Gemini Spark Arrives on Mac as a Background Task Agent

Google has brought its agentic assistant Gemini Spark to the Gemini app on Mac computers. This expands a feature that previously worked mainly in the browser and on phones, now giving it access to files on disk and the ability to carry out tasks directly on the user's computer.

Until now, Gemini Spark was mostly associated with simple cloud-based tasks, like looking up information or planning basic activities. The macOS version changes that picture, giving the agent direct access to the computer's file system, meaning it can organize folders, convert documents, or work on local data without manually uploading it to the cloud.

What's new on macOS

The app now lets users organize and sort files directly on their Mac's disk, integrates with Google Tasks and Google Keep, and converts documents, such as invoices, into spreadsheets and Google Workspace files. Google also highlights a real-time topic-tracking feature, which lets Spark continuously monitor sports scores, stock prices, weather, or social media activity and automatically react to changes.

The company also announced support for its own Model Context Protocol, which will let users connect additional apps beyond the default integration list to Spark and build an assistant tailored to their own needs. At launch, the agent already works with services such as Canva, Dropbox, Instacart, OpenTable, and Zillow Rentals.

Price barrier and availability

For now, the feature is locked behind two layers of restrictions. First, it only works in the United States, so European and Polish users don't have access yet. Second, it requires Google's most expensive plan, AI Ultra, which costs $100 a month, placing Spark in the premium segment alongside the competition's most advanced offerings.

This pricing strategy suggests Google sees the desktop agentic assistant as a product for enthusiasts and professionals willing to pay for automating everyday tasks, rather than a mass-market feature available in the base subscription. Only time will tell whether these capabilities will trickle down to cheaper plans, as has happened before with other Gemini features.

Agents compete for the desktop

Spark's arrival on Mac fits into a broader trend of AI agents moving from the browser to the desktop. Anthropic has its Claude Desktop, Microsoft is developing Copilot integrated with Windows, and smaller tools like OpenClaw are also entering the market. They're all competing for the same thing: access to a user's files, calendars, and apps, since that access is what determines an agent's real usefulness in daily work.

Google also announced an upcoming feature that will let users assign tasks to Spark from their phone, with an agent running on a desktop computer carrying them out. It's a step toward a model where users won't need to be at a specific device to kick off an agent's work, an important step toward fully automating digital tasks.

What this means for Polish users

For now, Polish Gemini users can only watch this feature develop from across the ocean, since Spark on macOS is limited to the US and the most expensive subscription tier. Still, for businesses tracking the AI agent market, it's a signal of where competition among the biggest providers is heading: toward agents with access to local data and their own integrations via open protocols, not just browser-based chat.

Sources: Gemini Spark, Google's agentic assistant, is now available on Mac (techcrunch.com), Gemini Spark comes to Google's Gemini app for macOS (engadget.com)