Frequently Asked Questions

Shadow works for solo developers who want Claude Code in their car, and for teams that need usage tracking and compliance. Use it your way.

Shadow is built for developers and teams who need:

• Audit trails of all AI interactions
• Team coordination and usage analytics
• Privacy controls with local model options
• The ability to switch between AI providers without changing workflow
• Hands-free operation via Android Auto

Shadow connects to AI services through their standard APIs, but the real value is the management layer on top - audit trails, team coordination, privacy controls, and the ability to swap backends without changing your workflow.

The technical architecture lets you run AI locally for sensitive data, or use cloud APIs for speed. You can switch between Claude, GPT, Gemini, or local models like Llama without changing how you interact with the app.

I designed the product and architecture. I used AI tools extensively to accelerate development - which is kind of the point of building an AI productivity tool. The vision and product decisions are mine.

ShadowBridge is the PC companion app that connects your phone to your development environment. It enables:

• SSH key exchange between phone and PC
• Clipboard sync across devices
• Claude Code integration via the companion relay
• Web dashboard for managing projects, notes, and analytics

It runs in your system tray and automatically discovers your phone on the local network or via Tailscale VPN.

Yes! Shadow supports on-device inference via llama.cpp. You can download and run local models directly on your phone - no internet required, and your data never leaves your device.

This is perfect for sensitive work, offline environments, or when you just want to avoid API costs.

Yes, Shadow has full Android Auto support with a voice-first interface designed for hands-free operation while driving. You can:

• Talk to AI assistants without touching your phone
• Review and approve Claude Code requests from your car
• Dictate notes and messages
• Control everything with voice commands

There's also a built-in safety system that gates certain interactions based on driving speed.

Shadow gives you full control over your data privacy:

• Local models: Run AI entirely on-device with no data leaving your phone
• Your API keys: When using cloud APIs, you use your own keys - we don't proxy or store your conversations
• Encrypted storage: Sensitive data is stored in Android's encrypted shared preferences
• No analytics on content: We don't collect or analyze your AI conversations

Your API keys are stored only on your device in Android's encrypted storage. They never leave your phone and are never sent to our servers. Shadow connects directly to the AI provider APIs using your credentials.

The core app is free and includes:

• SSH/CLI backends: Connect to Claude Code, Gemini CLI, or any SSH-based AI tool at no cost
• Local models: Run llama.cpp models entirely on-device - free forever
• ShadowBridge: Full PC companion with clipboard sync, SSH relay, and web dashboard
• Android Auto: Hands-free voice interface while driving
• Projects & Notes: Organize your work

For cloud APIs (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google), you use your own API keys and pay those providers directly - Shadow doesn't add any markup.

Pro ($50 one-time, no subscription) unlocks: Automations, Conversational Team Mode, AI Teams, DevOps integrations (Slack, Jira, PagerDuty), and Audit Mode for AI decision logging.

Shadow supports multiple AI backends:

• Cloud APIs: Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (GPT), Google (Gemini)
• SSH Backends: Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Codex
• Local Models: Any GGUF model via llama.cpp

You can switch between providers seamlessly without changing your workflow.