Give a bot a computer
Choose the right desktop or isolated environment for a task.
A bot can work without a computer, use the computer running MengBot, or work inside an isolated desktop.
| Backend | Isolation | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| This computer | None | Working with local apps and files you explicitly approve |
| Local VM | Containerized desktop | Repeatable browser and desktop work on your machine |
| Boat cloud computer | Hosted remote desktop | Always-available isolated Linux work |
| Self-hosted VPS | Hardened container over SSH | Using infrastructure you own |
Auto, local, and cloud selection
Computer selection is explicit per bot. Auto may reuse a ready, verified backend, but it does not silently provision every backend or turn on host control.
Preview and takeover
The Screen panel can show live frames while an agent works. Supported cloud desktops also provide an interactive viewer. MengBot opens that viewer in the app when possible, with a browser fallback for external join flows.
When a bot needs you to sign in to a website, it asks with a Sign in needed card instead of asking for a password in chat. Open goes to the computer or browser the bot is working in, with Take control; Done hands it back and resumes the bot. See Website sign-in.
In the built-in browser (and in My Chrome) a bot can also sign in with a login you saved, from the card's Save a login or Settings → Logins, or with one from a connected 1Password vault: it calls fill_login on the site's login page, and MengBot types the username, password and any one-time code into the page itself and submits the form, only on that login's own site. The bot never sees the password. See Saved logins, including what a screenshot can still show.
Preview is not permission
Starting a screen preview does not grant the bot control. Local input requires a separate opt-in and remains subject to the computer-use safety boundary.