Desktop Commander is a software tool that connects AI assistants to a user’s own computer, allowing them to work with real files, terminals, programs, and running processes rather than a cloud sandbox. It supports ChatGPT and Claude through remote connections, and also works with clients such as Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, and custom MCP-compatible agents. Users can connect a laptop, desktop, or server and ask their assistant to carry out tasks in a chat.

The service is designed for practical work across files and documents, code projects, servers, and device troubleshooting. Tasks include finding and organizing files, comparing versions, writing and fixing code, checking logs, deploying changes, and investigating problems such as a stopped service or a full disk. Desktop Commander offers a remote MCP service for connecting from web and mobile AI clients, as well as a free, open-source local MCP server for supported clients. Its website also provides a prompt library with more than 60 workflows for activities such as codebase exploration, documentation, deployment, and task automation.