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A spreadsheet and a script, or a CRM built for agents?

A spreadsheet or a SQLite file and a script the agent edits is the usual first step: it costs nothing and you control it. This page is about the point where that stops being enough, and what Deskhand adds there: a key per agent, a pause switch, an audit log with undo, and email drafts next to the contacts.

Side by side

	A spreadsheet and a script	Deskhand
Setup	Create a file or sheet; write or generate a script. Minutes to an hour.	Sign up, create a key, paste one MCP config line. See the Claude Code guide.
Who the agent is	Whatever credential the script holds. Two agents usually share it.	One key per agent, with scopes, a rate limit, a daily send cap and a pause switch.
Knowing what changed	Whatever you build: version history in a sheet, a git commit, or nothing.	Every write recorded with agent, run, before and after values.
Undoing a bad run	Restore a previous version of the file, or rewrite by hand.	Revert one change or a whole agent run from Activity. Records edited since are skipped and reported.
Email	You wire a mail provider and your own suppression and caps.	Agents draft email; drafts wait in the To send queue in the console.
Approval	A step you add to the script.	Off by default. A workspace setting (`auto`, `email`, `all`) plus a per-agent override.
Cost	Free; your time.	Free during early access: 3 agents, 1,000 records. See pricing.

Facts about A spreadsheet and a script are what its own pages said when opened on 2026-11-02. Pages change; check the source.

Choose A spreadsheet and a script if

One agent, a few dozen rows, nothing leaves the building, and you are happy to restore a file if it goes wrong.

Choose Deskhand if

More than one agent, or an agent that drafts email, or a bad overnight run would cost you records you cannot rebuild. Import your sheet as CSV and keep going: import guide.

Try it

Free during early access: 3 agents, each with its own key, a pause switch and the full audit log. Start free