How to Use Claude Dispatch for a Checked Desktop Handoff

To use Claude Dispatch, first check that your account already has access, then send a specific task through its phone-to-desktop conversation and review the result in the underlying session. Anthropic says Dispatch is unavailable to new users; existing users should follow its Dispatch instructions↗ (opens in a new tab) rather than assume the feature can be enabled on any account.

fenbs can keep the task instructions, agreed limits, and last checked progress outside that conversation. That gives you a useful starting point if another device, person, or assistant needs to finish the work.

How do you set up a task from your phone?

1. Check for Dispatch in your account before changing settings. If it is absent, check the vendor guidance for the available Cowork cloud workflow instead.
2. For an existing Dispatch connection, update the desktop and mobile apps. Open Dispatch in the sidebar and select Get started. Review the file-access and keep-awake options, then select Finish setup.
3. Keep the desktop awake, the desktop app open, and both devices connected. Dispatch depends on the desktop that will do the work.
4. Send one small task with named inputs, an output location, and clear limits. Ask for a draft first when an action would affect someone else.
5. Open the resulting session to check the work and any approval request. Verify the actual output before calling the task complete.

Try the connection with a harmless example: ask for a short outline from a sample document, saved as a new file. A small first task separates connection problems from an overly broad request. Confirm that the file appears where you expected and that you can open it before assigning a larger job.

What work should you send through Dispatch?

Choose work with a result you can inspect. For example, ask for a draft meeting brief from a named folder or a comparison of two documents. The instruction should identify the source material and explain what would count as a useful answer, including how the assistant should handle missing information.

Distinguish preparation from execution. Preparing a customer update and sending that update are separate permissions. If you only want preparation, state that the assistant should produce a draft and stop. A request such as “handle the client update” leaves too much room for interpretation when you are away from the computer.

• Input: the exact folder, document, or connected source to consult.
• Output: a named draft, report, or list of proposed changes.
• Boundary: what may change and what needs your approval.
• Completion check: how you will confirm that the result meets the request.

If you are choosing between conversational help and delegated work, our introductions to Claude and Claude Cowork explain those broader uses. Here, keep the focus on passing a bounded piece of work from one device to another.

How should you write the task instructions?

Write the request as though a colleague will receive it without the conversation that led up to it. Include the purpose, required inputs, and the first point where judgment is needed. If a document contains several versions, name the approved version instead of asking the assistant to infer which one matters.

Goal: Prepare a draft agenda for the supplier meeting.
Read: The approved meeting notes in the Supplier Review folder.
Create: A new agenda draft; leave the source files unchanged.
Include: Open questions, owners, and missing evidence.
Stop before: Sending messages, changing calendar events, or replacing files.
Return: The output location and anything you could not verify.

This example separates an observable deliverable from decisions that belong to you. Adjust the boundaries to the task rather than copying them mechanically. For a report, the review point may be interpreting a disputed number; for a design, it may be choosing between two client directions.

For continuing work, fenbs handoffs keep those instructions with the task, so a later assistant can distinguish the approved request from a passing suggestion.

When should you review permissions and approvals?

Check an approval against the task you actually assigned. Ask which app or folder is involved, what action is requested, and whether that action is necessary. If the assistant asks to publish a document when you requested a draft, narrow the instruction before approving more access.

Anthropic documents app permissions and the ability to stop computer use in its computer-use guidance↗ (opens in a new tab). Permission to reach an app does not prove that every proposed action in it matches your intent. Continue reviewing the particular action and its likely result.

A useful approval message names the next action in plain language. “Read the project folder to prepare the agenda” is easier to assess than “allow everything needed.” If you cannot tell what a request enables, pause the task and inspect it on the desktop before proceeding.

How do you check progress without repeating the task?

Inspect the existing session before sending the same instruction again. Look for a waiting question, a produced file, or a partial result. A quiet conversation can mean that the task needs your answer, and a repeated request can create a second draft that is difficult to distinguish from the first.

Separate the last message from the last verified action. “I am compiling the report” is a progress statement; a report you can open is evidence of an output. Record the file location and the part you checked. If the assistant claims a message was sent, confirm that in the relevant application before asking it to send again.

Cloud tasks and desktop-dependent work have different requirements. Anthropic explains the distinction in its Cowork surface guide↗ (opens in a new tab). If your existing Dispatch task stalls, use the separate Dispatch troubleshooting guide for diagnosis.

How to do this with fenbs

1. Create a free account and add a project for the work you want to hand over.
2. Add the task and put the intended output, source locations, limits, and review point in its plan. Record rules a person has agreed in Decisions and rules.
3. Connect a supported assistant using the fenbs integration guide. Ask it to read the project context before working; Dispatch itself is not a fenbs integration.
4. Save the checked output location, remaining questions, and next action in task progress and Where we left off. Use History to inspect who changed the record.

fenbs does not control Dispatch, keep your desktop awake, or retrieve its conversation automatically. If you only need to send one small task and read the result, the conversation may be enough. fenbs fits when the work must remain understandable across sessions and assistants.

Before leaving the task, check that someone else could find the current draft and identify what still needs approval. That is the practical test of the handoff. Browse the AI handoff library when the next transition involves another person or tool.