Claude Desktop and Cowork,recorded on the laptop they run on.
A small collector reads Claude Desktop's local session files, including Cowork and Claude Code sessions run inside Desktop, and sends them to your OpenWatch deployment encrypted. It works even where Anthropic keeps no local session data.
How the collector works
On first run it backfills existing sessions, then follows new ones as Claude writes them: session transcripts and Claude's own audit log from the Claude Desktop data folder, including the Microsoft Store version of Claude on Windows.
Before anything leaves the laptop, secrets such as API keys, private keys, tokens and password values are redacted. Documents are recorded by file name, path and size, never their contents.
Each upload is encrypted with AES-256-GCM and sent over HTTPS with the machine's own key. If your deployment can't be reached, uploads retry and wait in a local queue for up to 7 days.
What leaves the laptop, and what doesn't.
The collector only reads Claude Desktop's own files. It doesn't watch the screen, the browser or other apps.
| Data | What's captured | Sent to OpenWatch |
|---|---|---|
| Session transcripts | Messages, model, input, output and cache tokens, stop reason | Yes |
| Tool calls | Name, category and result, up to 4,000 characters | Yes |
| Session setup | System prompt, MCP servers, allowed domains and approved folders | Yes |
| Identity | Account id, email, organisation id and display name from the Claude Desktop sign-in | Yes |
| Documents | File name, path and size | Name, path and size only |
| Secrets | API keys, private keys, tokens and password values | No. Redacted on the device |
| Other AI tools | Claude Code in a terminal, Cursor and other apps | Not collected |
Rolling it out.
Plan the rollout with Attri
Agree which machines to cover and where your OpenWatch deployment receives uploads.
Deploy the installer
Install the macOS package or Windows installer on each laptop, or push it through Microsoft Intune.
Sessions start arriving
After the backfill, new sessions appear in OpenWatch as Claude writes them.
Questions about the collector
Can it block or change what people do in Claude?
No. The collector only reads Claude Desktop's files. It never blocks prompts or changes Claude's settings.
Is the installer code-signed?
Not on the current release. macOS signing and notarisation are in progress, and Windows signing isn't set up yet. Attri works through this with your IT team during rollout.
Does it support Intel Macs or Linux?
Not today. macOS builds are for Apple Silicon, and Windows builds are for x64 on Windows 10 version 1809 or later.
What about Claude Code in a terminal?
Not yet. The collector reads Claude Code sessions that run inside Claude Desktop.
Why use a collector if Anthropic has a Compliance API?
Some local sessions never reach Anthropic's servers. When HIPAA readiness is on, for example, Anthropic captures no local session data. The collector records those sessions on the device.
Someone will ask what happened.Have the answer ready.
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