When a thread runs on another machine that supports Computer Use, the chat header shows a
monitor button. It opens a live view of that computer's screen, like a lightweight remote desktop,
and mod+alt+v toggles it from the keyboard. Threads on the computer you are sitting at never show
it: its screen is the one already in front of you.
While the view is open:
- The screen refreshes a few times per second. Multi-display machines get a display picker in the view's header.
- Control is on by default: moving over the picture moves that machine's own cursor, and clicks,
double-clicks, right-clicks, drags, scrolling and typing all land there the way they would if you
were sitting at it. The pointer toggle switches to view-only, where only
Esc(close) is handled locally. - While controlling, keys go to the remote machine; use the toggle button or
mod+alt+vto close. - This is a real takeover, not the background input an agent uses: the remote pointer really moves and keystrokes go to whatever that machine has focused. Anyone sitting at it will see it happen.
The button only appears for other computers that ship the desktop control helper, and the remote machine must have Computer Use enabled in its Settings. On macOS the helper also needs the Screen Recording permission. Everything travels over the same connection as the rest of the thread, so remote and tunneled environments work unchanged.