Sidekeys

Sidekeys is a secondary display and control deck app that turns an iPhone or iPad into an extra screen, shortcut panel, and agent dashboard for a Mac.

Sidekeys turns an iPhone or iPad into a second display, a context-aware control deck, and a dashboard for AI coding agents for your Mac. Users plug in their iPhone via USB-C or connect over Wi-Fi to get a sharp Retina secondary screen with touch, scrolling, and keyboard input. The control deck automatically switches keys based on the frontmost app such as Xcode, Final Cut Pro, Figma, VS Code, or active video calls in Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Slack. It also integrates with Claude Code to display running terminal agents as cards for one-tap approvals. The app requires a Mac with Apple silicon running macOS 27 or later, plus an iPhone or iPad.

Sidekeys at a glance

Best for: Software engineer, Product manager
Runs on: macOS, iOS
Pricing: Free 7-day trial; $9.99 one-time purchase with Mac app free
Released: October 2026
Category: AI agent tool
Website: sidekeysapp.com

Key features

Second screen display with touch and scrolling
App-specific control decks for Xcode, Figma, and VS Code
Meeting control buttons for Zoom and Slack
Dashboard cards for Claude Code agents
USB-C low latency connection and encrypted Wi-Fi pairing
Pinch to zoom and rotating display support

Use it for

Using an iPhone as an extra Mac display
Running app shortcuts from a touch deck
Controlling video calls with dedicated buttons
Monitoring and approving Claude Code agent requests

Alternatives to Sidekeys

Sidekins — It visits friends' desks and runs errands while you work.
Claude Super Sidebar — It brings agent relationships, execution states, and task flows into one panel.
AgentDock — Manages multiple coding agents from one screen-edge inbox without switching tabs.
ManyAgents — Runs multiple AI coding agents locally on your Mac with dedicated worktrees and live previews.
Overboard for Mac — Runs local Claude Code agent departments 24/7 without cloud dependencies.
offstage — Keeps coding agent simulators and windows off your main desktop display.
Chums — Runs agents on the AI and hardware you already own without extra subscriptions.
Array — Runs Claude Code, Codex, and Pi side by side on one canvas.
Offscreen — Runs agent tasks in fresh VMs so your desktop stays free for your own work.
iphone-use — Operates real iPhones via HTTP and MCP without touching the host screen.
Bluey By Riley — A blueberry character on an iPhone controls the Mac screen and manages meeting notes.
sideOS — It reads the accessibility tree in about 50 ms and operates desktop apps directly.

All Sidekeys alternatives