AI desktop agent for autonomous research, goal execution, and multi-step workflows. Setup guide, features, and productivity tips.
Describe a goal and see how Perplexity PC would break it into autonomous steps
Download Perplexity Personal Computer from perplexity.ai/pc. Requires macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later. Apple Silicon recommended for best performance — Intel Macs work but agent execution is ~40% slower.
The app needs Accessibility, Screen Recording, and Files permissions. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and enable all three. These are required for the agent to see your screen and control apps.
Set your approval preferences: "Ask before" sending emails, deleting files, or making purchases. You can adjust these later. Start with all approvals enabled — you can relax them as you build trust.
Start simple: "Research [topic] and summarize the top 5 findings." Watch how the agent works — it'll show its reasoning, the sites it visits, and let you approve or redirect at each step.
Instead of step-by-step commands, describe your end goal. Perplexity PC evaluates multiple reasoning paths, selects the best approach, and executes autonomously. It adapts if something fails — retrying with alternative strategies.
Built-in deep web research across 100+ sources simultaneously. Unlike browser-based search, it cross-references findings, evaluates source credibility, and synthesizes information into actionable summaries.
The agent can see your screen and control any app via mouse, keyboard, and native APIs. It works with browsers, spreadsheets, email clients, design tools, terminals, and more. Screen awareness means it can read UI elements, not just click coordinates.
Every action is logged with timestamps, reasoning, and screenshots. You can review exactly what the agent did, why it chose that approach, and undo any action. Audit logs are stored locally and never leave your machine.
Set workflows to run on a schedule — daily market research, weekly competitor monitoring, automated report generation. The agent runs in the background and notifies you when complete.
"Research my top 5 competitors, compare their pricing, features, and recent updates. Create a spreadsheet with findings."
"Read my last 50 emails, categorize them by urgency, draft replies for the 5 most important ones, and summarize the rest."
"Research [person/company] I'm meeting tomorrow. Find recent news, LinkedIn updates, and create a one-page briefing document."
"Research trending topics in [niche], outline 5 blog post ideas with SEO keywords, and draft the introduction for each."
"Review the latest PR in [repo], check for security issues, and update the README with any new features."
"Check my subscriptions across email receipts, compile a list with monthly costs, and flag any price increases."
"Search for [role] positions in [city], compare salary ranges, required skills, and company ratings. Create a ranked shortlist."
"Plan a 5-day trip to [destination]. Find flights under $[budget], top-rated hotels near [area], must-visit places, and create a day-by-day itinerary."
"Monitor mentions of [brand/product] across Twitter, Reddit, and HN. Summarize sentiment and flag any urgent issues."
"Compile this week's progress from [project tool], summarize key metrics from [analytics], and draft a weekly update email."
| Feature | Perplexity PC | Claude Computer Use | OpenAI Codex | Apple Intelligence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autonomous Goals | Yes | Partial | Code-focused | No |
| Deep Research | Native | No | No | No |
| Screen Control | Yes | Yes | Limited | Partial |
| App Integration | All apps | All apps | Terminal | Apple apps |
| Audit Trail | Full | Partial | Yes | No |
| Scheduling | Yes | No | No | Partial |
| Safety Controls | Extensive | Basic | Sandboxed | Native OS |
| Platform | Mac (Win soon) | Mac/Win/Linux | Mac/Win/Linux | Apple only |
| Price | $20/mo (Pro) | API usage | $200/mo | Free |