Cua Spaces for the Mac.
AI Commander for remote machines.

The split is which machine, and whether the job is a desktop — not which agent to throw away. Agents, and the agencies and teams running them, usually do not need a full GUI or a mouse steering the computer like a person. Serious work goes through tools: shell, files, APIs, jobs, and MCP. Cua Spaces is the local Mac VM when you truly need native apps: Driver, Teleport, and a GUI more than one person can watch, with MCP into Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor. AI Commander is the remote-machine harness those same clients use for always-on and non-Mac hosts, with no GUI tax. A screenshot is enough when you need to peek. It is not a live multiplayer desktop. This does not replace Cua Spaces. It does not replace Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor.

When each fits: Cua Spaces = local Mac VM, Driver, Teleport, GUI multiplayer. AI Commander = remote and always-on machines through tools, alongside those clients. Keep both when the job needs both.

Harness page, alongside Cua Spaces: Cua Spaces MCP remote machines.

Cua Spaces and AI Commander, side by side

Cua’s strength is the GUI niche, and it is a real one: a local Mac VM, Driver, Teleport, and a desktop several people can watch when the native app is the job. AI Commander’s bet is that mouse-driven computer-use is not the main path for agents. The harness is tools on machines you already run — including ones that stay on and are not Macs — from Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor. Peek with a screenshot. Do not pay a GUI tax for ordinary work.

Cua SpacesAI Commander
Best atLocal Mac VM when you need native apps and a desktopRemote, always-on, and non-Mac machines
How the agent actsDriver, Teleport, GUI multiplayerTools: shell, files, APIs, jobs, MCP
Seeing stateLive desktop you can watch togetherScreenshot when you need to peek — not a live multiplayer desktop
Cost of the desktopWorth it when the app is the jobNo GUI tax on ordinary agent work
ClientsMCP into Claude Code, Codex, CursorThe same clients. Not a replacement for them.
Replaces the other?NoNo. Spaces for the Mac GUI; AI Commander for the remote fleet.

Keep the clients you already run

Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor stay in charge of the conversation. Point Cua’s MCP at the local Mac desktop when you need Driver and Teleport. Point AI Commander at the remote fleet when the agent should use tools, not a mouse.

Remote fleet — same clients
$ claude mcp add --transport http aicommander https://aicommander.dev/mcp $ codex mcp add aicommander --url https://aicommander.dev/mcp 
Cursor ~/.cursor/mcp.json → npx -y @aicommander/mcp
AICOMMANDER_SERVER=https://aicommander.dev

Setup matrix: Connect your AI client. Cua Spaces docs: cua.ai/docs/spaces.

FAQ

Does AI Commander replace Cua Spaces?
No. Cua Spaces is the right niche when you truly need a local Mac desktop: a Mac VM, Cua Driver, Teleport, and a GUI more than one person can watch. Most agent work is not that. Agents and the teams running them usually do not need to steer a computer with a mouse. AI Commander is the remote-machine harness beside Spaces — shell, files, APIs, jobs, and MCP on always-on, non-Mac, and remote machines, with a screenshot when you need to peek rather than a live multiplayer desktop. It does not replace Cua Spaces, and it does not replace Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor.
When does Cua Spaces fit, and when does AI Commander fit?
Cua Spaces fits when the job really is a native Mac app or a desktop you share: Driver, Teleport, and GUI multiplayer, with MCP into Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor. AI Commander fits when the work should go through tools instead, on remote, always-on, or non-Mac machines, with no GUI tax. Seeing state there is a screenshot, not a live desktop. Use both when the Mac GUI and the remote fleet are both in the job.
Does this replace Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor?
No. Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor stay the agents. Cua Spaces stays their local Mac desktop when they need one. AI Commander is only the harness those clients call for remote machines: claude mcp add --transport http aicommander https://aicommander.dev/mcp, codex mcp add aicommander --url https://aicommander.dev/mcp, or npx -y @aicommander/mcp in Cursor. See /with-cua/ and /howto/.

Next steps

Keep Cua Spaces when the job is a Mac GUI. Add AI Commander where the machine is remote, always-on, or not a Mac — tools, not a second desktop.

With Cua Spaces Install the agent Setup guides