Computer use
Let the agent see your screen and work inside your apps, with per-app approval and a kill switch that hands control back instantly.
With computer use on, the agent can finish tasks in the apps on your computer. It can open an app, look at the screen, click, type, press keys, scroll, and drag, the same way you would. Ask it to tidy a spreadsheet, fill in a form, or move files between windows, and watch it work.
Computer use appears in Settings on computers that support it.
Set it up
- Open Settings → Computer Use and click Set up Computer Use.
- Read the short consent screen and click Continue. Mach Studio prepares its helper; nothing is downloaded.
- Grant the two system permissions, Accessibility and Screen Recording, when prompted. Click Request Accessibility, approve it, then Request Screen Recording. Use Open Settings if you need to flip the switch yourself, and look for Mach Studio Computer Use in the list.
- When both show Granted, computer use turns on. Click Done.
Nothing is requested in the background or from a chat. Come back to Settings → Computer Use any time to check the status or click Re-run setup.
You stay in control
The agent asks before acting in an app for the first time. The approval card in the chat shows what it wants to do, with Approve and Deny buttons.
Password managers, keychain, and banking apps are always off limits, no matter how the agent is asked.
Per-app approval
Under Settings → Computer Use → Per-app approval, set rules for individual apps. Click Add an app, pick one, and choose Allow, Ask, or Block separately for read-only actions (taking a screenshot, listing windows) and for actions that change things (clicking, typing, scrolling). Turn on Require per-app approval to block every app that is not on your list.
Screenshots
The agent takes screenshots to see what it is doing. Screenshot retention controls how many recent ones stay in the conversation; the default keeps the last three.
The kill switch
Press Cmd+Shift+K at any time to pause the agent and take back your keyboard and mouse. It works from any app, even when Mach Studio is in the background. The pause lasts until you send your next message.
You will always get a notification when the kill switch fires. To change the shortcut, open Settings → Keyboard Shortcuts and edit Computer Use kill switch. See Keyboard shortcuts.