Dispatch has been a nice extension of Claude Cowork. It’s available for mobile app and desktop.
Dispatch enables you to start a task from your smartphone that is executed by Cowork on your own computer, at home or work. That computer needs to powered-on and running Claude desktop app (Mac/Windows/Linux).
This means tasks can access all of your local data and memory. Much more useful than Claude.ai - the web chat interface that lacks access to your local files and context.
I have found Dispatch quite handy, but also frustrating, which I discuss below.
As Anthropic say
From your phone, you can hand Claude tasks that use everything on your desktop, including things you can’t open on your phone. For example:
Ask Claude to pull data from a local spreadsheet and compile a summary report.
Have Claude search your Slack messages and email, then draft a briefing document.
Request a formatted presentation built from files in your Google Drive.
Tell Claude to organize or process files in a specific folder on your computer.
Claude uses the same connectors, plugins, and file access you’ve already configured in Cowork. You don’t need to set anything up separately for mobile.
However Dispatch is just one continuous thread. Anthropic say, “There’s no way to start a new thread or manage multiple threads. All messages live in a single conversation.”
The back history sits in the context memory and most likely Dispatch has to read it all every time you interact with Dispatch. No wonder I burn through tokens!
Claude at times suggests “This session is getting a bit long. You should start a new one.” But of course you can’t in Dispatch.
The so-called “help files” aren’t much help suggesting I look for menus to delete, clear or compact the history.
I finally cracked the puzzle.
Within Dispatch type /clear
This will scrub all of the history from Dispatch and ensure you have a much smaller context. Make sure you’ve recorded everything you need from Dispatch session first as there is no undo.
My Dispatch now seems snappier but there are some bits of memory I need to add back.
Other commands from Claude Code like /context or /compact or /cost, seem to have no effect in Dispatch. Anthropic label Dispatch as beta so there’s every chance they will improve it.