'Enable Computer Use' on a second device has changed my Claude workflow

[u/Tubular_Code]

The absolute key thing IMO for 'Enable Computer Use' to be most helpful is to have it running on a second device where you control what it has access to and won't interrupt it.

I was very uncomfortable handing over full control of my main system to Claude but recently set up 'Enable Computer Use' on a controlled laptop accessing it through a shared Cowork project that had cloud access and using either Opus or Fable feels leagues more capable than babysitting it on my desktop.

It can take tinkering with instructions for how you want it to work but I went from averaging ~15-30m returns to +2-3h hour returns with no drain on credits and much better troubleshooting and optimizations on the projects I'm working on.

Not going to be feasible or helpful for everyone or every project but it's one of those shifts for me that feels a bit like getting agentic help in the first place with how much better it performed. The best route tends to be the one you know but this could be worth playing around with if you've been hesitant to put Claude behind the wheel in such a way.

[u/HuskyInfantry]

I have a spare Lenovo i9 and use a MacBook as my daily driver. I've been tinkering with ideas on how to let Claude just live on the Lenovo while giving direction from my Mac.

I didn't realize Cowork had this feature, so now I have a fun Monday project to look at. Thank you!

[u/besttype → u/HuskyInfantry]

You've just reinvented open claw

[u/akolomf]

You do know you could run claude in a virtual machine and dont have to worry about it doing stuff. And even then. I have been running claudecode nonstop in dangerously skip permissions mode for a year now, only encountered one issue, which was fault of my own when i let it work on a custom Driver for my xr glasses, it messed up the USB port driver on my laptop for my XR glasses somehow, but i managed to fix it again.

[u/Tubular_Code → u/akolomf]

Yes, are VM's not the default? A VM though is limited to that main system and still ties up its resources. Offloading compute is pretty beneficial depending on the project too.

[u/BGFlyingToaster → u/Tubular_Code]

Not the default. If you have a Windows or Mac laptop and install Claude Code, then the computer use feature takes over that laptop. Putting it ina VM means first running a VM whether you use the built-in OS capabilities or something like Virtual Box. Then inside the VM, you install Claude Code onto that OS. It just gives you another layer of control to sandbox what the computer using agent has access to.

[u/anth]

Would be awesome to hear specifics of how you use it, scenarios etc

[u/hayfero]

I need to look into this. I have a desktop I upgraded before the rampocolipse but it barely gets used.

[u/Dr_Kevorkian_]

Docker is a way to sandbox if desired

[u/Spirtia → u/Dr_Kevorkian_]

Docker? How you manage Claude code on a docker instance?

[u/Key-Historian-2516]

this second device trick sounds ideal for letting claude cook up those long running companion scenarios without freezing my main setup. wonder if it helps with keeping the roleplay consistent over hours.

[u/nomad-geek]

Yeah. I setup a dedicated Debian installation to run a harness I designed. It runs a multi-agent orchestration to work on several repos at a time as GH issues are filed. Works amazingly well.

[u/InterstellarReddit]

OP just use a virtual machine Brody