Claude Computer Use API: Automating Desktop Workflows with AI

What Is Claude Computer Use?

Claude Computer Use is Anthropic capability that allows Claude to interact with computers by looking at the screen, moving the mouse, clicking buttons, and typing text. Unlike RPA tools that rely on brittle CSS selectors, Computer Use perceives the screen visually -- resilient to UI changes.

Core Tools

• computer: Screenshots, mouse movement, clicks, keyboard input, scrolling
• text_editor: View and edit files with find/replace
• bash: Execute shell commands

Agentic Loop

Claude operates by taking a screenshot, analyzing what is visible, deciding the next action, executing it, taking another screenshot, and repeating until the task is complete. Each screenshot is sent as an image to the API; Claude responds with structured actions.

Real-World Use Cases

Legacy Application Automation

Many enterprises run critical workflows on software with no API -- old ERP systems, government portals, internal tools from the 2000s. Computer Use automates these without modifying the underlying system.

Cross-Application Workflows

Tasks requiring multiple desktop applications -- pull orders from one system, create invoices in QuickBooks, send via Outlook -- are handled naturally without custom API integrations.

QA Testing

Instead of fragile Selenium scripts that break with UI updates, Computer Use accepts natural language test instructions: Verify that submitting an empty required field shows a validation error.

Production Considerations

• Run agents in sandboxed VMs or containers with minimal access
• Add human confirmation gates for destructive actions (delete, submit, send)
• Log every action for audit and debugging purposes
• Use Sonnet for most GUI tasks; Opus only for complex reasoning
• Use only when no API alternative exists -- Computer Use is significantly slower