The Problem With Chat
Every AI assistant has the same bottleneck: you. You type a prompt, wait for a response, then type another one. Close the tab and the AI stops existing.
That was fine when AI was a search engine with personality. It is not fine when AI can write code, manage servers, fill out forms, and run entire workflows.
Claude now has four distinct ways to keep working when you step away from the keyboard. Each one solves a different problem. None of them require you to be staring at a chat window.
1. Channels: Text Your AI From Anywhere
What it does: Channels lets external messaging apps push messages into a running Claude Code session. Telegram, Discord, and iMessage are supported out of the box. Claude reads the message, does the work, and replies through the same channel.
How it works: You install a channel plugin inside Claude Code, pair your messaging account, and restart with the --channels flag. From that point on, any message you send through that platform lands in Claude's session with full access to your project files, terminal, and tools.
# Install and run with Telegram
/plugin install telegram@claude-plugins-official
claude --channels plugin:telegram@claude-plugins-officialUse cases:
- ●Text your AI from your phone while away from your desk
- ●Get CI/CD failure alerts and let Claude investigate automatically
- ●Bridge team chats so Claude can answer questions in Slack or Discord
- ●Monitor a server from anywhere with a cell signal
Limitations: The Claude Code session must be running. If you close it, the channel goes silent. For always-on operation, run it on a VPS or persistent terminal session. Custom channels beyond the three built-in plugins require the --dangerously-load-development-channels flag during the research preview.
Permission Relay is now officially supported. If Claude hits a permission prompt while you are away, the channel forwards it to your phone. You approve or deny remotely, and Claude continues working. No more stalled sessions.
Full documentation | Our full setup guide for Channels
2. Dispatch: Assign Tasks From Your Phone
What it does: Dispatch lets you assign tasks to Claude from the Claude mobile app or claude.ai. Claude then executes those tasks on your desktop, opening apps, clicking through UIs, and completing work while you are somewhere else entirely.
How it works: Open the Claude app on your phone. Type what you want done. Claude opens the relevant apps on your computer and does the work. You can check progress from the mobile app and see screenshots of what Claude is doing.
Use cases:
- ●Update a spreadsheet while you are at lunch
- ●Pull data from a dashboard and compile a summary
- ●Build a presentation from notes you dictated on your commute
- ●Run a script and review the output from your phone
Limitations: Your computer must stay awake and have Claude Desktop running. Requires a Claude Pro or Max subscription. This is different from Remote Control, which steers an existing session. Dispatch creates a new task and lets Claude figure out how to complete it.
3. Remote Control: Steer an Active Session
What it does: Remote Control lets you connect to an already-running Claude Code session from claude.ai or the Claude mobile app. You can see what Claude is doing, send new instructions, approve permission prompts, and redirect work in progress.
How it works: Start a Claude Code session on your machine. Open claude.ai or the mobile app and connect to that session. You now have a live view of the session and can type commands, approve tool use, or change direction.
Use cases:
- ●Monitor a long-running refactoring task while you grab coffee
- ●Approve permission prompts from your phone instead of walking back to your desk
- ●Redirect work mid-task when priorities change
- ●Review Claude's progress on a multi-step project from another device
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Limitations: Works on any OS, but the session must already be running locally. You are steering, not assigning. If the session is not active, there is nothing to connect to. This is the lightest-weight option since it does not require macOS or any special setup beyond having Claude Code running.
4. Cowork Computer Use: Claude Controls Your Desktop
What it does: Cowork Computer Use gives Claude the ability to see your screen and interact with your Mac's UI directly. Claude controls the mouse and keyboard, clicking buttons, filling forms, navigating menus, and moving between applications.
How it works: Enable Computer Use in Claude Desktop settings. Ask Claude to do something that requires interacting with your screen. Claude takes screenshots to understand what is visible, then sends mouse clicks and keystrokes to accomplish the task.
Use cases:
- ●Fill out repetitive forms across multiple web applications
- ●Navigate complex enterprise software that has no API
- ●Automate cross-app workflows (copy data from one app, paste into another)
- ●Click through multi-step approval processes
Performance: Claude scores 72.5% on the OSWorld benchmark for computer use tasks, up from under 15% in late 2024. That is a significant jump, but it is still a research preview. Claude is methodical rather than fast. For simple tasks like "click this button," a human is quicker. For complex multi-step workflows across several apps, Claude's consistency is the advantage.
Limitations: macOS and Windows. Research preview, so expect rough edges. Claude sees everything on your screen, which raises privacy considerations. It is slower than keyboard shortcuts or scripts for tasks that have those options available. Best suited for tasks that genuinely require visual interaction with a UI.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Method | Platform | Always-On | Setup | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channels | Any OS (VPS) | Yes (with VPS) | Medium | Phone to AI, alerts, chat bridges |
| Dispatch | macOS + Windows | No (computer must be awake) | Easy | Remote task assignment |
| Remote Control | Any OS | No (session must run) | Easy | Steering active sessions |
| Cowork | macOS + Windows | No (computer must be awake) | Easy | Agentic tasks, file access, sub-agents |
| Computer Use | macOS and Windows | No (Mac must be awake) | Easy | Screen control, desktop automation |
Channels is the only method that can run 24/7 without your personal machine being awake. Put it on a VPS and it stays up indefinitely. The trade-off is more setup.
Dispatch and Cowork both work on macOS and Windows and require a machine that stays awake. Dispatch is for assigning new tasks remotely. Cowork handles agentic tasks with file access and sub-agents. Computer Use (the screen control layer within Cowork) is macOS and Windows for now.
Remote Control is the simplest option. It works on any OS and requires zero extra setup. The catch is that a session must already be running.
Picking the Right One
If you want to text your AI from your phone and get responses, use Channels.
If you want to assign a task and walk away, use Dispatch.
If you have a session running and want to check on it from another device, use Remote Control.
If you need Claude to click through desktop applications, use Cowork Computer Use.
Most power users will end up combining two or more. Channels for always-on availability. Remote Control for checking in on long tasks. Dispatch or Cowork when the work requires your desktop environment. Computer Use when you need Claude to interact with app UIs directly.
The Bottom Line
The question is not whether AI can work when you are not watching. It already does. The question is which method fits your workflow.
Take our free quiz to get matched with the right AI tools and learning track for your specific use case.