Claude Cowork + xCloud
Delegate Hosting Tasks to Claude Cowork with xCloud
Claude Cowork is Anthropic's desktop agent for knowledge work: you describe a task, hand it off and let Claude work through it. Connected to xCloud as a custom connector, it can carry out multi-step hosting jobs such as a site-by-site audit or a careful plugin update, and stop for your approval before it creates, deploys, updates or deletes anything.
- Same custom connector as Claude
- OAuth sign-in, no token to paste
- Free with every xCloud account
YouAudit all my sites: uptime, SSL, vulnerabilities. Give me a short report.
sites_vulnerabilities_listread-only
sites_sslread-only
AgentEleven sites checked. Ten are healthy. shop.example.com has a plugin with a known vulnerability, and its certificate expires in nine days.
YouRenew that certificate and update the plugin after a backup.
sites_wordpress_updateneeds approval
AgentBackup taken and the plugin updated. The certificate renewal is waiting for your approval.
. Keep a human in the loop: xCloud stops and asks before anything that creates, deploys, updates, reboots, deletes or buys.
Setup
How Do I Connect Claude Cowork to xCloud?
Point Claude Cowork at the xCloud MCP server, approve access in your browser, then ask. The whole thing takes a couple of minutes.
Add xCloud as a custom connector
In Cowork, open Customize, then Connectors, and choose Add custom connector. If you already added xCloud to your Claude account, look for it in that list first. Name it xcloud, use this URL and sign in when the xCloud approval page opens.
https://app.xcloud.host/mcpCheck the connection
Start a task and ask this first. Claude Cowork calls xCloud and names your account and the teams you approved, so you know the connector works before you delegate real work.
Who am I on xCloud?Match the access level to the job
Optional. On the xCloud approval screen, Full access lets a delegated job deploy, update plugins and renew certificates; Read-only is enough for audits and reports. To change the level later, reconnect the connector and approve again. A Team or Enterprise owner adds the same URL under Organization settings, then Connectors.
https://app.xcloud.host/mcpCheck it worked
You sign in to xCloud in the browser when you add the connector. xCloud supports dynamic client registration, so there is no token to create. The scope you pick, Read-only or Full access, limits what the task can do.
Who am I on xCloud?
Three surfaces
Which Way Should I Connect Claude Cowork to xCloud?
The MCP server exposes one tool per customer-facing xCloud operation and leaves out eleven internal ones that only the Public API carries; the skills add workflow know-how on top of an MCP connection and, on their own, only read access. All three are free with every account and differ in what you set up and what holds the credentials.
| xCloud MCP server | xCloud Agent Skills | Public API | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal needed | No (recommended for Claude Cowork) | Yes for the plugin or ClawHub install | Yes |
| Authentication | OAuth sign-in, or an API key with mcp:invoke plus read or write abilities (recommended for Claude Cowork) | The MCP connection, or a read-scoped API token | API token with scoped abilities |
| What it adds | One tool per customer-facing xCloud operation (188 today) (recommended for Claude Cowork) | Workflow know-how: routing, dry run, confirm, poll, diagnose | Raw REST for your own code |
| Changes to your infrastructure | Yes, after confirmation (recommended for Claude Cowork) | Only through a connected MCP tool, after confirmation | Yes, with write scopes |
| Best for | Most people; every MCP client (recommended for Claude Cowork) | Agents that run shell commands and read skills | CI jobs, dashboards and long-running loops |
Background
What Is Claude Cowork?
Claude Cowork is Anthropic's agent for delegated work in the Claude desktop app. Instead of trading messages turn by turn, you describe the outcome you want, hand it over and let Claude work through the steps, coming back to you when it needs a decision.
Cowork uses connectors to reach outside services, and Anthropic lists custom connectors as working in Cowork alongside Claude on the web and Claude Desktop. xCloud runs a remote MCP server at https://app.xcloud.host/mcp that you add as a custom connector.
