First, I’ve been using the MCP Server with Claude Cowork for only a day, and I’m very impressed! As a start, I created a skill to make a new group, then import files into the group. Next I want to edit the files…
Here’s where I’ve run into a snag. I want Claude Cowork to open a spreadsheet file (.xlsx) that’s in DEVONthink so it can make edits. I have the DEVONthink (version 4.3) set to open files externally (Settings > General > Interface> Double-click opens documents externally) and this works great when I actually double-click on a file.
But when Claude Cowork uses the MCP Server’s “Open Record” command, DEVONthink opens the spreadsheet inside DEVONthink instead of opening the file externally, in MS Excel.
Is there a different way using the MCP Server for Claude Cowork to force DEVONthink to open the file externally? Or could the behavior of the “Open Record” command be changed to honor the setting (on or off) of “Double-click opens documents externally”?
Thanks again for this amazing new tool!
Jim
Thanks for the feedback and nice comments!
Well… you’re not double-clicking anything and Claude lacks fingers to do it either 
I’m looking at this but it’s not so simple a task as you may imagine. And because Cowork is running in a Linux container, certain commands aren’t available either. Remember, Claude is not only a Mac tool so certain things we feel should be a gimme, are not.
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LOL! Good point about double-clicking!
That said, it seems like an elegant solution for the “Double-click opens documents externally” to also treat an “open_record” request from the MCP Server in the same way. Is that simply impractical, given the architecture of DT?
That’s a @cgrunenberg question. He’s the mastermind behind the implementation. Personally, I would hesitate to do it but I also don’t enable that setting either. There are many (most!) documents I open inside DEVONthink, so I still use Shift-Command-O for when I need to open externally. But this is Criss’ call. 
PS: This appears to be close to, if not, impossible without a change in our implementation. Every way I attack it comes up with, “I live in a sheltered Linux container.” from Claude.
On the other hand, you could also just remove that from your skill and handle it on your own. A double-click isn’t a huge burden, I’d say.
Jim, I appreciate your trying this, and look forward to hearing from @cgrunenberg. I honestly don’t know what would be required within the MCP Server or DT4, for “open_record” to check the setting of Double-click opens documents externally and either open the document within DT4, or open with the external application, just as if I had double-clicked on the document.
My objective is to have this Claude Cowork skill run overnight, every night, and update several spreadsheets with new information. Under normal circumstances, a double-click isn’t a burden at all. But here, it totally breaks the ability of my skill to run overnight, unattended.
You’re welcome!
I hope you’re trying this with test data first… and making sure your local backups are current and running.
The MCP server doesn’t depend on user-interface settings, just like AppleScript. But we might add a parameter to the tool to open the item externally, meaning that this would be controlled by your prompt/skill and the MCP client.
What exactly does the skill do?
Thank you, that would be a very good solution for me.
My skill downloads a set of spreadsheets from someone’s shared Google Drive. It then checks a date in the spreadsheets against the date of the previous download to determine if there have been updates. If so, it creates a new group in DEVONthink, then uploads the new spreadsheets to the new group. This all works now.
Next, I want to open the new spreadsheets and the “master” versions (also in DEVONthink) in MS Excel, then merge the new data into the masters.
Make sense?
Thanks!
Thank you for the reply! As this is pure automation, AI and MCP are actually not required as far as I can tell. AppleScript could handle this too and e.g. Claude Cowork might be able to draft a script for you.
Thanks! I believe you’re right that there are other ways this could be done. I’m just getting started with Claude Cowork, so this is a learning experience as much as anything. Also, and unstated, once the master spreadsheets are updated I will have Claude perform certain analysis with them. I believe I could also do this with Copilot, but again I’m trying to become proficient with Claude at the moment.
If you like, I’m happy to test an updated MCP server for you.
Jim
If you’re interested in regular beta testing and willing to sign an NDA, just send me a PM. But a maintenance release will be available shortly anyway.