# Computer use

Nock can operate desktop apps on Mac and Windows. Ask it to use the computer for a specific task, keep the target app available, and follow its progress from the notch. This is system-wide desktop interaction, separate from reading one screen picture or using Nock's own browser.

## Choose the right kind of help

| What you want                           | Ask for                                                                      | What it uses                                                              |
| --------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Understand something visible            | “Explain this error on my screen.”                                           | Requested screen context; explaining does not itself mean taking control. |
| Act in a desktop app                    | “Use my computer to put this text in the open note. Do not submit anything.” | Desktop computer control.                                                 |
| Read or interact with a website in Nock | “Open this page in Nock's browser and find its installation instructions.”   | Nock's separate Web browser and its page controls.                        |
| Build or change a code project          | “Update this project and run its focused tests.”                             | Project tools and a coding chat or background worker.                     |

You can combine these in a larger request, but name the app, page, or project so Nock knows which surface you mean. See [Pointing](/nock/pointing), [Nock's browser](/nock/browser), and [Coding agents](/nock/coding-agents).

## Ask Nock to operate an app

1. Open the intended app and make the relevant window available. Save unrelated work before handing over a delicate task.
2. Hold Nock's agent shortcut, name the app, and describe the exact result. Say whether you want a draft, a change, or a submission.
3. In the default **Full** mode, an explicit computer-use request can authorize the requested turn. If Nock presents an action card, read it before accepting; it does not ask again before every interaction. Other actions still follow your [Agent access mode](/nock/agent-access).
4. Let Nock work, then inspect the target app. Check the field, text, selection, and any final submission yourself before treating the task as complete.

For example:

> Use my computer to put these three points into the open meeting note as a checklist. Leave the note open so I can review it.

Or:

> In the app in front of me, open its preferences and find the notification setting. Tell me what it is before changing it.

Computer use can move focus and interact with your open apps. Keep the intended target available and avoid typing or moving it while Nock is acting. If the wrong app or field is selected, stop and clarify rather than letting the request continue.

## Permissions and access

On Mac, **Accessibility** permits supported input actions and **Screen Recording** permits screen capture used for visual context. They are separate permissions. Review their state under **Settings → Permissions**. Windows uses its desktop helper rather than the Mac's Accessibility and Screen Recording permission panels.

Nock's own agent-access mode governs when it asks before actions. **Ask** requests approval more often; **Full** asks before consequential actions under its policy; **Autopilot** proceeds without ordinary approval cards. Disabled actions and built-in refusals still apply. Do not switch to a less restrictive mode just to get past an action you have not reviewed.

The Mac's individual native **Actions** switches are a separate surface from the broader desktop tool. Turning on **See your screen** is not the same thing as asking Nock to operate every app. See [Desktop actions](/nock/actions), [Permissions](/nock/permissions), and [Task approvals](/nock/task-approvals).

## When Codex is Nock's brain

You can keep Nock's voice interface while its conversation runs through your connected Codex. That route uses supported Nock tools through Nock's own controls. If a request needs broader desktop work and your plan supports the handoff, the Codex-backed conversation can pass it to Nock's full agent.

On Nock Own, that handoff uses a separate **Full agent → Sign in with ChatGPT** connection. Signing Codex in for Nock's brain does not sign in the full agent. See [Nock Own](/nock/nock-own).

That is not the same as giving an ordinary Codex coding chat direct control of your desktop. It also does not make every background worker or unattended routine a screen-control session. See [Bring your own AI](/nock/bring-your-own-ai) and [Background tasks](/nock/background-tasks).

## Stop and check

Use **Stop** to interrupt the current request; Escape cancels a pending request or approval. A separate background task has its own **Stop task** control. Stopping cannot undo a message, edit, or external action that already completed.

If something was entered in the wrong place, inspect the app and use its own Undo where appropriate before retrying. Tell Nock what happened and identify the correct target.

Screen pictures or app content used for an AI request can be sent to the model handling that work, even when speech recognition is local. Keep confidential windows out of the task and review [Privacy and data](/nock/privacy). For capture or permission failures, see [Screen troubleshooting](/nock/screen-troubleshooting).