A desktop agent for business work

A task can cross several tools

Preparing an account review might require a spreadsheet, a supplier website, an internal record, and a short presentation. Proto works across these materials from a desktop workspace. Describe the outcome, identify the sources it may use, and specify what needs review before it changes or publishes anything.

Proto is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux. It can search and edit local files, use its built-in browser, produce documents, and work in ERP•AI with your account’s permissions. It reads action results and continues the task, rather than stopping at a suggested list of steps. You can inspect its progress, redirect the work, or cancel the run.

Give the task a useful boundary

An effective brief names the inputs, the decision, and the deliverable. It also separates preparation from action. For example:

Compare these three supplier proposals against our requirements. Use the attached workbook as the source for quantities. Check the suppliers’ published specifications, identify unanswered questions, and produce a comparison workbook and a two-page recommendation. Do not contact suppliers or place an order.

That brief gives Proto enough direction to start while keeping a consequential business decision with the person responsible for it. Ask for missing information to be recorded as an open question instead of filled with an assumption.

Keep the evidence beside the result

A finished file is only one part of a useful handoff. Ask Proto to explain which sources it used, what it changed, and what remains uncertain. For numerical work, retain a source-data sheet and formulas. For research, retain links and dates. For record changes, inspect the actual destination and a sample of affected records.

Longer work can use separate tasks and sub-agents. These help divide research or preparation into bounded pieces; they do not remove the need to reconcile conflicting findings. A useful final review checks that the pieces answer the original brief and use the same definitions.

Choose the action settings deliberately

New installs start with Uninterrupted mode on. In that mode, Proto chooses recommended options and runs confirmable actions without questions or review prompts. Turn it off in Settings > Permissions and leave Plan mode when a task should pause for action review. Separate controls for ERP•AI deletion and sensitive access changes remain off by default.

The built-in browser is the usual surface for website work. Controlling other desktop applications is a separate experimental capability that must be enabled. Test it with a bounded task before making it part of an operating process.

Evaluate one complete piece of work

Proto is in alpha. A practical first evaluation uses representative files, a clear output, and an owner who can judge the result. Compare the finished work with your existing process: how much preparation was completed, how many corrections were needed, and whether another person can follow the evidence.

Workspace files and session records are stored locally, while selected context is sent to the model service used for the task. ERP•AI and connected services have their own data flows. Read the architecture overview before choosing the material for your evaluation.