RemotePC MCP Lets AI Assistants Manage Remote Computers

IDrive announced RemotePC MCP on November 12, 2026, a hosted integration that lets customers use compatible AI assistants to inspect and manage computers already configured in RemotePC. The feature works now with ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Codex and Grok.

Model Context Protocol, or MCP, is a standard for connecting AI assistants to external services and the tools those services expose. RemotePC's implementation provides one endpoint for every configured and online computer in an account. That removes the need for a separate integration or sign-in for each machine. Because IDrive describes a hosted service in the product documentation, customers don't need to deploy their own MCP server.

The feature targets IT teams, managed service providers, remote workers and individuals. A technician could ask an assistant to inspect a screenshot and explain a visible application error. A remote employee could check whether an office computer is online. An administrator could warn a user before a planned restart. Defined tool calls return structured results that agents can chain into multi-step tasks, without requiring a full remote-control session for every routine check.

Raghava Meeniga, IDrive's vice president of technology, said the integration lets customers "make requests in natural language while retaining control over access permissions and session duration."

What can the assistant actually do?

The RemotePC FAQ separates observation from action. View Only sessions can retrieve:

• registered devices and their status
• account and billing details
• groups, sub-users and recently accessed computers
• visible application windows and screenshots

Full Control exposes action-based tools for scheduling or canceling restarts with a configurable grace period and optional warning, checking for and installing RemotePC host updates, generating temporary connection links, and displaying one-way messages on the remote screen.

The tools can't enroll unmanaged machines. Device operations require the regular RemotePC agent to be configured and online, and the service supports hosted MCP only. Screen capture and window listing are blocked when a computer is locked, displaying a screen saver or showing a secure desktop.

Each host handles one tool call at a time and returns a busy/retry response if another action is underway. Screenshots arrive through short-lived signed URLs rather than embedded directly in the conversation as inline image data.

How does authorization work?

Customers authorize the connection with OAuth 2.1 and their existing RemotePC sign-in, including two-factor authentication when enabled. RemotePC says sign-in credentials are not shared with the AI client. Every session carries an explicit View Only or Full Control permission and a duration between 12 hours and 30 days. When that period ends, authorization expires and later tool calls fail rather than renewing silently.

Access can also end early through My Account > MCP Connections in the RemotePC account. Revocation takes effect immediately, including during an active conversation, though it may interrupt operations in progress. RemotePC cautions that disconnecting inside an AI client may not revoke the underlying authorization. A disconnected client doesn't by itself establish that account access has ended.

How do customers set it up?

Setup differs by client. The ChatGPT guide uses a custom MCP plugin configured with OAuth. The Claude guide uses a custom connector and also documents command-line configuration. Both require an active RemotePC account and access to the relevant AI service. After that, users sign in to RemotePC, choose the session timeout and permission level, and authorize access.

The launch puts routine remote checks and a defined set of maintenance actions inside AI workflows without extending RemotePC's reach beyond computers it already manages. For IT teams and service providers, the practical change is the interface — host restrictions, explicit permission levels, expiring sessions and account-level revocation determine how much authority an assistant receives.