Cross-device command routing

Cross-device command routing means you can talk to the same AI assistant from your phone, laptop, tablet, or smartwatch—and the assistant knows it's you, keeps one conversation context, and replies on the device or channel that makes sense. You might ask "What's my next meeting?" from your watch, then from your laptop say "Draft an email to John about that meeting" and the assistant uses "that meeting" from the prior context. When your commands touch documents—"Attach the summary of the contract" or "Send me the Q4 report"—routing works best when the assistant has one place to find PDFs, like iReadPDF, so the right file is used no matter which device you spoke from. This guide covers how to set up cross-device command routing for US professionals.

Summary Connect every device and channel (phone chat, laptop Slack, tablet, watch) to one AI assistant with a single user identity and shared memory. The assistant routes your command to the right backend and can reply on the same device or another you choose. For document and PDF requests, use one workflow (iReadPDF) so "the contract" or "the report" resolves the same on every device. One assistant, one context, many entry points.

Table of Contents

• Why Route Commands Across Devices
• What Cross-Device Routing Requires
• Unifying Identity Across Devices
• Routing Logic and Reply Placement
• Documents and PDFs Across Devices
• Privacy and Consistency for US Users
• Conclusion

Why Route Commands Across Devices

US professionals switch devices all day. Cross-device routing gives you:

• One assistant, many surfaces. You're not maintaining separate bots for phone and laptop. The same OpenClaw instance receives "What's on my calendar?" from your watch and "Schedule a call with Sarah Thursday" from your laptop. One memory, one set of skills—you choose the device by convenience.
• Context that follows you. You ask from your phone "What did we agree with Acme?" and get an answer. Later, from your laptop, you say "Draft an email to Acme summarizing that." The assistant knows "that" refers to the Acme agreement from the earlier exchange. Context is tied to you, not to the device.
• Reply where it helps. The assistant can reply on the same device (e.g., answer in the watch app) or route the reply to a channel you prefer (e.g., "Send the draft to my Slack so I can edit on desktop"). You get the right level of detail on the right screen—short on watch, full draft in Slack.
• Consistent document handling. Whether you ask from your phone "Summarize the contract" or from your laptop "Attach the signed NDA to the email," the assistant resolves the document from one workflow (iReadPDF) so you get the same file and behavior everywhere.

The result is a single, continuous experience no matter which device you use.

What Cross-Device Routing Requires

| Requirement | Details | |-------------|---------| | One AI assistant (e.g., OpenClaw) | A single instance that receives messages from all devices and channels and has one memory/context store per user. | | Device/channel connectors | Each surface (phone chat app, Slack on laptop, tablet app, watch) sends messages to the same assistant with a stable user identifier. Connectors can be per channel (Slack API, Telegram, WhatsApp, custom app). | | User identity linking | A way to know that the watch user, the Slack user, and the phone user are the same person. Usually done by account linking (e.g., "Link this device" in settings) or login so every device maps to one user_id. | | Document workflow (optional) | When the assistant fetches or references PDFs from any device, one source like iReadPDF keeps "the contract" or "the report" consistent so routing doesn't change which file is used. |

You don't need every device on day one. Start with phone + one other (e.g., laptop Slack), prove identity and context work, then add tablet or watch.

Unifying Identity Across Devices

Step 1: Link Every Device to One User

For each device or channel, establish that it belongs to you. Options:

• Login or connect flow. When you open the assistant from a new device (e.g., a watch app or a new Slack workspace), you complete a one-time "Connect to my account" step—e.g., log in with email or scan a QR that links this device to your OpenClaw user. After that, all messages from that device carry your user_id.
• Channel-specific linking. In Slack you might have "Connect Slack" in the assistant's settings; in Telegram you send /start and then "Link to [your email]." The assistant stores a mapping: user_id → slack_id, telegram_id, watch_device_id, etc. Any message from any of those IDs is treated as you.

Without this step, each device would be a separate "user" and you'd lose shared context and document resolution across devices.

Step 2: Attach Device or Channel to Each Message

When a message arrives, the assistant should know not only who sent it but from where (e.g., Slack, Telegram, watch). That allows:

• Context. "That meeting" or "the last thing you asked" can be resolved from the same user's history regardless of device.
• Reply placement. The assistant can decide to reply on the same device or route to another (e.g., "I've put the draft in your Slack #assistant channel" when the request came from the watch).
• Device-appropriate formatting. Short reply on watch, full draft with link on laptop. Same underlying action (e.g., fetch document from iReadPDF); only the presentation changes by device.

Step 3: Keep One Conversation Timeline (Optional but Helpful)

Some setups keep a single chronological thread of all your interactions across devices (visible in a dashboard or "history" view). That helps you and the assistant refer to "what I asked earlier" or "the document we discussed" no matter which device you're on now. Not required for basic routing, but it improves context and debugging for US professionals.

Routing Logic and Reply Placement

• Same-device reply (default). Most of the time, reply where the command came from: watch request → watch reply; Slack request → Slack reply. Users expect to see the answer on the device they used.
• Redirect when useful. For long output (e.g., email draft, report summary), the assistant can say "Draft is too long for this device. I've posted it in Slack #assistant" and then post there. Or you might set a preference: "Always send drafts to my email" so the assistant routes the reply to email from any device.
• Confirm before redirect. If the assistant is about to reply elsewhere, a short confirmation on the requesting device is helpful: "I'll put the full summary in Slack. Check #assistant in a moment." So you're not left wondering where the answer went.

This keeps cross-device routing predictable and user-friendly.

Documents and PDFs Across Devices

Document requests will come from every device. To keep behavior consistent:

1. One document workflow. Use a single place for PDFs (iReadPDF) so "the contract," "the signed NDA," or "the Q4 report" resolves to the same file whether you asked from your phone, laptop, or watch. The assistant doesn't need device-specific logic for documents—just one resolution path.
2. Same resolution rules everywhere. Define how the assistant resolves vague references (by recency, deal name, or folder) and apply those rules on all devices. "The contract" from your watch and "the contract" from your laptop should point to the same PDF.
3. Device-appropriate delivery. On watch or phone, the assistant might reply with a short summary and a link to view or download the PDF. On laptop, it might paste a longer summary or open the link in your doc workflow. The file is always the same; only how it's shown or linked changes by device so you stay within size and UX limits for US teams.

This makes cross-device command routing reliable for document-heavy workflows.

Privacy and Consistency for US Users

• Who can use each device. Restrict access so only you (or authorized users) can send commands from linked devices. Use allowlists and, where possible, re-authentication for sensitive actions so a lost phone or watch doesn't give full access.
• Data in transit and at rest. Ensure messages and context are encrypted and stored in line with US expectations. If you're in a regulated industry, consider where assistant logs and document links are stored and who can access them.
• Document access. When the assistant fetches or links PDFs from any device, keep files in your controlled workflow (iReadPDF) and avoid exposing full document content in chat unless you intend to. Links and summaries are usually enough for cross-device use.

Conclusion

Cross-device command routing lets you talk to one AI assistant from your phone, laptop, tablet, or watch with a single identity and shared context. Link every device to one user, route commands to the same OpenClaw backend, and choose reply placement (same device or redirect) so you get the right detail on the right screen. When commands involve documents or PDFs, use one workflow like iReadPDF so "the contract" or "the report" is consistent on every device—keeping your cross-device setup reliable and secure for US professionals.

Ready to standardize your PDFs so your assistant behaves the same on every device? Try iReadPDF for signing, merging, and organizing documents in your browser. When your AI knows where your PDFs live, the same request from your watch, phone, or laptop always points to the right file.