How can I run AI agents on a Linux PC and control them from a Mac?
The short answer
My Mac got really hot, so my agents now run on a Linux PC I already owned, and my M2 MacBook is only the control screen: I type in T3 Code on the Mac, the work runs on the PC, and Tailscale connects the two. In the video, a test command sent from the Mac over SSH made a 6-second, 1280×720 clip on the Linux PC.
The voice button that would send my voice to the PC is an idea I took from Nimrod and plan to build; I haven't built it yet.
Chapters
My setup (as of October 19, 2026)
| What | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Parts | Three parts, one job each: iOS app records footage, Mac gives instructions, Linux PC runs tools and saves output | in the video |
| Mac | MacBook with an M2 chip; control and review screen. I type in T3 Code here | in the video |
| Linux PC | Runs the agents and tools and holds the project files. A PC I bought for Stable Diffusion and ComfyUI, now on Omarchy (I started on Ubuntu) | in the video |
| Connection | Tailscale links the devices; T3 Code is where I manage the work | in the video |
| Real check | Started from the Mac over SSH: a 6-second, 1280×720 clip (180 frames) made on Linux, result PASS. Not a T3 Code demo or a speed test | in the video |
| Voice button | Planned, not built. Idea from Nimrod: a button that sends my voice to the Linux PC | in the video |
Try it on your own computer
- Pick one repeatable job that ends in a file, such as making a short review clip, and start it on a computer you already own while you stay on your laptop.
- Check which operating system ran the process and where the result was saved, then open it from the laptop and confirm it came from this run, not an older file.
- Connect the two machines over an authenticated private connection (I use Tailscale); don't expose a terminal or agent server publicly.
- Before buying hardware, decide whether maintaining a second computer is worth it for your own tasks.
Transcript
0:00 I'm watching this Nimrod guy, and this content is really good, although it is a lot more complicated than mine. My Mac gets really hot really fast. I installed Omarchy right now, and then all the agents are running inside there instead of my Mac. My setup is a lot more simple. I just have a MacBook, an iOS app and Linux box. Just three. Why? Because I want simplicity. I want less app, less computer.
0:27 I run my own Linux box, which I bought like three years ago. It's like $1,200. I actually bought this because of Stable Diffusion and ComfyUI back then. I was experimenting a lot with image generation and video generation. And you can install whatever distro you want. At first I used Ubuntu distro, which is fine, but I wanted to try out Omarchy. But at first it's really hard to get used to the keyboard commands, so I thought, maybe this is not right for me.
1:00 And then once I made the T3 Code work on it, I never touch the box anymore. I only type it on my Mac, and it'll sort of send all the work that needs to be done to the box, instead of me typing the keyboard for Linux box. And it's all connected with Tailscale for security reasons.
1:24 Also, permission-wise, Apple permission just stops you all the time. It'll stop you for permissions, which is so annoying. Also, the good thing is, if you use Linux, you can actually configure it, and whatever problem you have, you can just ask it to fix it for you.
1:45 I think I'm going to make my personal app to route and handle T3 Code. I don't have a button on the side that can sort of send my voice to the Linux box to do it. This is a good idea, Nimrod. You gave me a good idea. I'll probably make this. Once you move the work to Linux box, then you don't really need an M5 or whatever. Mine is M2, so it's a little bit old, but it does the job.
