Real AI agent use cases, with sources and setup prompts

Give Codex control of an iPhone with a screen stream and an Arduino mouse

A developer built computer use for iPhone: a small iOS app streams the screen to a server, the server offers MCP tools to Codex, and an Arduino acting as a mouse taps the phone wherever Codex points.

Free tier1 weekendAdvancedSource linked

Source

@AndreaPaparella on X · 2026-10-18

Written in our own words. Credit to the original author. Link checked 2026-10-21.

What they did

A developer built computer use for iPhone: a small iOS app streams the screen to a server, the server offers MCP tools to Codex, and an Arduino acting as a mouse taps the phone wherever Codex points.

Result (as claimed)

Codex opened the camera and took a photo on the phone on its own.

Tools they used

OpenAI CodexArduinoiPhone

Cost: OpenAI Codex: free plan, paid from $8/mo. Checked 2026-10-14.

Set it up

  1. Write a one-page brief

    Describe the app in plain words: who it is for, the 3 core screens or actions, and what "done" looks like.

  2. Start the project with your agent

    Open OpenAI Codex and paste the brief. Ask it to propose a stack and a file plan before writing code.

  3. Build one slice at a time

    Ship the smallest working flow first, run it, then add features one by one. Commit after each working step.

  4. Test it like a user

    Click through on desktop and phone. Ask the agent to add basic tests and fix anything that breaks.

  5. Check security and ship

    Keep keys in environment variables, check auth and database rules, then deploy and share the link.

Copy the full setup prompt

Paste into your agent and it will walk you through the setup, asking before anything that sends, posts or spends.

You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Claude Code.

Goal: Give Codex control of an iPhone with a screen stream and an Arduino mouse
What the original author did: A developer built computer use for iPhone: a small iOS app streams the screen to a server, the server offers MCP tools to Codex, and an Arduino acting as a mouse taps the phone wherever Codex points.
Reported result (as claimed by the author): Codex opened the camera and took a photo on the phone on its own.
Source: https://x.com/AndreaPaparella/status/2111916756772270306
Tools they used: OpenAI Codex, Arduino, iPhone
Category: Vibe coding & apps

Please:
1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like).
2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure.
3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data.
4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.

The Daily 5

Get five new use cases tomorrow morning

Free. Real sources. Unsubscribe any time.

Guides for this use case

How to let AI control your computer (computer use) · How to design a PCB and electronics with AI · How to build an iPhone or Android app with AI · How to build hardware projects with AI agents

Related use cases