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Two Powerful Features Unite

Anthropic has released an update that combines Claude Computer Use (the ability to control mouse and keyboard) with MCP (access to external tools and data). Together, they create an automation system that can handle virtually any computer task.

What You Can Automate

Fill out web forms using data from your database (MCP)
Navigate legacy apps that have no API
Extract data from screens and save to databases
Automate repetitive GUI tasks with intelligent decisions
Test applications by simulating real user behavior

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How It Works

Computer Use gives Claude the ability to see your screen and control mouse/keyboard. MCP gives Claude access to external data and tools. Combined, Claude can make intelligent decisions based on external data while interacting with any application.

Example: Automated Data Entry

import anthropic
from mcp import MCPClient

# Initialize clients
claude = anthropic.Anthropic()
mcp = MCPClient()

# Connect to database via MCP
db = mcp.connect("postgres://localhost/customers")

# Get pending entries
customers = db.query("SELECT * FROM customers WHERE status = 'pending'")

# Use Computer Use to enter data into legacy CRM
for customer in customers:
    response = claude.messages.create(
        model="claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022",
        max_tokens=1024,
        tools=[
            {"type": "computer_20241022", "name": "computer", "display_width_px": 1920, "display_height_px": 1080},
        ],
        messages=[{
            "role": "user",
            "content": f"""
            Enter this customer into the CRM application:
            Name: {customer['name']}
            Email: {customer['email']}
            Phone: {customer['phone']}
            
            Click the 'New Customer' button, fill the form, and click Save.
            """
        }]
    )
    
    # Update database via MCP
    db.execute(f"UPDATE customers SET status = 'entered' WHERE id = {customer['id']}")

Example: Intelligent Web Scraping

# Claude navigates a website and extracts data
response = claude.messages.create(
    model="claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022",
    tools=[
        {"type": "computer_20241022", "name": "computer", ...},
    ],
    messages=[{
        "role": "user",
        "content": """
        Go to the competitor pricing page at example.com/pricing.
        Extract all plan names and prices.
        Navigate through any pagination to get all plans.
        """
    }]
)

# Save extracted data via MCP
mcp.connect("postgres").execute(
    "INSERT INTO competitor_prices (plan, price, date) VALUES ...",
    response.extracted_data
)

Safety Considerations

Important Warnings

Use a dedicated VM - Never run Computer Use on your main machine
Limit network access - Restrict what the VM can reach
No sensitive credentials - Do not store passwords in the VM
Monitor all actions - Log and review what Claude does
Human oversight - Require approval for sensitive actions

Anthropic recommends running Computer Use in an isolated environment. The combination with MCP makes this even more important, as Claude can now both control your computer AND access external systems.

Real-World Applications

Business Automation

• Invoice processing from emails to accounting software
• CRM data entry from spreadsheets
• Report generation from multiple sources
• Order fulfillment across platforms

Development & QA

• End-to-end UI testing
• Bug reproduction and documentation
• Cross-browser compatibility testing
• Performance monitoring dashboards

Research & Analysis

• Competitive intelligence gathering
• Market research automation
• Data collection from multiple sites
• Trend monitoring and alerts

Personal Productivity

• Automated expense reporting
• Calendar and email management
• File organization and backup
• Social media scheduling

For financial automation, consider pairing this with XCryptoBot for trading workflows. For mortgage and real estate data, check out Mortgage-Info.com.

The Future of Automation

Computer Use + MCP represents a paradigm shift in automation. Instead of building brittle scripts that break when UIs change, you can now describe what you want in natural language and let Claude figure out how to do it.

This is still early technology with limitations, but the potential is enormous. Tasks that previously required expensive RPA tools or custom development can now be automated with a few lines of code.

Computer Use with MCP is available now in the Claude API. Start with simple tasks and gradually increase complexity.

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TheModelContextProtocol.com is available for purchase. Perfect for automation tools and MCP services.

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