Cowork

Cowork lets Nexus work on your own computer. You connect a desktop, link it to a chat, and the assistant can read files, use the clipboard, take screenshots and more, asking for your approval as you choose.

Screenshot placeholderCowork

The two meanings

How it differs from other features

• Chat is the conversation. Cowork adds your desktop to it.
• Agent Force is a team of AI employees. Cowork is a single chat using your computer.
• Desktop runs are multi-step tasks planned by the AI and approved as a group. They show in chat as a "Desktop run" card.
• Approvals is where waiting desktop actions are decided.

Part 1: Use your desktop in a chat

Before you start

• You need a connected desktop: a computer running the TAO desktop assistant, signed in to your account.
• The desktop icon only appears in the message box when you have at least one connected desktop. It is also hidden if you do not have desktop permission.

Link a desktop to a chat

1. Open a chat

   Open or start a conversation in Chat.

2. Click the desktop icon

   Find the Desktop icon in the message box toolbar. Its tooltip reads "Use a connected desktop in this chat", or "Using (machine) in this chat" once linked. A green dot means it is linked.

   Screenshot placeholderCowork · Desktop icon

3. Choose a machine

   Pick one of your computers by name. Choose Don't use a desktop to unlink it, or Connect a desktop to set up a new one.

On a narrow screen, the same choices are under Desktop in the + menu.

Without a link, desktop tools are not offered to the assistant. Only you, as the chat owner, can use your linked desktop. If you share the chat, editors cannot use your computer. They can only use their own.

What the assistant can do

When linked, the assistant can use these abilities on your computer.

The assistant can make up to 8 desktop actions in one turn.

Approve desktop actions

Whether an action waits for you depends on two settings.

1. The chat's approval mode, Manual or Bypass. See Chat: Approvals.
2. The desktop's own Approval Modes (Workspace → Desktop settings). They set how much friction each ability has: "Always Ask (the default) prompts every time; Auto-approve this session skips the prompt until you disconnect; Trust Always skips it permanently." Your organization may require approval for some abilities regardless of this setting.

Waiting actions appear on the Approvals page under Desktop Actions. For a multi-step task, a Desktop run card appears in the chat. It waits for your approval and lets you choose a preset (Read only, Workspace write or Full access) and the root folder.

Part 2: CoWork Profiles

A CoWork profile is a saved working mode for a type of work, such as finance or legal. You open CoWork mode from a profile to get a full-screen workspace with its pinned items.

Find them

CoWork Profiles are in the Studio sidebar, not the Nexus one: Desktop → CoWork Profiles (/desktop/cowork-profiles). You need the CoWork Profiles permission.

The profile list

The title is CoWork Profiles: "Domain-specific working modes with pinned agents, workflows, and knowledge bases."

Screenshot placeholderCowork · Profile list

• New Profile at the top right creates one. A refresh button reloads the list.
• My Profiles and Org Templates are two tabs.
• Each card shows an emoji for its domain, the name, a short description, counts such as "2 agents", "1 workflow" and "3 KBs", an Active pill if it is the current mode, an Org template pill, and "Last activated: (date)".
• Activate switches to that mode. On the active profile it reads Active and is disabled.
• Icons: Edit, Duplicate and Delete (not shown on org templates).
• Deleting asks "Delete CoWork profile?" and says "This CoWork profile will be permanently removed. This cannot be undone." Confirm with Delete.
• Toasts: "CoWork mode activated: (name)", "Profile duplicated." and "Profile deleted."

Create or edit a profile

1. Open the form

   Click New Profile, or Edit on a card. The page is titled New CoWork Profile or Edit Profile and has a Live Preview panel at the side.

   Screenshot placeholderCowork · Profile form

2. Fill in Basic Info

   Enter a Profile name (required, for example "PE Front Office") and an optional Description. Pick a Domain icon: Finance (default), HR, Supply Chain, Legal, Operations, Sales, Research, Engineering or Custom.

3. Write a welcome prompt (optional)

   Under Welcome Prompt, write the setting for the mode, for example "You are a fundraising assistant for a PE firm…". It is meant to be shown as context when CoWork mode opens.

4. Pin agents, workflows and knowledge bases (optional)

   Under Pinned Agents, Pinned Workflows and Knowledge Bases, paste an ID and press Enter (or click +). Each becomes a chip you can remove with its x. Order matters for knowledge bases: first is highest priority. There is no search: you must know the IDs.

5. Limit desktop abilities (optional)

   Under Desktop Capabilities, tick the abilities this mode may use, such as Read file or Run shell. None are ticked by default. The mode cannot go beyond your organization's policy, only narrower.

6. Save

   Click Create Profile or Save Changes ("Saving…"), or Cancel. A toast says "Profile created." or "Profile saved." You return to the list. If the name is empty you see "Profile name is required."

Open CoWork mode

Click Activate on a profile. The browser goes full screen at /desktop/cowork.

• Top bar: the emoji, the profile name, "CoWork mode" and Exit CoWork.
• Left side: your pinned agents and workflows, a Folder watches link, and the desktop status ("Agent: connected", "degraded" or "disconnected").
• Centre: a chat box ("Message the agent… (Shift+Enter for new line)"). A banner warns "Desktop agent disconnected — some capabilities may be unavailable."
• Right: a collapsible Context panel with Memories and KB Snippets tabs.
• Bottom bar: the machine name, the latest task, a recent tasks list, and an amber "N action(s) needed" button to approve waiting actions.

With no active profile you see "No active CoWork profile." and a link Select a profile →.

What does not work yet

Who can do what

Related pages

• Chat
• Chat: Approvals
• Approvals
• Agent Force
• Nexus Home