The OTP problem, solved across devices
Why OTPs break automation
One-time passwords are designed to frustrate attackers by requiring something only you have at the moment of login — your phone. That same design frustrates automation: the tool running on your computer has no access to your phone's SMS or app notifications, so it stalls at the OTP screen and waits for you to intervene.
In practice this means the most tedious automations — bank logins, government portal logins, financial app logins — all hit the same wall. You automate everything up to the OTP and then you're back at your phone, reading a six-digit code, typing it into a field, and hoping it hasn't expired.
How the OTP relay works
BackBrain's Android companion app runs on your phone and monitors notification content for patterns that match one-time passwords. When the desktop task hits an OTP screen, it signals to the companion that it is waiting for a code. The companion listens for the next matching notification, extracts the code, and sends it to the desktop task over your local network — not through any cloud server.
The code arrives in the correct field on the desktop without you touching anything. The task continues. The entire exchange takes seconds.
Pairing your phone and desktop
Phone and desktop link once, during setup, by scanning a QR code displayed in the BackBrain desktop app. The pairing is authenticated with device keys and operates entirely over your own Wi-Fi — there is no third-party cloud relay in the path between your devices. Once paired, the companion finds the desktop automatically on your local network.
OTPs from email
Many services send one-time codes by email rather than SMS. BackBrain handles these through its email integration: if you have linked Gmail or Outlook, BackBrain watches your inbox during a task and extracts OTP codes from relevant messages as they arrive. No manual checking is required.
OTPs from your clipboard
As a fallback for codes delivered through other channels — authenticator apps, hardware tokens, or services the companion can't reach — BackBrain can also read from your clipboard. Copy the code on your phone and paste it on your desktop; BackBrain picks it up and enters it without further action from you.
Privacy and security of the relay
The OTP relay is private by design. The code travels from your phone to your desktop over your own local network connection, encrypted in transit. It never passes through BackBrain's servers or any third-party cloud. The companion app does not log OTP values — it reads, relays, and discards. The desktop task enters the code into the field and does not record it in transcripts or audit logs.
OTP relay pairs naturally with session persistence: keeping accounts signed in between tasks means OTPs are only needed when a portal session has actually expired — not on every run.
Get BackBrain to do this for you
BackBrain is in free private beta for Windows and Android. Reserve early access.
Reserve Early Access — hello@backbrain.inFrequently asked questions
Does the OTP relay send my codes through BackBrain's servers?
No. The code travels from your Android phone to your desktop over your own local Wi-Fi network. No cloud server is involved in the relay.
Which types of OTPs does the relay support?
SMS and app notifications (via the Android companion), email OTPs (via linked Gmail or Outlook), and clipboard paste (for any other source). Most login flows are covered by at least one of these.
What if my phone is not nearby when BackBrain needs the OTP?
BackBrain pauses at the OTP screen and waits. You can type the code manually if the automatic relay hasn't triggered — the task continues from that step once the code is entered.