Claude is the chat assistant and Claude Code is the terminal coding agent. Cowork sits between them: it is not a chat window and it is not a coding tool. That makes it a fit for jobs you would otherwise do by hand in a dashboard, such as an audit across every site.
Why Claude Cowork with xCloud?
Hand off a whole job
Describe the outcome, such as check every site and list what needs attention. Cowork makes the xCloud calls one after another and returns a single report instead of a string of replies.
Approvals stay with you
Cowork's Manual, Auto and Skip modes decide how often it asks before using a connector, and xCloud refuses any call that creates, deploys, updates, reboots, deletes or buys without an explicit confirmation. A delegated task therefore stops and asks you before a change, even when you are not watching every step.
Read-only for routine reports
Approve Read-only access when a task only needs to look. Audits and status reports then cannot change anything, whatever the task asks for.
Guides
What Can Claude Cowork Do on xCloud?
One guide per hosting job, each with the Claude Cowork setup, the xCloud tools involved, a settings reference, example prompts and the limits that apply.
- Deploy from Git with Claude CoworkTurn a GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket repository into a live site on a server you already have.
- Run Docker apps with Claude CoworkRun a Dockerfile or Docker Compose app on a Docker server, keep it backed up and recover it when a deploy fails.
- Install one-click apps with Claude CoworkPick an app from the xCloud catalogue, check it fits your server, install it and get the login details.
- Manage WordPress with Claude CoworkKeep WordPress sites updated, scanned and healthy, and create new ones, by asking in plain words.
- Back up and stage sites with Claude CoworkCheck that your sites are backed up, take a backup before a risky change, and open a staging copy to test it on.
- Manage SSL and domains with Claude CoworkCheck a site's certificate and DNS, install or renew HTTPS, and see which domains point at it.
- Manage servers with Claude CoworkSee how your servers are doing, change services and runtimes, tighten security and reboot with proof it worked.
- Troubleshoot a broken site with Claude CoworkFind out why a site returns a 500, 502 or 503, shows a critical error or has stopped answering.
- Speed up a slow site with Claude CoworkFind out why a site is slow, from real numbers, and learn which fix is a dashboard switch.
- Secure sites and servers with Claude CoworkFind vulnerable sites, manage server firewall rules and banned IPs, and see which protections are on.
Example prompts
What Can You Ask Claude Cowork to Do on xCloud?
Type these as written and swap in your own site and server names. Reads and routine actions such as backups, cache purges, PageSpeed scans and vulnerability scans run straight away; creating, deploying, updating, rebooting, deleting, buying or starting a broken-link scan stops and asks first.
Audit every site on my account for uptime, SSL expiry and known vulnerabilities, then write a one-page summary.Check which sites have plugin updates waiting. For each, say what changed and whether a backup exists.Take a backup of example.com and shop.example.com and confirm both finished.List my servers with disk usage above 80 percent and suggest what to clean up.Review my invoices from this quarter and list the plans and add-ons I pay for.Good to know
- Claude connects to xCloud from Anthropic's cloud, not from your computer. The xCloud MCP URL is public, so no firewall change is needed.
- The Free plan allows one custom connector in total. Team and Enterprise owners add connectors for the organization.
- Access is chosen at sign-in. To move from Read-only to Full access, reconnect the connector and approve Full access.
More prompts, grouped by job: What you can ask xCloud MCP to do.
Claude Cowork and xCloud: Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers about connecting Claude Cowork, what it may change and what it costs.
How do I connect Claude Cowork to xCloud?
Open Customize, then Connectors in Cowork, choose Add custom connector, name it xcloud and paste https://app.xcloud.host/mcp. Sign in to xCloud in the browser and approve the teams and access level. Then ask who am I on xCloud to confirm.
What is the difference between Claude and Claude Cowork for xCloud?
Claude is the chat assistant, where you ask and answer turn by turn. Claude Cowork is the desktop agent for delegated work, where you hand over a whole job. Both use the same xCloud MCP server, and Anthropic lists custom connectors as available in both.
