Skip to main content

Remote Access — VNC Studio via Cloudflare

Remote Access — VNC Studio via Cloudflare

Prerequisites

  • cloudflared installed on both Studio and Air
  • Screen Sharing enabled on Studio: System Settings → General → Sharing → Screen Sharing
  • Cloudflare Tunnel "mattermost" running on Studio (LaunchAgent: com.john.cloudflared)

Architecture

Studio: macOS Screen Sharing (VNC :5900)
    → Cloudflare Tunnel
    → vnc.basicconsulting.no
    → Air: cloudflared TCP proxy
    → localhost:5901
    → Finder VNC client
  • Studio exposes VNC on port 5900 (macOS Screen Sharing)
  • Cloudflare Tunnel proxies TCP traffic to vnc.basicconsulting.no
  • Air runs a local cloudflared proxy that maps tunnel → localhost:5901
  • Port 5901 on Air avoids conflict with Air's own Screen Sharing (5900)

Studio Setup (One-time — already done)

Cloudflared config (~/.cloudflared/config.yml) includes:

- hostname: vnc.basicconsulting.no
  service: tcp://localhost:5900

Tunnel runs as a LaunchAgent:

# Check tunnel status
launchctl list com.john.cloudflared

# Restart if needed
launchctl kickstart -k gui/$(id -u)/com.john.cloudflared

How to Connect from Air

  1. Open Terminal on Air

  2. Start the local TCP proxy:

cloudflared access tcp --hostname vnc.basicconsulting.no --url localhost:5901

  1. Open Finder → Go → Connect to Server (Cmd+K)

  2. Enter:

vnc://localhost:5901
  1. Enter the VNC password when prompted

Keep the Terminal window open — the cloudflared proxy must stay running for the session.

Troubleshooting

Connection fails:

# On Studio — verify tunnel is running
ps aux | grep cloudflared

# Restart tunnel on Studio
launchctl kickstart -k gui/$(id -u)/com.john.cloudflared

Lag / slow display:

Display is at 2560x1440 (5K scaled). Reduce resolution temporarily to improve performance:

# Reduce to 1080p (lower lag)
displayplacer "id:D8EAE737-E4F0-42D1-9AD0-C39CDD691C67 res:1920x1080 hz:60 color_depth:8 scaling:on enabled:true"

# Restore original resolution
displayplacer "id:D8EAE737-E4F0-42D1-9AD0-C39CDD691C67 res:2560x1440 hz:60 color_depth:8 scaling:on enabled:true"

Port conflict on Air:

If port 5901 is already in use:

lsof -i :5901

Use a different port (e.g. 5902) and update the vnc:// address accordingly.

noVNC (Browser fallback — NOT recommended)

Tested and unusable due to lag on 5K display. Documented here for reference only.

Install:

pip3 install --break-system-packages websockify
git clone https://github.com/novnc/noVNC.git ~/novnc

Run (on Studio):

websockify --web ~/novnc 6080 localhost:5900

Access: https://remote.basicconsulting.no/vnc.html?resize=scale

Verdict: Unusable lag at 5K resolution. Use the cloudflared TCP method above.

Last updated: 2026-02-24 Created by: John — post VNC remote access session

No comments to display

Back to top