AppControl is the best replacement for Windows 11's Task Manager I've yet to find, and since its February 2026 release, it's been the go-to app on all my PCs.
When I originally covered AppControl a couple of months ago, I noted that it doesn't just mimic Task Manager's operations. Instead, it expands on them, offering features like event tracking that records, down to the second, your PC's hardware usage, temperatures, and background app activity.
AppControl keeps this data on your system for three days, during which time you can go back through the organized history to see how your PC was acting.
With its latest update that's live now, AppControl is taking its PC history function to the next level with Model Context Protocol (MCP). The developer has added integration with a rather long list of AI agents and Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), including Claude, ChatGPT, Windsurf, and Gemini CLI.
As AppControl notes in its release notes, this update enables a natural-language interface to give you a conversational rundown of your PC's last three days of activity.
As AppControl's co-founder and CEO explains, "We built AppControl to show exactly how apps use your PC when you aren't looking. By pairing your telemetry with your preferred AI Agent, users can now simply ask what happened, and get a clear answer in plain English."
The update also adds a feature called Idle Time Tracking, which pushes beyond the usual real-time data to show resource spikes when your PC is idling.
How does AppControl's new AI integration work?
AppControl offers some examples of how you can use a linked AI agent to query for system statistics. Want to quickly discover which apps are interfering most with performance when you're gaming? Just ask, in plain words, "Which app caused the biggest CPU and GPU spikes during my gaming session last night?"
Want to know where the apps running on your PC originate from? Just ask, "Identify any running apps developed by companies in [a specific country]."
Curious to know if any apps are secretly accessing your location or PC hardware when you're away from your PC? Ask, "Did any apps access my location or microphone while my PC was idle this morning?"
How does AppControl handle privacy and security with its new AI integration?
AppControl's MCP feature is disabled by default, and it requires manual activation as well as manual setup. Once you've updated the app to the latest version, a small banner will pop up that brings you to an instruction page for adding AI to the app.
If you're concerned about your data being sent away to LLMs in the cloud, AppControl supports offline models via Ollama and WebUI. If you set this up, you can rest assured that your info is remaining on your system.
Windows Central's take on AppControl
AppControl notably does not require any email or registration details, and it's a certified member of Intel's Partner Alliance initiative. This is what originally pushed me to test it out.
When I saw the news about AI integration, I immediately wondered if it would offer offline LLM support for those concerned about privacy. AppControl delivered, and I'm eager to give the new AI tools a shot once I've set them up properly.
Have you been using AppControl to keep tabs on your PC's activity? Is the new AI integration something you'd like to test out? If not, what's stopping you? Let me know in the comments section below!
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