MPU 841: The Robot Assistant Field Guide


MPU 841: The Robot Assistant Field Guide

David walks through the AI robot assistant he built with Claude Cowork, covering file renaming, email, invoicing, and podcast production. Plus why managed agents solve the memory and access problems that held chatbots back from real usefulness.

Links and Show Notes

Join the MPU forums. You can watch the podcast over on YouTube.

This Week from David and Stephen

In addition to working on Mac Power Users, this past week David and Stephen have been busy ...

David made a video on using Cowork Dispatch.

Stephen made a video on shortcuts for work and play.

Thank You, MPU Sponsors!

This week's show was sponsored by some great companies. Please show them your support and let them know you heard about them at the Mac Power Users.

  • Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code MPU.
  • NerdWallet: Compare real financing offers from trusted lenders — all in one place. Get VIP treatment using this link.
  • SaneBox: Take back control of your inbox.

Copyright © 2026 Mac Power Users, All rights reserved.

Want to change how you recieve these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from the list.

22365 El Toro Rd, Unit 2168, Lake Forest, CA 92630

David Sparks (MacSparky)

In a world where technology is increasingly conspiring to steal our focus and attention, my goal is to teach you how to be more productive with Apple technology. I want to help you achieve what is most important to you and enjoy your life at the same time using technology instead of becoming another one of its victims. Pretty much everything I make points at that North Star. I believe in this message so much that I’ve staked my livelihood on it.

Read more from David Sparks (MacSparky)

THE MACSPARKY DISPATCH Hi Friend, The MacBook Neo is here, and it's already obvious it will be a massive hit for Apple. I've heard from three Apple-adjacent friends in the last week that intend to buy them. Apple is going to sell so many of these. But I want to talk about what the Neo isn't. If you've been waiting for Apple to make a truly ultralight Mac, something more premium, smaller, and yes, more expensive, the Neo isn't that machine. The Neo is about accessibility and volume. It's the...

THE ROBOT ASSISTANT FIELD GUIDE Purchase the Robot Assistant Field Guide Get 10% Off with Code: ROBOTLAUNCH Hi Friend, It started with email. First, I connected Claude to my Obsidian vault and asked it to help me process my inbox. I have a "robot" label in my email. I tag messages that need action, and my assistant works through them. It'll log an expense from an email, routes things to the right project files, flag what needs my attention. That went well. So I asked it to help with daily...

THE ROBOT ASSISTANT FIELD GUIDE Purchase the Robot Assistant Field Guide Get 10% Off with Code: ROBOTLAUNCH Hi Friend, For the past several months, I've been using Claude and Obsidian to manage my entire working life. Not just asking a chatbot questions. Building a system. A persistent AI assistant that knows my projects, processes my email, runs my daily planning, manages my tasks, and handles the repetitive admin I used to spend hours on every day. I started with email. Then planning. Then...