Perplexity has opened its Personal Computer feature to all Mac users through its desktop application, as announced on Thursday. This tool serves as the company's response to platforms like OpenClaw and other local AI agents. To clarify, Personal Computer is an extension of Perplexity's broader, multi-model digital worker called Perplexity Computer—a name that can be confusing. The Personal Computer variant is designed to bring those capabilities directly to your own device. It enables AI agents to access local files, applications, connectors, and the web, allowing them to handle complex, multi-step workflows tailored to individual users. As the company describes it, Personal Computer "takes Computer out of the cloud-only world and onto the device where most of your real work already takes place."

The launch aims to tap into the rising demand for local AI agents, popularized by OpenClaw, which can perform tasks on behalf of users. However, while OpenClaw raised security concerns due to its high-level permissions, solutions like Personal Computer are positioned as safer AI-enabled computing environments—or so the claim goes.

Perplexity first introduced Personal Computer last month, but it was initially limited to Perplexity Max subscribers and required joining a waitlist. Now, the company says anyone with a Mac can try the software. At launch, it works with local files, native Mac apps, and the web. It can orchestrate tools, handle files, use over 400 connectors, and leverage personal context—all within a secure development environment hosted on Perplexity's servers. When paired with Perplexity's AI-powered Comet web browser, it can also operate web-based tools without needing direct connectors.

Designed to run autonomous agents on an always-on device like a Mac Mini, Personal Computer can even be accessed remotely from an iPhone, where users can initiate tasks or approve requests. Perplexity suggests this is useful for various types of work, including handling spreadsheets, documents, and projects involving diverse materials. Because the tool works across apps, agents can perform actions like comparing two files from different applications or pulling notes from one app to create a draft in another. With this general availability, Perplexity notes that its older Mac app will be deprecated in the coming weeks so the team can focus on the Personal Computer app. The new Mac app is currently available only as a direct download, not through the Mac App Store.