Guides to background computer use
How to let Claude, Codex and other AI agents operate Mac apps, websites and files with their own cursor, while you keep working.
- AI agent for Excel and Numbers on the Mac: fill spreadsheets from invoices, emails and web pagesThree ways to let an AI agent fill Excel or Numbers on a Mac: write the file directly, use an Excel add-in, or let the agent operate the apps. Example prompts, pitfalls and when each fits.
- AI agent to fill out web forms on the Mac: in its own Safari window, with its own cursorHow to let Claude Code, Codex or Cursor fill out web forms in their own Safari window: example prompts, what happens step by step, logins, captchas, uploads, and when AutoFill or a script is simpler.
- Background computer use on the Mac: give every AI agent its own cursorWhat background computer use is, how Claude, Codex and other tools handle your screen, and how any MCP agent can operate Mac apps in background windows with its own cursor, keyboard and clipboard.
- Best macOS MCP servers for GUI automation in 2026: an honest roundupEight MCP servers that let AI agents operate Mac apps, free and paid, compared on background use, several agents, clipboard, setup and license, each checked against its own docs.
- Claude Code computer use: enable it, approve apps and fix common errorsHow to enable the built-in computer-use MCP server in the Claude Code CLI, what per-app approval, hidden apps and the one-session lock mean, how to fix its common errors, and the alternatives.
- Claude Code GUI testing for Mac apps: build, launch, click through, screenshotHow Claude Code or Codex can test your Mac app's GUI: build it, launch it, click through its windows with a cursor of its own and report what it sees. Prompts, the loop, pitfalls and XCUITest.
- Claude computer use on a Team or Enterprise plan, an API key, Bedrock or VertexClaude's built-in computer use needs a Pro or Max plan. How to give Claude Code computer use anyway on Team, Enterprise, an API key, Amazon Bedrock, Google Vertex or Microsoft Foundry, with an MCP server.
- Claude computer use on the Mac: set it up in Claude Desktop and Claude CodeHow to turn on Claude computer use on a Mac with Pro or Max, in Claude Desktop, Cowork and the Claude Code CLI: permissions, background mode, app tiers, limits and what to use when you need more.
- Claude computer use pricing: what it costs on each plan and with the APIWhat Claude computer use costs on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise, what the API computer use tool adds in tokens per request and per screenshot, and what ShadowCursor costs on top.
- Claude computer use vs Codex computer use vs ShadowCursor: a fair comparisonHow Claude, Codex, ShadowCursor and the open-source Cua Driver and Peekaboo compare on background use on the Mac, Windows, several agents at once, clients, plans, clipboard and price.
- Codex CLI computer use: let Codex operate Mac apps through an MCP serverOpenAI documents no built-in computer use for the Codex CLI. What the desktop app's computer use covers, how MCP servers work in the CLI, and how to let Codex test Mac apps from the terminal.
- Codex computer use not working or not available: causes and fixesWhy Codex computer use is missing or fails: wrong surface, plugin not enabled, region rollout, macOS permissions, admin policy, Windows foreground mode, excluded apps. With the fix for each.
- Computer use in opencode, Gemini CLI and other MCP clients on the Macopencode and Gemini CLI have no built-in tool for desktop apps. What each client includes, how its MCP support works, what to check before adding computer use, and how agents get Mac apps.
- Computer use MCP server for the Mac: let any AI agent operate your appsWhat a computer use MCP server does, what to check before you pick one, where the built-in options from Claude and Codex stop, and how ShadowCursor works in Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and VS Code.
- Cua Driver vs ShadowCursor: which background computer use tool fits youCua Driver is free, open source and cross-platform; ShadowCursor gives every agent its own cursor, keyboard and clipboard. What each does better, verified on Cua's own documentation.
- Cursor computer use on the Mac: local apps instead of a cloud VMWhat Cursor's own computer use covers (cloud agent VMs, self-hosted workers, the Browser tool), how MCP tools work in Cursor's agent, and how to let it operate local Mac apps in background windows.
- Fill and sign PDFs with an AI agent on the Mac, in PreviewHow an AI agent fills PDF forms and signs them in Preview on the Mac: example prompts, steps, scanned forms, what a drawn signature is legally, and when a script or a signing service fits better.
- Is it safe to let an AI agent control your Mac? Risks and practical rulesWhat Accessibility and Screen Recording allow, why on-screen content can steer an agent (prompt injection), the rules that keep computer use safe, and what ShadowCursor does and does not protect.
- Peekaboo vs ShadowCursor: a fair comparison of two Mac computer use toolsPeekaboo is a free, scriptable Mac CLI and MCP server; ShadowCursor gives every agent its own cursor, keyboard and clipboard. Where each is stronger, checked against Peekaboo's own docs.
- Playwright MCP vs computer use: when an AI agent needs a browser tool and when it needs the whole MacPlaywright MCP is faster and more precise for web pages. Computer use is for native apps, system dialogs and sites that should see a normal browser. How to tell which one a task needs.
- Run multiple AI agents at once on a Mac, including GUI workHow to run several Claude Code, Codex or Cursor agents in parallel on one Mac: separate checkouts for code, and for app work a cursor, keyboard and clipboard of their own for every agent.
- VS Code and GitHub Copilot computer use on the Mac, through an MCP serverVS Code's agent has browser tools but no tool for desktop apps. How MCP works across Copilot, Local, Claude and Codex sessions in VS Code, and how to let the agent operate Mac apps in its own windows.
- What is computer use in AI? Screenshots, accessibility trees and how agents clickA plain explainer of AI computer use: the screenshot loop, accessibility trees, coordinates or element indexes, foreground or background, API tool, desktop apps and MCP servers, and safety.