Computer Use

Computer Use lets a dedicated operator work with native desktop applications. It is designed around explicit permissions, a visible supervision pane, and separation from the primary chat agent.

Requirements

• a supported desktop operating system;
• the platform accessibility and application-window capture permissions;
• a configured operator model.

macOS 15+ uses the signed OpenCode Computer Use helper with Screen Recording, Accessibility, and Event Synthesizing permission. Windows uses UI Automation and application-window capture. Ubuntu uses AT-SPI, PipeWire, and the XDG ScreenCast portal.

Computer Use is included in the free application and does not require a Remote license.

Background-only contract

Every action targets a selected application surface without moving the physical pointer, redirecting physical keyboard input, activating the target application, or disturbing the frontmost application. The backend uses semantic accessibility operations. When the operating system or target control cannot provide a safe equivalent, that individual action returns an explicit unsupported result instead of synthesizing input.

The primary agent delegates native-app work to a dedicated Computer Use operator. Raw Computer Use tools are not exposed to the primary agent.

Supervise a task

1. Open Computer Use in the right panel.
2. Confirm the selected target application.
3. Review the live target preview and sanitized activity captions.
4. Approve or deny requested control when prompted.
5. Pause or close the pane to stop the preview stream.

The preview excludes OpenCode Superapp itself. Typed text is not repeated in the activity caption, and the virtual cursor is separate from your physical pointer.

Computer Use can change application data

Treat native-app actions like direct human input. Keep important work backed up, review permission prompts, and stop the task if it targets the wrong app or unexpected content.

On Linux, open_app currently reports unsupported because the shared X11/Wayland launch protocols cannot guarantee a non-activating launch. This does not disable observation or other supported semantic actions.

See macOS permissions for macOS setup. Windows and Linux show platform-specific permission recovery instructions in Settings → Computer Use.