c2de35caba
- Create comprehensive Cowork docs (23 files in cowork/) - 6 guides: overview, getting started, capabilities, security, troubleshooting - 60+ ready-to-use prompts across 4 categories - 5 step-by-step workflows - Reference materials: cheatsheet, FAQ, comparison, glossary - Integrate Perplexity research (P0/P1/P2) - Exact error messages with solutions (VPN, Chrome host, context limits) - Competitive analysis (vs Copilot/Gemini/ChatGPT/Apple Intelligence) - Enterprise validation (TELUS, Rakuten, Zapier stats) - OCR accuracy benchmarks (97% field, 63% line-item) - Token budget planning per task type - Document critical limitations - VPN incompatibility (#1 community issue) - Context limit reality (165K vs 200K theoretical) - Platform constraints (macOS only) - Usage limits and pricing (Pro $20, Max $100-200) - Update central files - README.md: detailed Cowork section with tables - VERSION: 3.9.6 → 3.9.7 - machine-readable/reference.yaml: add cowork_reference entry - machine-readable/cowork-reference.yaml: new LLM-optimized index (~1.5K tokens) Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com> |
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Claude Cowork Documentation
Complete guide for Claude's agentic desktop feature for knowledge workers
What is Cowork?
Cowork is Claude's desktop-native autonomous assistant that manipulates local files, generates documents, and organizes your digital workspace—without writing code.
Think of it as Claude Code for everyone: same agentic capabilities, but through a visual interface with file-only operations.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CLAUDE DESKTOP APP │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ COWORK │ │
│ │ "Organize my Downloads folder by type" │ │
│ │ ↓ │ │
│ │ [Analysis] → [Planning] → [Execution] │ │
│ │ ↓ │ │
│ │ ~/Downloads/ → Organized structure │ │
│ └───────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Quick Start
1. Access Requirements
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Subscription | Pro ($20/mo) or Max ($100-200/mo) |
| Platform | macOS only (Windows planned, no ETA) |
| App | Claude Desktop (latest version) |
2. Enable Cowork
- Open Claude Desktop app
- Go to Settings → Features
- Enable Cowork toggle
- Grant folder access when prompted
3. Your First Task
Create a folder: ~/Cowork-Workspace/
Add some files to organize
Prompt: "Organize the files in ~/Cowork-Workspace/ by type"
→ Complete Getting Started Guide
Documentation Map
Core Guides
| Guide | Description | Reading Time |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | What is Cowork, architecture, who should use it | 5 min |
| Getting Started | Installation, setup, first workflow | 10 min |
| Capabilities | What Cowork can and cannot do | 8 min |
| Security | Best practices, risk mitigation, safe usage | 12 min |
| Troubleshooting | Common issues, decision tree, recovery | 8 min |
Workflows
| Workflow | Use Case | Complexity |
|---|---|---|
| File Organization | Downloads → structured folders | Beginner |
| Expense Tracking | Receipts → Excel report | Intermediate |
| Report Synthesis | Multi-doc → structured report | Intermediate |
| Meeting Prep | Research → briefing document | Intermediate |
| Team Handoff | Dev ↔ Non-dev patterns | Advanced |
Ready-to-Use Prompts
| Collection | Count | Description |
|---|---|---|
| File Operations | 15+ | Organization, renaming, cleanup |
| Document Creation | 15+ | Reports, summaries, presentations |
| Data Extraction | 15+ | Images → data, PDF parsing |
| Research | 10+ | Web research, synthesis |
Reference
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Cheatsheet | 1-page printable quick reference |
| Comparison | Code vs Cowork vs Projects decision matrix |
| FAQ | 20+ frequently asked questions |
| Glossary | Cowork-specific terminology |
Templates
| Template | Use Case |
|---|---|
| CLAUDE.md for Cowork | Project context file template |
Key Differences: Code vs Cowork
| Aspect | Claude Code | Cowork |
|---|---|---|
| User | Developers | Knowledge workers |
| Interface | Terminal/CLI | Desktop app |
| Execute code | Yes | No |
| File access | Full filesystem | Sandboxed folder |
| Outputs | Any file type | Office docs, Excel, PDF |
| Maturity | Production-ready | Research preview |
Safety First
Cowork has no official security documentation yet. Follow these practices:
- Dedicated workspace — Never grant access to Documents or Desktop
- Review plans — Check each step before execution
- No sensitive data — Keep credentials out of workspace
- Backup first — Before destructive operations
Current Limitations (January 2026)
- macOS only (Windows planned, Linux not announced)
- Pro ($20/mo) or Max ($100-200/mo) subscription required
- Usage limits: resets every 5 hours, heavy tasks consume quota fast
- No cloud storage connectors confirmed
- Research preview = expect bugs
- No official security documentation
⚠️ Usage Warning: File organization and document processing tasks consume tokens rapidly. Pro tier may exhaust quota in 1-1.5 hours of intensive use. Max tier recommended for heavy workflows.
Contributing
Found an issue or have a workflow to share?
- Open an issue in the main claude-code-ultimate-guide repo
- Tag with
[cowork]prefix - Include platform, subscription tier, and reproduction steps
Navigation
cowork/
├── README.md ← You are here
├── guide/
│ ├── 00-overview.md
│ ├── 01-getting-started.md
│ ├── 02-capabilities.md
│ ├── 03-security.md
│ └── 04-troubleshooting.md
├── workflows/
│ ├── file-organization.md
│ ├── expense-tracking.md
│ ├── report-synthesis.md
│ ├── meeting-prep.md
│ └── team-handoff.md
├── prompts/
│ ├── file-ops.md
│ ├── document-creation.md
│ ├── data-extraction.md
│ └── research.md
├── reference/
│ ├── cheatsheet.md
│ ├── comparison.md
│ ├── faq.md
│ └── glossary.md
└── examples/
└── CLAUDE.md
Part of Claude Code Ultimate Guide | Main Guide