How do you let an AI agent control your Mac?

Install the agent's desktop app, then grant it two macOS permissions when it asks: Accessibility, which lets it click and type, and Screen Recording, which lets it take screenshots so it can see what it is doing. Both live in System Settings under Privacy & Security, and you can switch either one off again at any time.

Step by step

• Install the app from its maker's own download page, not a mirror.
• Start the first task. macOS shows an alert the first time a third-party app tries to control your Mac through accessibility features; choose Open System Settings and turn the app on.
• Grant Screen Recording the same way. Without it the agent is working blind.
• Close anything private before the run. Mail, a banking tab or a password manager window are all visible in a screenshot.
• Give it a dull, checkable first job, such as renaming ten files in a folder you made for the test.

Apple's own advice is to grant access only to apps you know and trust, because an app with accessibility access can reach your contacts, calendar and other information. Read the app's privacy page before you switch it on.

Watching while it works

Most agents show their actions as they go. Claude's desktop app on macOS 15 or later works in background windows by default, so it does not take your pointer away, and it asks before it needs the full screen. superbot shows the screen in the chat, which also means you can follow along from a phone.

Short answers

Can superbot control my Mac?

Yes, once you allow it. superbot's docs say its computer use works on Mac and Windows with three settings, Off, Ask and Always. A new install is set to Ask, so it asks before it uses your computer. The first time, it asks macOS for Accessibility and Screen Recording.

Can you control your computer from a phone with AI?

Yes, in two ways. You can send the task from your phone and let the agent on your computer do it, as Claude's Dispatch does, or you can watch and steer the screen live: superbot's Watch live view lets another of your devices observe or take control of the computer that ran a task.

Why does an agent need Screen Recording permission?

Because it decides each step from screenshots. Without them it cannot see where a button is, so macOS treats the capture as recording and asks you first.

How do I take the permission back?

Open System Settings, choose Privacy & Security, then Accessibility or Screen Recording, and turn the app off. The agent loses that power at once.