Separate connection, execution and visual context
Your iPad supplies the display, keyboard and screenshots. The remote host stores the repository and runs the CLI. The AI provider processes the context you send. Choose each part independently: changing your SSH app does not require changing agents, and a screenshot link does not replace your development environment.
Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI
For Claude Code, supply an image path on its host. Codex CLI can start with --image followed by a local image path. For Gemini CLI, ask it to inspect a saved image with its read_file tool and a compatible model; text-oriented file references may skip binary images. Paths must exist on the CLI’s machine, not merely on your iPad.
Option 3: an SSH development host
Prepare a Linux or Mac host with your repository, dependencies and chosen CLI installed and authenticated. Connect from an iPad SSH client as a normal user and confirm the project directory before starting the agent. Keep credentials on the appropriate device and review tool permission requests in the session.
Keep work available between connections
Run terminal work inside tmux on the host so a disconnected SSH client does not end the terminal session. Reattach after reconnecting. tmux cannot keep a powered-off server running or preserve processes across a reboot. Use the agent’s own conversation-resume feature where needed, and save important changes in version control.
Preview the app and send useful feedback
A server’s localhost is not your iPad’s localhost. Use a deliberately configured private preview or SSH port forwarding to reach a development app; avoid exposing an unauthenticated development server publicly. Reproduce the problem on the iPad, capture the relevant screen and send the screenshot with the route, viewport and expected behavior.
Close the loop with tests and code review
Give the agent a small task, review the diff and run the project’s relevant checks on the host. Open the preview from the iPad and compare it with the intended behavior. Share a new screenshot for a new visual state. Avoid running several agents against the same working files without isolation.
Screenshot → Share2AI → your AI
- Install Share2AI on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. Open the app and activate or restore your subscription before using the share extension.
- Check the screenshot and hide passwords, personal messages and other sensitive details. On iPhone or iPad, open it in Photos, tap Share and select Share2AI. If needed, find it under More.
- Wait for the upload and the confirmation that the link was copied. Paste that fresh link into your AI conversation with a specific question. Do not open it yourself to test it first.
- Ask the agent to retrieve and inspect the screenshot once. If it needs a local attachment, download the image on the machine running the agent, then attach that saved file. A URL only works when the tool can fetch and process images.
Temporary access and privacy
Anyone with an active link can access the screenshot. Share2AI deletes its temporary copy after successful delivery or expiration; the initial lifetime is 30 minutes, and the app shows the applicable expiry. Removing metadata does not hide visible secrets. Copies downloaded to your server and data retained by the destination AI follow their own retention rules.
Troubleshooting and FAQ
The AI cannot open the link. What should I check?
Check whether it supports image input and outbound HTTPS. A text-only web fetcher may not pass image pixels to the model. If permitted, download once to the agent’s machine and attach the local image. Do not turn off security controls just to make a link work.
Why did the link stop working?
It may have been delivered already or expired. Opening it in a browser or downloading it with curl can use the one-time delivery. Create a fresh link for another delivery; keep a successfully downloaded local copy for the current task.
Can I send several screenshots or any file?
Share2AI handles one screenshot per upload. PNG and JPEG are supported; the Apple client can convert HEIC before uploading. Documents, archives and batches are outside the screenshot workflow.
Send the screenshot from where you are
Share a screenshot, copy its temporary link and bring visual context to your remote AI.
Share2AI costs $0.99 per month in the United States. The App Store shows your local price before purchase. There is no free trial. The subscription renews automatically until canceled in your Apple Account settings.