# Can ChatGPT or Claude control your computer? Connect the web apps to your Mac

> Why ChatGPT and Claude in the browser cannot reach your Mac on their own, which desktop apps can, and how a custom connector lets claude.ai or ChatGPT operate your Mac apps.

Updated 2026-10-21 · https://shadowcursor.com/guides/chatgpt-claude-control-your-mac/

> **Short answer:** Not from the browser on its own. ChatGPT on chatgpt.com and Claude on claude.ai run in the cloud and can only reach tools on the internet, so they cannot see or click anything on your computer. Their desktop apps can, within limits: Claude Desktop on Pro and Max plans, the ChatGPT desktop app with Codex or ChatGPT Work in supported regions. If you want the web version to operate your Mac, add ShadowCursor as a custom connector: the AI then works in your Mac apps with its own cursor, keyboard and clipboard.

## Why the browser versions cannot reach your computer

When you chat on claude.ai or chatgpt.com, the model runs on Anthropic's or OpenAI's servers. It can use tools, but only tools it can reach over the internet. A program on your Mac is not on the internet, so the web chat has no way to talk to it.

Both services extend the chat with MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers. In the browser, they accept them only by URL:

- **Claude** adds a remote MCP server by its URL as a custom connector. For a server on your own computer, Anthropic points to desktop extensions in the Claude desktop app ([Anthropic docs](https://claude.com/docs/connectors/custom/remote-mcp)).
- **ChatGPT** connects a custom MCP server through a public HTTPS endpoint or OpenAI's Secure MCP Tunnel ([OpenAI developer docs](https://developers.openai.com/apps-sdk/deploy/connect-chatgpt)).

So the honest answer to "can ChatGPT control my computer" depends on where you use it. In the browser, only through a connector that bridges to your machine. In a desktop app, through the computer use feature built into that app.

## Your options at a glance

| Where you chat | How it reaches your Mac | What you need |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Claude Desktop | Built-in computer use; background mode on macOS | Pro or Max plan |
| ChatGPT desktop app | Built-in computer use with Codex or ChatGPT Work; background on macOS | Supported region |
| claude.ai in the browser | Custom connector to ShadowCursor | ShadowCursor on your Mac; any plan with custom connectors |
| ChatGPT in the browser | Custom MCP server pointing to ShadowCursor | ShadowCursor on your Mac; a ChatGPT plan with custom MCP servers |
| Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, VS Code | ShadowCursor as a local MCP server | ShadowCursor on your Mac |

Sources: [Claude Desktop docs](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/desktop), [ChatGPT computer use docs](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/computer-use). Claude Desktop computer use is a research preview for Pro and Max; Free, Team and Enterprise do not have it. ChatGPT's computer use runs in the background on macOS, but on Windows it works on the active desktop and takes over your pointer.

If you already use one of those desktop apps on a plan that includes computer use, try the built-in feature first. The connector route is for the chat you actually have open in the browser, for plans the desktop feature does not cover, and for anyone who wants every AI to get its own cursor next to their own work.

## How the ShadowCursor connector works

ShadowCursor is a Mac app and MCP server that gives AI agents their own cursor, keyboard and clipboard. Local clients such as Claude Code or Codex start it directly. For claude.ai and ChatGPT, which cannot start anything on your Mac, there is a web connection:

1. The AI sends each tool call to `https://shadowcursor.com/mcp`.
2. The ShadowCursor app on your Mac holds an outgoing connection to shadowcursor.com and picks the call up. Nothing on your Mac listens for incoming connections.
3. The app carries out the call in the window the AI works in and sends back the result: a screenshot of that window and its buttons, fields and menus.

Tool calls and their results pass through shadowcursor.com in memory only and are not stored. Each web conversation becomes one agent with its own cursor, drawn on screen in its color with a name tag, exactly like a local agent.

What the AI can then do is the same as for any computer use agent: open apps, click buttons, type into fields, choose menu items, scroll, drag sliders and read the result. It works in background windows, even when your own windows cover them, and it sees only the windows it works in.


## Setup in four steps

1. **Install ShadowCursor** on your Mac and allow Accessibility and Screen Recording when macOS asks.
2. **Turn on the web connection.** In the ShadowCursor setup, choose "Claude or ChatGPT online" and allow web connections. The app shows a connection code that is valid for 10 minutes and works once.
3. **Add the connector in your AI.** Use the URL `https://shadowcursor.com/mcp`.
   - In Claude, Anthropic documents the path as Customize, then Connectors, then Add custom connector.
   - In ChatGPT, OpenAI documents it as Plugins, then the plus button, then Add custom MCP server.
4. **Enter the code.** Your AI opens a page on shadowcursor.com that asks for the connection code. After that, the connection appears in the ShadowCursor app with a Disconnect button.

Then ask for the task in the chat, for example: "Open Numbers and add the totals from the invoices in my Downloads folder."

## Which plans allow custom connectors

The connector is a feature of your AI's plan, not of ShadowCursor:

- **Claude:** custom connectors by URL work on Free (one connector), Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise. On Team and Enterprise an Owner adds the connector for the organization, and members then connect with their own account ([Anthropic docs](https://claude.com/docs/connectors/custom/remote-mcp)).
- **ChatGPT:** OpenAI's help article lists custom MCP servers for Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces on ChatGPT web; on Business only admins and owners create them, and mobile is not supported ([OpenAI Help Center](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12584461-connecting-custom-mcp-servers-in-chatgpt)). The article does not mention Plus or Pro, so check whether your settings offer the option.

## Limits to know

- **Your Mac has to be on, with ShadowCursor running.** If the app is not connected, the AI gets an error saying that ShadowCursor is not running or not connected on the computer.
- **Calls pass through shadowcursor.com.** They are not stored, but if your company forbids any relay, use ShadowCursor locally with Claude Code, Codex or another desktop client instead.
- **Custom connectors are unverified services.** Anthropic warns that a custom connector can act on your behalf and names prompt injection as a risk; ChatGPT shows a risk warning before you add one. Watch what the AI does and disconnect when you are done. More in [Is it safe to let an AI control your Mac?](https://shadowcursor.com/guides/is-it-safe-to-let-ai-control-your-mac/)
- **The usual computer use limits apply.** Minimized and hidden windows cannot be operated, and the AI opens its own browser window instead of using a background tab of yours. The full list is in the [guide to background computer use](https://shadowcursor.com/guides/background-computer-use-mac/).

## FAQ

### Can ChatGPT access the files on my computer?

Not by itself. Through ShadowCursor it can open a file in an app and work with it the way you would, for example a spreadsheet in Numbers or a PDF in Preview. It sees only the windows it works in, not your whole disk or screen.

### Do I need the Claude or ChatGPT desktop app?

No. The connector works with claude.ai and ChatGPT in the browser. ShadowCursor itself has to run on your Mac, because that is where the apps are.

### Does it work on the free Claude plan?

Claude Free allows one custom connector by URL, according to Anthropic. ShadowCursor itself starts with a 7-day free trial without a card, then costs $12.99 per month or $69.99 per year.

### What happens to my screenshots?

They go from your Mac through shadowcursor.com to the AI you connected, held in memory and not stored. ShadowCursor captures only the window the AI works in, even when it is covered.

### Can I use Claude Code or Codex at the same time?

Yes. Every connection, web or local, is its own agent with its own cursor, keyboard and clipboard. Several can work at once; see [running several AI agents on one Mac](https://shadowcursor.com/guides/run-multiple-ai-agents-mac/).

### How do I disconnect the AI?

Click Disconnect next to the connection in the ShadowCursor app. Its access ends at once. You can also remove the connector in Claude or ChatGPT.