Let Claude send email and chats from your desktop
Use Claude computer use to open desktop apps, draft messages, and send them after you review each one.
- What they did
- The author had Claude take over the computer for about three hours after an Outlook connector still needed IT sign-off and an iMessage connection had already failed. They spent five setup steps enabling computer use, including installing a Chrome extension and turning on screen recording and accessibility permissions. Claude then launched the Outlook desktop app, wrote and sent an email, found the correct iMessage thread, and sent a text using the instructions the author gave it.
- How it went
- The email and the iMessage went out without using any API or direct integration. Claude also wrote a Teams message to a coworker, but it waited for the author’s approval before sending it. The main snag was startup lag: Outlook took a few minutes to open because it had never been launched on that computer before.
- Tips
- This works best when you already know the recipient and the message content. Expect slower launches in apps that have not been opened before, and always review anything the agent plans to send.
Try it yourself with Claude computer use
Use my computer to help me contact people. First, open [email app] and draft a message to [recipient] about [topic]. Then open [messaging app], find my conversation with [person], and draft a message that says: [message]. Show me each draft before sending, and wait for my approval before you click send, submit, delete, or make any other irreversible change. After I approve each one, send it and confirm when it’s done.
Fill in the [brackets]. Agents can make mistakes, so review anything before it is sent, paid or deleted.
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