# Full-Desktop Computer Use

> Give the agent a full containerized OS desktop with native apps, a persistent filesystem, and credential stores — for workflows that span multiple apps.

- **Category**: Agentic AI
- **Subcategory**: Tool Use & Environment
- **Canonical URL**: https://designpattern.fyi/patterns/full_desktop_computer_use/

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## Description
**Intent**: Handle multi-application desktop workflows that a browser-only surface can't touch.

**Context**: Your agent needs to download an invoice in a mail client, edit it in a spreadsheet, sign into a vendor portal through a password manager, then file the result locally. The apps have no shared API, some exist only on the desktop, and state must survive across steps.

**Solution**: Provision a containerized desktop OS (e.g., Ubuntu with a lightweight window manager) preloaded with browser, mail client, editor, and terminal. The agent observes the screen and emits mouse/keyboard actions across the whole desktop. A mounted persistent filesystem retains downloads, installed packages, and intermediate artifacts. A desktop password manager supplies credentials and handles 2FA prompts.


## Use Cases
- The task spans multiple native desktop applications with no shared API.
- State (downloads, installed tools, logins) must persist across steps or sessions.
- The agent needs authenticated access through a desktop password manager, including 2FA.





## Trade-offs


### Advantages

- Handles workflows that span native desktop apps, not just web pages.

- Persistent filesystem and installed tooling carry state across steps and sessions.

- Desktop credential stores let the agent authenticate without hardcoded secrets.




### Considerations & Drawbacks

- A whole OS is slower and costlier to provision and snapshot than a single browser tab.

- Stored credentials and a persistent disk widen the blast radius if the agent is compromised or prompt-injected.

- Maintaining a desktop image (apps, drivers, window manager) is ongoing engineering work.







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**Reference**: [Original Source](https://www.agentpatternscatalog.org/patterns/full-desktop-computer-use/)