Short answer: set up push alerts for failures, not for every success; check a daily summary of what posted and what didn't; keep a way to see the Mac's screen from anywhere; and watch a short list of signals — phones offline, posts unconfirmed, runs stopped, room temperature. Most problems on a farm are physical, so the goal of monitoring is to tell you which phone to walk to.
What to watch
| Signal | Why it matters | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Phones offline | A disconnected phone does nothing | As it happens |
| Runs stopped | Something on screen was unexpected | As it happens |
| Posts not confirmed | May or may not be live; needs a human look | Daily |
| Posts refused | A setting couldn't be applied | Daily |
| Signing expiry | Free Apple accounts expire after seven days | Weekly |
| Room temperature | Hot phones slow or stop charging | Daily, more in summer |
| Mac disk space | Clips and logs fill disks | Weekly |
| Account health | Warnings or restrictions in the apps | Weekly, by hand |
Alerts: fewer, better
The fastest way to stop reading alerts is to get too many.
- Alert on failures and refusals, not on every successful post.
- Batch the rest into a morning summary.
- Route alerts to one place you already check — a Telegram chat, an ntfy topic, an inbox.
- Name devices consistently so an alert says "Phone 07", not a serial number. See naming and labels.
Seeing the farm from elsewhere
| Tool | What it gives you | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| macOS Screen Sharing | The Mac's full desktop | Built in; set up access before you leave |
| A remote desktop app | Same, across networks | Choose one you trust; use strong auth |
| Your automation tool's web view | Fleet and queue status | Depends on the tool |
| Phone screenshots from the tool | What a phone is showing right now | Faster than walking over |
| A camera on the rack | Physical state: lights, screens, cables | Optional; mind privacy |
Secure whatever you open up. Remote access to the Mac is remote access to every account signed in on the phones. See account security.
A daily routine
- Read the morning summary: posted, not posted, refused, uncertain.
- For each uncertain post, open that account's profile and see whether it went out. Don't re-post until you know.
- For each stopped run, look at the saved screenshot before changing any settings.
- Check the phone count matches the rack.
- Glance at the temperature log.
The full solo routine is in running a phone farm alone.
Doing this with Farmero
Farmero reports what posted, what didn't and what was refused, on the Mac and optionally to Telegram or ntfy. A post it couldn't confirm is marked "uncertain", never retried automatically. When it can't identify a screen, it stops and saves evidence — what it saw and what it expected — under Evidence.
For remote checks:
- The web hub shows fleet, accounts, content and schedule.
- The local MCP server (
farmeroctl mcp) lets Claude or another MCP client read fleet status and the verification rate, take phone screenshots, and queue posts. Publishing still waits on your switch in the app. See MCP server.
Physical setup that cuts down alerts in the first place is in the Mac setup guide and USB hubs.
FAQ
How do I check on a phone farm when I'm away?
Use push alerts for failures, a daily summary for the rest, and remote access to the Mac for anything that needs a closer look.
What should trigger an alert?
Phones going offline, runs that stop, and posts that were refused or couldn't be confirmed. Successful posts belong in a summary.
Can I see an iPhone's screen remotely?
You can share the Mac's screen, and some tools, including Farmero's MCP server, can capture a phone's screen on request.
Is remote access to the farm Mac risky?
It can be. Anyone who reaches the Mac reaches the accounts on the phones, so use strong authentication and limit who has access.