No. Dispatch lets you give Claude a task from your phone, but the work runs in the Claude Desktop app on your computer. If the computer sleeps or the app closes, Claude can't keep working there. Anthropic says the computer must stay awake and the app open.
The reason to use Dispatch is that Claude can reach what's on that computer: local files, desktop apps, and the tools you've set up in Cowork. A cloud session doesn't have access to the Excel window on your Mac.
As of October 2026, Dispatch is in limited beta and isn't available to new users. If you already have it, you can keep using it for now. If you don't see it in Cowork, Anthropic recommends a cloud session instead.
If the task needs your desktop, keep it awake
For work in a local app or a file that only lives on your computer, this is the simplest answer. Dispatch has a keep-awake setting during setup. Leave Claude Desktop open too. If you're using Claude Code on a Mac, our Mac sleep guide covers that setup separately.
The trade-off is obvious once you leave the house: the computer has to stay on, connected, and available. A restart or power cut can interrupt the work.
If it only needs connected accounts, use Cowork in the cloud
A Cowork cloud session runs on Anthropic's servers, so it can continue when your laptop is off. Cowork scheduled tasks also run remotely when they use connectors and files saved to your Claude account. For a daily email brief or a weekly report from connected tools, I'd try this first. It's included in your Claude plan.
Check where an existing scheduled task runs before relying on it. Tasks that need local files or apps still run locally. On Pro and Max, tasks created before October 6 that ran on your computer stay there. To move one to the cloud, create it again using connectors or files saved to Claude.
If the work needs its own machine, use one
Maybe the task needs a database, a script that runs every night, or files and tools that should still be there next week. In that case, give Claude a separate computer instead of keeping your laptop awake.
That's what a Podway pod is: a persistent cloud computer running Claude Code. It keeps your files and tools between sessions and can run scheduled jobs and other services. You can reach it through the Claude app on your phone or desktop, using your own Pro or Max plan. On Team and Enterprise, your organization's Owner needs to enable Remote Control first. The first pod is free without a card; additional pods start at $4 a month. There's more on running business apps with Podway.
A pod won't control the desktop apps on your laptop. If Claude needs to click through Excel on that machine, keep the machine awake and use Dispatch.
So start with where the work lives. Desktop app? Keep the desktop on. Connected accounts and Claude-saved files? Use Cowork in the cloud. A project that needs a machine of its own? Try a free pod.
Last reviewed October 29, 2026, against Anthropic's Claude help pages. Spot something out of date? Email support@podway.io and we'll fix it.