench. Now my headless Mac mini (back in Minneapolis) is running full-screen on a 27" display in Ohio.

Remote Mac on a Studio Display through an iPad. Pretty wild. 🤯

[Astropad @Astropad]

@defileo Put Astropad Workbench on it and then it will really sing!

[Astropad @Astropad]

@widepipe Try restarting the Workbench app

[Astropad @Astropad]

@ryancassin @stephenrobles Thats very strange, can you email [email protected]? We can investigate further

[Astropad @Astropad]

@CodeAkram @LyalinDotCom You can try Workbench now! https://t.co/aXIRyzdmDq