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>
194 lines
6.9 KiB
Markdown
194 lines
6.9 KiB
Markdown
# Claude Cowork Documentation
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> **Complete guide for Claude's agentic desktop feature for knowledge workers**
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[](https://claude.ai/cowork)
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[]()
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[]()
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---
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## What is Cowork?
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**Cowork** is Claude's desktop-native autonomous assistant that manipulates local files, generates documents, and organizes your digital workspace—without writing code.
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Think of it as **Claude Code for everyone**: same agentic capabilities, but through a visual interface with file-only operations.
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```
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┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
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│ CLAUDE DESKTOP APP │
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│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
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│ │ COWORK │ │
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│ │ "Organize my Downloads folder by type" │ │
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│ │ ↓ │ │
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│ │ [Analysis] → [Planning] → [Execution] │ │
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│ │ ↓ │ │
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│ │ ~/Downloads/ → Organized structure │ │
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│ └───────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
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└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
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```
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---
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## Quick Start
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### 1. Access Requirements
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| Requirement | Details |
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|-------------|---------|
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| **Subscription** | Pro ($20/mo) or Max ($100-200/mo) |
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| **Platform** | macOS only (Windows planned, no ETA) |
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| **App** | Claude Desktop (latest version) |
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### 2. Enable Cowork
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1. Open **Claude Desktop** app
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2. Go to **Settings** → **Features**
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3. Enable **Cowork** toggle
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4. Grant folder access when prompted
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### 3. Your First Task
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```
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Create a folder: ~/Cowork-Workspace/
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Add some files to organize
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Prompt: "Organize the files in ~/Cowork-Workspace/ by type"
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```
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→ [Complete Getting Started Guide](guide/01-getting-started.md)
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---
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## Documentation Map
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### Core Guides
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| Guide | Description | Reading Time |
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|-------|-------------|--------------|
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| [Overview](guide/00-overview.md) | What is Cowork, architecture, who should use it | 5 min |
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| [Getting Started](guide/01-getting-started.md) | Installation, setup, first workflow | 10 min |
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| [Capabilities](guide/02-capabilities.md) | What Cowork can and cannot do | 8 min |
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| [Security](guide/03-security.md) | Best practices, risk mitigation, safe usage | 12 min |
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| [Troubleshooting](guide/04-troubleshooting.md) | Common issues, decision tree, recovery | 8 min |
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### Workflows
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| Workflow | Use Case | Complexity |
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|----------|----------|------------|
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| [File Organization](workflows/file-organization.md) | Downloads → structured folders | Beginner |
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| [Expense Tracking](workflows/expense-tracking.md) | Receipts → Excel report | Intermediate |
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| [Report Synthesis](workflows/report-synthesis.md) | Multi-doc → structured report | Intermediate |
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| [Meeting Prep](workflows/meeting-prep.md) | Research → briefing document | Intermediate |
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| [Team Handoff](workflows/team-handoff.md) | Dev ↔ Non-dev patterns | Advanced |
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### Ready-to-Use Prompts
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| Collection | Count | Description |
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|------------|-------|-------------|
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| [File Operations](prompts/file-ops.md) | 15+ | Organization, renaming, cleanup |
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| [Document Creation](prompts/document-creation.md) | 15+ | Reports, summaries, presentations |
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| [Data Extraction](prompts/data-extraction.md) | 15+ | Images → data, PDF parsing |
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| [Research](prompts/research.md) | 10+ | Web research, synthesis |
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### Reference
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| Resource | Description |
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|----------|-------------|
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| [Cheatsheet](reference/cheatsheet.md) | 1-page printable quick reference |
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| [Comparison](reference/comparison.md) | Code vs Cowork vs Projects decision matrix |
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| [FAQ](reference/faq.md) | 20+ frequently asked questions |
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| [Glossary](reference/glossary.md) | Cowork-specific terminology |
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### Templates
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| Template | Use Case |
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|----------|----------|
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| [CLAUDE.md for Cowork](examples/CLAUDE.md) | Project context file template |
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---
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## Key Differences: Code vs Cowork
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| Aspect | Claude Code | Cowork |
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|--------|-------------|--------|
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| **User** | Developers | Knowledge workers |
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| **Interface** | Terminal/CLI | Desktop app |
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| **Execute code** | Yes | No |
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| **File access** | Full filesystem | Sandboxed folder |
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| **Outputs** | Any file type | Office docs, Excel, PDF |
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| **Maturity** | Production-ready | Research preview |
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→ [Full Comparison](reference/comparison.md)
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---
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## Safety First
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Cowork has no official security documentation yet. Follow these practices:
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1. **Dedicated workspace** — Never grant access to Documents or Desktop
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2. **Review plans** — Check each step before execution
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3. **No sensitive data** — Keep credentials out of workspace
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4. **Backup first** — Before destructive operations
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→ [Complete Security Guide](guide/03-security.md)
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---
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## Current Limitations (January 2026)
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- macOS only (Windows planned, Linux not announced)
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- Pro ($20/mo) or Max ($100-200/mo) subscription required
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- Usage limits: resets every 5 hours, heavy tasks consume quota fast
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- No cloud storage connectors confirmed
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- Research preview = expect bugs
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- No official security documentation
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> ⚠️ **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.
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---
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## Contributing
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Found an issue or have a workflow to share?
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1. Open an issue in the main [claude-code-ultimate-guide](https://github.com/your-repo) repo
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2. Tag with `[cowork]` prefix
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3. Include platform, subscription tier, and reproduction steps
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---
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## Navigation
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```
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cowork/
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├── README.md ← You are here
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├── guide/
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│ ├── 00-overview.md
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│ ├── 01-getting-started.md
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│ ├── 02-capabilities.md
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│ ├── 03-security.md
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│ └── 04-troubleshooting.md
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├── workflows/
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│ ├── file-organization.md
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│ ├── expense-tracking.md
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│ ├── report-synthesis.md
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│ ├── meeting-prep.md
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│ └── team-handoff.md
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├── prompts/
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│ ├── file-ops.md
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│ ├── document-creation.md
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│ ├── data-extraction.md
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│ └── research.md
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├── reference/
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│ ├── cheatsheet.md
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│ ├── comparison.md
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│ ├── faq.md
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│ └── glossary.md
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└── examples/
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└── CLAUDE.md
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```
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---
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*Part of [Claude Code Ultimate Guide](../README.md) | [Main Guide](../guide/ultimate-guide.md)*
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