Systems, devices, and methods for controlling cooperative surgical instruments are provided. Various aspects of the present disclosure provide for coordinated operation of surgical instruments accessing a common body cavity of a patient from different approaches to achieve a common surgical purpose. For example, various methods, devices, and systems disclosed herein can enable the coordinated treatment of surgical tissue by disparate minimally invasive surgical systems that approach the tissue from varying anatomical spaces and operate in concert with one another to effect a desired surgical treatment.