Using Claude Desktop and Cowork with lite.computer

Claude Desktop is Anthropic's Claude app for the Mac. Cowork is the part of it that takes on a multi-step task and carries it out for you, reading and writing files in a folder you choose. Most people use it for work other than software, such as reports, plans and research.

On a Mac, Cowork works with your local files directly, so a Showspace in iCloud Drive, Google Drive or OneDrive is a local folder it can work in. A Cowork session you start on your Mac carries on from the web and the Claude phone app, still working in its connected folders while Claude Desktop is open.

Made byAnthropic

Runs onMac desktop app, Apple Silicon or Intel

Where pages goInto the folder you pick for Cowork

App commandsYes, through mcp-remote

Standing instructionsCowork's Global instructions, or a Cowork project's own instructions

CostA Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan

Also calledClaude for Mac, Claude Cowork

Set it up

In lite.computer, click your name at the bottom of the sidebar and open the Agent Helper. Copy the paragraph it gives you. In Claude Desktop, go to Settings, then Cowork, and click Edit next to Global instructions. Paste it there.
Start a Cowork task, choose Work in a project or folder in the prompt bar, and pick your Showspace. Cowork saves finished pages back into that folder. For the example below, put copies of your receipts and notes in that folder first.
Give Claude Desktop the app's commands. Open Settings, then Developer, then Edit Config, and paste the lines below into claude_desktop_config.json. If the file already has entries, add the lite-computer block inside mcpServers. Quit and reopen Claude Desktop.
Keep lite.computer open on your Showspace. Start a new Claude Desktop chat and ask Use the lite.computer tool to list every page in my Showspace. It lists the pages in your folder.

claude_desktop_config.json

{ "mcpServers": { "lite-computer": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "http://127.0.0.1:48484/mcp"] } } }

The first run downloads mcp-remote, which runs on Node.js, so install Node.js first.

Try this prompt

Paste into Claude Desktop and Cowork

Go through the receipts and notes in this folder and build an interactive spending dashboard: filters for category and month, a chart that animates in and updates as you filter, and a sortable list of the biggest costs. Save it as a single self-contained HTML file in my Showspace.

Good to know

We use Claude Desktop and Cowork with lite.computer ourselves.
To work with your Showspace from the web or your phone, start the Cowork session on your Mac and connect the folder first. Then carry on from anywhere with Claude Desktop open.
Dispatch, on Pro and Max plans, lets you hand Cowork a task from the Claude phone app. The work happens on your Mac with Claude Desktop open, so pages land in your Showspace.

Questions

Does Claude Desktop and Cowork work with lite.computer?

Yes. Point Cowork at your Showspace and every page it saves shows up in lite.computer. Claude Desktop can also open pages and arrange windows in the app once you add the mcp-remote lines to its config file.

Where does the lite.computer instruction go for Cowork?

In Claude Desktop, go to Settings, then Cowork, and click Edit next to Global instructions. A Cowork project can also carry its own instructions.

Can I use Cowork from my phone and still save to my Showspace?

Yes. With Dispatch, a task you send from the Claude phone app runs on your Mac, so pages go into your Showspace. Keep Claude Desktop open on your Mac.

Choosing between agents? See Which AI works with lite.computer.

Last checked September 14, 2026.