# Example 11: Computer Use

Demonstrate Claude Code's ability to control your desktop: open
apps, click buttons, fill forms, take screenshots. This is the
capability that made people say "Anthropic just killed OpenClaw."

**OpenClaw equivalent:** Browser automation + macOS/iOS/Android
companion apps with screen control.

**Requirements:**
- Claude Code Desktop app (not CLI-only)
- macOS with Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions granted
- Computer Use enabled in Settings > Desktop app > General
- Pro or Max plan

## The prompt

```
Open Safari, navigate to Hacker News, take a screenshot of the
front page, then open TextEdit and write a summary of the top
5 stories with their point counts. Save the file as
hn-summary-today.txt on the Desktop.
```

## What happens

1. Claude takes control of your screen (golden border appears)
2. Opens Safari, navigates to news.ycombinator.com
3. Takes a screenshot to read the page content
4. Opens TextEdit (or creates a new document)
5. Types the summary with story titles and point counts
6. Saves the file to your Desktop

## How this compares to OpenClaw

OpenClaw controls the browser via CDP/Playwright (programmatic).
Its macOS/iOS companion apps can interact with the desktop.

Claude Code Computer Use controls the screen like a human:
screenshots, mouse clicks, keyboard input. It is slower but
works with any application, not just browsers.

## Limitations (honest)

- Research preview. Expect rough edges.
- macOS only (for now)
- Slower than Playwright for browser-only tasks
- Cannot interact with apps that block screen recording
- Some actions cannot be undone (the macOS permission warning
  is real)

For browser-only automation, Playwright MCP (example 04) is
faster and more reliable. Computer Use shines when you need to
interact with native desktop apps that have no API or CLI.

---

## Now Try It Yourself

Think about a desktop task you repeat that involves no API or CLI:

```
Open [application], navigate to [where], and [do what].
Take a screenshot before and after. Save the result as
[filename] on the Desktop.
```

**The pattern you just learned:** application + navigation + action + capture. Computer Use works with anything visible on screen. The golden rule: if you can do it by clicking, Claude can do it too.

Ideas worth trying:
- Open your email client, screenshot the inbox, and list unread subjects
- Fill out a form in a desktop app with data from a file
- Take a screenshot of a dashboard and summarize the metrics
- Open a PDF, extract key sections, and save them as markdown