Anthropic launches Claude Cowork dispatch as direct response to OpenClaw

“I think we might be six to 12 months away from when Claude does most or maybe all of what we do end-to-end”, said the Anthropic CEO, just a while ago, and it seems he wasn't lying. As Claude gets popular, they are also coming against everyone, and this time the victim is OpenClaw. The latest thing that has shaken the entire market is the new update by Claude called Dispatch. With Claude Cowork and now Dispatch, the company is pushing toward turning Claude into something closer to an operating layer for everyday work. Other than that asking and answering questions, it can now also do things on your computer.

Claude Cowork Dispatch Overview

Claude Cowork first showed up in research preview around mid-January 2026. Following OpenClaw, Claude could work based on a given goal, and it handles the process. It can read files, edit them, create new ones, and organize your workspace without needing a real human. Dispatch, released on March 17, now pushes it even further, as it lets you connect your phone to that entire workflow. You can start a task remotely, monitor it, and get results back in the same conversation thread. 

Working

Interestingly, Claude Cowork runs inside the Claude desktop app, where you assign it access to specific folders and describe what you want in plain English. From there, it plans and executes the task on its own.

It can directly read and modify files in your system, which already puts it ahead of most AI tools that rely on uploads and downloads. But it also comes with what Anthropic calls “Computer Use,” where Claude can see your screen through screenshots and interact with apps using mouse and keyboard inputs. That means it can operate Excel, browsers, email clients, or even dev tools.

For larger tasks, it splits the work into smaller parts and runs them in parallel. It can generate structured outputs like spreadsheets with formulas, presentations, or reports, and it can keep working on long tasks without running into the usual chat limits. For example, you can batch process 150 images, resize them in Photoshop, all from your phone. 

Other features

There’s also memory and project organization baked in, so it remembers how you work over time. You can simultaneously add tools like Slack, Notion, Gmail, and Google Drive, and it can work around it very easily.  Now let’s talk about Dispatch. This new update brings Dispatch, which builds on top of this by turning your phone into a remote controller. You can type it in your Claude app, the thing you want Claude to do. If you send it a task, Claude will pick the right environment (Cowork or Code), and runs it on your desktop, and update you through notifications.

You can now enable Claude to use your computer to complete tasks.

It opens your apps, navigates your browser, fills in spreadsheets—anything you'd do sitting at your desk.

Research preview in Claude Cowork and Claude Code, macOS only. pic.twitter.com/sVymgmtEMI

— Claude (@claudeai)

 The OpenClaw, which I briefly mentioned above, which went viral earlier this year, is slightly different than this. Unlike Claude, this is open-source, and can run wherever you host it, and is designed to be always-on. It lives inside messaging apps like WhatsApp or Telegram and can monitor, trigger, and execute tasks, while not having to continuously ask you.

And Claude, by contrast, is controlled and rather designed for a more non-technical audience. Instead, it focuses on doing structured knowledge work reliably, within a system that Anthropic can manage. But the new Dispatch has brought it quite close to OpenClaw. Before this, Cowork was limited by the fact that it lived on your desktop. Now, with remote control and enough context, it starts to overlap directly with what made OpenClaw interesting in the first place.

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The privacy concern?

Now, an interesting thing about this new product is that Anthropic itself warns that this setup isn’t suitable for sensitive or regulated work. Once you permit Claude, it can read, modify, move, or delete files, and even send emails, depending on what you connect.  And then there’s prompt injection, which is also one big issue worth considering. Anthropic admits that malicious content in emails or documents can influence what Claude does, even with safeguards in place. 

And anyway, it’s also limited in ways that OpenClaw isn’t. Your computer has to stay on, the app has to remain open, and it won’t run if your system sleeps. It’s also expensive, tied to subscription plans, and still in research preview.

Claude Cowork Dispatch Availability

Claude Cowork is available through the Claude desktop app on macOS and Windows, while Dispatch works through the updated mobile app. Both are currently in research preview, with access rolling out to Max subscribers first and Pro users shortly after.