Dispatch: Assign Desktop Tasks from Your Phone
Dispatch is a beta feature for Pro and Max plans that gives you one continuous Cowork conversation across Claude Desktop and the Claude mobile app.
Dispatch is for work that needs your desktop computer: local files, desktop apps, connectors, plugins, or Computer Use. You can send a task from your phone, receive a notification when Claude needs approval, and return to the same conversation from either device.
Review the files in the project folder I already approved. Create a summary of changes made this week and save a draft report in the Reports folder. Do not delete, move, publish, email, or upload anything. Ask me before using another app or account.
Requirements
- Pro or Max plan
- Current Claude Desktop app, open on the computer that will do the work
- Current Claude mobile app, signed into the same account
- An awake desktop with an active internet connection
Anthropic currently lists Dispatch desktop support for macOS, Windows x64, and Linux. Computer Use is not available in the Linux beta.
How to start
- Update Claude Desktop and the Claude mobile app.
- Open Cowork and select Dispatch in the sidebar.
- Follow the setup steps and choose whether Claude may use local files and keep the computer awake.
- Send the first task from the Dispatch conversation.
- Confirm that the desktop is still connected before leaving it unattended.
Dispatch versus a cloud Cowork session
| Dispatch | Cloud Cowork session | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs where | Your desktop computer | Anthropic's servers |
| Works if the computer sleeps | No | Yes, unless a later step needs your computer |
| Reaches local files and apps | Yes, with approved access | Only through an open, connected Claude Desktop app |
| Conversation model | One continuous Dispatch thread | Normal Cowork sessions |
Dispatch is not the feature to choose when your priority is running with the laptop closed. Use a cloud Cowork session for work that can be completed with remote tools and account files.
Safety boundaries
Sending instructions from a phone can trigger actions on your computer. A mistaken instruction or malicious content in a webpage, document, or email can therefore have broader consequences.
- Scope the folders, apps, and accounts before starting.
- Keep publishing, deletion, purchases, credential changes, and financial actions supervised.
- Review approval requests instead of approving them reflexively from a notification.
- Disconnect Dispatch if your computer or phone is lost or shared.
Current limitations
- The desktop must remain awake and Claude Desktop must remain open.
- Dispatch uses one continuous conversation; it does not provide multiple separate Dispatch threads.
- You receive results and approval requests, not a live remote-desktop view.
- Computer Use is unavailable in the Linux beta.
Related Guides
- Cloud vs local sessions — How Dispatch differs from a remote cloud session
- Mobile Remote Tasks — Requirements and limits when assigning work away from the desktop
- Computer Use Permissions — Scope folders and apps before Dispatch can reach the screen
Related Features
- Computer Use — Screen and app control that Dispatch can trigger on an awake desktop
- Channels — Claude Code chat/webhook ingress (separate from Cowork Dispatch)
- Scheduled Tasks — Recurring runs that do not require a phone handoff
Related Comparisons
- All Claude Cowork comparisons
- Claude Cowork vs ZCode — Long-running agent work with mobile remote control options
- Claude Cowork vs WorkBuddy — Office agent with chat-app remote control in another ecosystem