Abstract
We introduce a framework for implementing quantum operations as steady states of a subsystem in an extended Hilbert space. Each operation has a spectral criterion for reaching the steady state. This adds a `spectral switch' mechanism to the emerging field of autonomous control where operations are implemented on states within a specified energy range. These operations are dissipative in the sense that they have guaranteed steady states in a subsystem. With this perspective, we reveal a fundamentally new type of dissipative operation that is not describable as a mapping from initial to steady state of a time-independent Lindblad equation.