Meta’s Manus launches desktop app to bring its AI agent to personal devices

Manus, the artificial intelligence start-up recently acquired by Meta, released a new desktop app on Monday that brings its AI agent directly to personal laptops.

A company’s general agent — which can execute complex, multi-step tasks — previously operated exclusively in the cloud and was typically accessed through a web interface.

However, through the new Manus desktop application, a feature called ‘My Computer’ allows its agents to work directly with local files, tools and applications on the user’s device.

The expanded offering aligns Meta and Manus’ agents more closely with OpenClaw, an open-source AI agent that is downloaded onto users’ local devices.

OpenClaw was founded late last year by Austrian software developer Peter Steinberger, and its popularity has helped spark AI agent mania. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang described OpenClaw as “the next ChatGPT” in an interview with Jim Cramer on CNBC’s “Mad Money” on Tuesday.

Steinberger was also hired by ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which represents one of Meta’s main AI competitors.

Unlike OpenClaw, which is free and open source under the MIT license, Manus is primarily a paid subscription service.

According to Manus, its My Computer offering allows its agent to read, analyze, edit files and launch or control applications on a machine.

For example, users can instruct Manus to organize thousands of internal images on their hard drive, the company said. That said, aside from file management, My Computer is also compatible with coding apps and can create an app in minutes.

Those capabilities will be added to existing Manus capabilities that include integration with services such as Google Calendar, Gmail and various third-party platforms.

While such capabilities hold great promise, experts have flagged potential security and privacy issues with giving AI agents like OpenClaw access to local devices.

In his post, Manus said My Computer puts users “firmly in control” by seeking express approval before executing tasks. These options are either “allow once” for individual review or “always allow” for trusted, recurring actions, it said.

Meta announced the acquisition of AI startup Manus on December 29, 2025, with the aim of expanding its AI capabilities and integrating Manus’ autonomous agent technology into products across its platforms, including the Meta AI Assistant.

Manus was founded in China before moving its headquarters to Singapore. Chinese authorities are reportedly scrutinizing the $2 billion acquisition for potential violations of technology controls.