Do I add the connector again if I already added it to Claude?
Check Customize, then Connectors inside Cowork first. If xCloud is listed, you can use it. If it is not, add it there with the same URL and sign in again.
Can Claude Cowork change my servers without asking?
It depends on the permission mode, and xCloud gates the consequential operations either way. Cowork's permission mode decides how often it asks: in Manual mode every connector call waits for your approval, Auto mode approves read-only tools and reviews writes itself, and Skip mode approves everything. xCloud adds its own gate on top of that: reads and routine actions such as backups, PageSpeed scans and vulnerability scans need no xCloud confirmation, while creating a site, deploying, updating plugins, rebooting, deleting, buying or starting a broken-link scan is refused unless the call carries an explicit confirmation, so a delegated task stops and asks you.
Should I give Claude Cowork Read-only or Full access?
Use Read-only for audits, reports and monitoring, since nothing can change. Use Full access when you want it to carry out approved changes such as updates or deploys. You can reconnect the connector later to change the level.
Does Claude Cowork need an xCloud API key?
No. It signs in with OAuth in your browser, and xCloud supports dynamic client registration. An API key is only for clients without a browser.
Can Claude Cowork work across several xCloud teams?
Yes. On the approval screen you tick every team the connection may act on, and you can name the team in your request. A site on a team you did not tick comes back as not found, so reconnect and tick it.
Is it free to use Claude Cowork with xCloud?
The xCloud side is free: the MCP server and the Public API are included with every xCloud account, including the free plan. Claude Cowork is billed by Anthropic under your Claude plan.
Other agents
Also Works With
The same xCloud account, the same operations, a guide for each client.
- Claude CodeAnthropic's terminal coding agent. One claude mcp add command, plus the xCloud skills plugin with nine skills on top.
- ClaudeAnthropic's chat assistant on the web and desktop. Add xCloud as a custom connector, no terminal needed.
- CursorThe AI code editor. One mcp.json entry with the compact URL, because Cursor stops at 40 tools.
- CodexOpenAI's coding agent for the terminal. A codex mcp add command or a config.toml entry, then codex mcp login.
- OpenCodeThe open-source terminal coding agent. One remote MCP entry, then opencode mcp auth xcloud.
- Hermes AgentNous Research's agent with memory and a built-in scheduler. An mcp_servers entry in config.yaml and one login.
- OpenClawThe open-source agent runtime with chat apps and automations. ClawHub skill plus the MCP client.
- WindsurfThe Cognition editor, now Devin Desktop. devin mcp add for the Devin Local agent, a serverUrl entry for legacy Cascade.
- GitHub CopilotCopilot agent mode in VS Code. One .vscode/mcp.json entry, or the Agent Plugins package.
- Gemini CLIGoogle's terminal agent. One gemini mcp add command, OAuth found automatically.
- ChatGPTOpenAI's chat assistant. A developer-mode app with the xCloud MCP URL and OAuth.
- ChatGPT dotsOpenAI's always-on agent in ChatGPT. Uses the xCloud MCP plugin you add in ChatGPT, with custom rules and scheduled tasks.
- GrokxAI's terminal agent, Grok Build. One grok mcp add command or a config.toml entry.
- Grok BotxAI's always-on Bots on a cloud computer. One Remote HTTPS MCP plugin, OAuth sign-in, routines on a schedule.
- KiroAWS's agentic IDE. One url entry in .kiro/settings/mcp.json, plus the portable xCloud Agent Plugins package.
- AntigravityGoogle's agentic IDE. One serverUrl entry in mcp_config.json and a browser sign-in.
- ZedThe Zed editor's Agent Panel. One context_servers entry in settings.json and a browser sign-in.
Run Your Hosting from Claude Cowork
xCloud MCP, the Agent Skills and the Public API are free with every account. Connect once and ask.