# device-it
**Turn a local web project into an installable, fullscreen, offline-capable app on your phone, tablet, or desktop — with one command from Claude Code or Codex.**
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*Real, unedited output of one run: inspect → build → PWA transform → deploy → verify (12/12 checks, offline reload included) → a scannable install QR. The icon was lifted automatically from the project's Mac app.*
**Status:** working end-to-end on real projects. Young project, public since July 2026 — the scan lane is exercised daily; the Apple zero-touch lane and the authed-Netlify driver are code-complete with fewer miles on them. Runs on macOS (full) and Linux (scan lane); Windows via WSL.
Try the result on your own phone first — this app was produced by device-it; open it and add it to your Home Screen: **[deviceit-dice.vercel.app](https://deviceit-dice.vercel.app)**
## How it works
```
your project
│ inspect ······ framework, build command, icon candidates, backend smells
▼
build ·············· vite build --base ./ (your source is never modified)
▼
PWA transform ········ manifest + icon set + service worker → fullscreen, offline
▼
deploy ············· auto-picks whatever you're already logged into:
│ vercel · netlify · cloudflare pages · github pages
│ nothing authed? → anonymous deploy, claim it in one click
▼
install ──┬───────── QR / link · any device · about two taps
└───────── pocket MDM · Apple devices · zero taps (one-time setup)
```
The transform happens on the **built output only** — device-it never edits your source tree. Re-running on the same project updates the same URL in place; the installed app picks up the new build on next launch.
## Get device-it
**Claude Code** — clone as a personal skill:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/Christian-Katzmann/device-it ~/.claude/skills/device-it
```
Then, in any session: *"/device-it — put this project on my phone."*
**Codex** — the repo ships a `.codex-plugin` manifest; register it with your plugin setup, e.g.:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/Christian-Katzmann/device-it ~/plugins/device-it
codex plugin add device-it@personal
```
**No agent at all** — the pipeline is plain scripts:
```bash
bash device-it/scripts/run.sh /path/to/your/project --icon logo.png
bash device-it/scripts/run.sh --url https://already-hosted.app --name "Name" # wrap an existing site
bash device-it/scripts/run.sh remove <slug>
```
Requirements: Node 18+, git, and ImageMagick (`magick`) on Linux — macOS can fall back to the built-in `sips`. A deploy account is *not* required (see below).
## The two install lanes
| | Scan lane | Zero-touch lane |
|---|---|---|
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Android, desktop Chrome/Edge | Apple devices |
| Effort per app | scan the QR, then 1–2 taps | none — the icon just appears |
| Accounts | none needed | free, self-hosted (one-time ~10 min setup) |
| Uninstall | delete the icon | removed the same way — no taps |
The zero-touch lane is powered by a **pocket MDM**: a tiny [nanomdm](https://github.com/micromdm/nanomdm) that runs **on your own machine, only while installing**, reached through a Tailscale Funnel, with a free Apple push certificate. No subscription, no hosted service, no data leaving your machine — the full setup walkthrough is in [`references/onboarding.md`](references/onboarding.md).
## Claim-first deploy — no account needed
If no hosting CLI is authed, device-it uses Netlify's anonymous deploy, so **your app is live before you have an account**: on HTTPS in about a minute, yours to claim for 60 minutes — one click (GitHub SSO) makes it permanent and free. device-it opens the claim page on your computer, bakes a claim prompt into the app itself, and prints the temporary password the site carries until it's claimed. If the hour passes unclaimed, the site is deleted — device-it says this plainly rather than letting the app die quietly.
*Every build ships with an on-page install hint — shown only in the device's browser, never inside the installed app. Android and desktop get their browser's native install prompt instead.*
## What this is not
- **Not a native-app compiler.** No Xcode, no signing, no App Store. Apps are installed PWAs / managed web clips. If you need deep native APIs, this is the wrong tool — deliberately.
- **Not a hosting service.** Deploys go to *your* accounts (or a claimable anonymous site). A public URL means a public app; device-it won't add a login wall, because auth walls break offline.
- **Not an Android MDM.** The zero-touch lane rides Apple's MDM protocol. Android and desktop always use the scan lane — where install is a *one-tap* browser prompt, so little is lost.
## Honest limits
- Offline starts after the **first launch** — that's when the service worker caches. Nothing can launch the app for you.
- Apps with real backends: the shell works offline, API calls still need their server.
- The Apple lane needs a yearly ~3-minute push-certificate renewal (the built-in `doctor` warns 30 days ahead).
- Anonymous deploys have a per-machine daily quota — one login to any supported host removes it.
## Under the hood
- [`SKILL.md`](SKILL.md) — the agent-facing contract, including the **install-routes table**: seven field-solved routes (wrap mode for VPS apps, claim-first, zero-touch, Web Push, …) the agent matches against your situation before starting
- [`references/hosting.md`](references/hosting.md) — the deploy-driver contract and each driver's live-verified quirks
- [`references/zero-touch-edge-cases.md`](references/zero-touch-edge-cases.md) — battle-tested field notes from a full VPS + APNs-certificate setup
- [`references/web-push.md`](references/web-push.md) — notifications to installed apps, no Apple certificate needed
- [`references/mdm-protocol.md`](references/mdm-protocol.md) · [`references/onboarding.md`](references/onboarding.md) — pocket-MDM internals and the one-time setup
- [`docs/decisions/`](docs/decisions/) — why the architecture is what it is, including the roads deliberately not taken
- `npm run verify` — syntax-checks every script and manifest; no network, no deploys
Sibling project: [app-it](https://github.com/Christian-Katzmann/app-it) does the same job for the **macOS Dock**. device-it covers the devices you carry.
## License
MIT © Christian Katzmann