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When your organization’s Desktop policy allows Computer control, an agent in a conversation you started from the app can take screenshots of your screen, open apps, click, scroll and type, the way you would. Use it for work that only exists in an app on your Mac, such as a design app, a desktop client or a settings screen. Computer control is available on macOS only.

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Give the app the macOS permissions

macOS asks you to allow two permissions for Omni in System Settings > Privacy & Security: The app opens a sheet, Allow Omni on this Mac, when you sign in, when your organization turns computer control on, and when an agent needs a permission that is off. For each permission, choose Open System Settings and switch Omni on. The sheet updates as you do.
Allow Omni on this Mac sheet with Screen Recording and Accessibility rows, each with Open System Settings, and Not now

The macOS permissions computer control needs. Shown with sample data.

macOS applies Screen Recording only after the app reopens: choose Reopen Omni when the sheet offers it. While a permission is off, the sidebar shows how many Mac permissions are off; click it to open the same rows in Settings > Computer control. If a permission is switched on but still does not work, remove Omni from the list in Privacy & Security with the minus button, then choose Allow again.

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Allow it for a chat

Every conversation asks before an agent takes control the first time. The app asks Let the agent control your Mac?:
Let the agent control your Mac? dialog with Not now, Only this session and Always for this chat

Each conversation asks before an agent takes control. Shown with sample data.

Allowing one conversation never allows another.

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While the agent is in control

A bar at the top of your screen reads Omni is controlling your Mac. It stays on top of every window and is hidden from the agent’s own screenshots.
Dark bar reading Omni is controlling your Mac, Esc to stop, with a Stop button

The bar at the top of the screen while an agent is in control. Shown with sample data.

To end control at once, choose Stop on the bar or press Esc anywhere; Control-Option-Escape works too. After a Stop, the conversation asks again before the agent can take control, even if you chose Always for this chat. You can also switch Computer control off in Settings: while an agent is in control, the switch there reads Stop. The agent never acts on xpander’s own windows and never types into a password field. When it needs a password, it asks you to type it yourself.

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When the agent asks you something

An agent in control may need a choice or a detail from you. The bar changes to Omni has a question and shows the question with its options, or a Reply field and Send. A notification shows the same question, and you can answer from the notification’s buttons or its reply field without switching windows.
Bar reading Omni has a question, with the question, three option buttons, a Reply field and Send

A question from the agent, on the bar. Shown with sample data.

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Screenshots

The agent works from screenshots of your screen. When your organization’s policy has Keep screenshots on (the default), the screenshots an agent took show in the conversation’s activity, so you can see what it saw. With it off, the agent still sees them, but they are not kept.

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Limits

  • An agent can take up to 60 actions a minute on your Mac.
  • Your organization can limit computer control to certain apps. An agent that tries another app is told your organization does not allow it.
  • The audit log records where each action landed, never what was typed or seen on screen.