Astropad officially launched its new remote desktop solution, "Workbench," on Tuesday, designed to help users efficiently manage active artificial intelligence agents from their Apple mobile devices.
As the Mac Mini becomes increasingly popular for running autonomous AI agents like OpenClaw, the demand for remote hardware monitoring among developers and users has surged. Astropad CEO Matt Ronge stated that Workbench was tailor-made specifically for these "AI-era" use cases.
A Mobile Console for AI Agents
Although AI agents don't require a display to execute tasks, operators still need to view logs in real-time, monitor outputs, or restart tasks that have stalled. Ronge noted that the inspiration for Workbench came from the team’s own internal needs: "We use AI agents extensively at Astropad, and when they are running long tasks, we needed a convenient way to keep track of their progress."
The software provides high-fidelity streaming, supports voice commands, and is compatible with keyboards, Apple Pencil, and touch input. Through the iPhone or iPad app, users can effectively "put their entire remote desktop in their pocket," enabling mobile productivity from anywhere.
For users running multiple AI agents simultaneously, Workbench includes a built-in device switcher, allowing operators to jump quickly between multiple Mac Minis. This design significantly reduces the complexity of managing multi-machine AI tasks, shifting traditional remote desktop technology away from IT support and into the cutting-edge field of automation engineering.
