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>
154 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
154 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
# Cowork Glossary
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> **Terminology specific to Claude Cowork and related concepts**
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---
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## A
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### Agentic
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Describes AI systems that can autonomously plan and execute multi-step tasks with minimal human intervention. Cowork is "agentic" because it analyzes your request, creates a plan, and executes it (with your approval).
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### Approval Gate
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The checkpoint where Cowork shows its planned actions and waits for your confirmation before executing. **Critical security measure**—always review before approving.
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---
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## C
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### Claude Code
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Anthropic's CLI tool for developers. Shares architecture with Cowork but provides full shell access and code execution. Terminal-based interface.
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### Claude Desktop
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The macOS application that hosts Cowork. Different from the web interface (claude.ai).
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### Context Limit
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The maximum amount of text/data Claude can process in a single session (~200K tokens). When exceeded, tasks may fail or produce incomplete results.
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### Context Window
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The "memory" space where Claude holds your conversation and file contents during a session. Measured in tokens.
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### Cowork
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Claude's agentic desktop feature for knowledge workers. Manipulates files without code execution.
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---
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## E
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### Execution Plan
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The detailed list of actions Cowork proposes before starting work. Shows what files will be affected and how. **Review this carefully.**
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### Extended Thinking
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Claude's ability to reason through complex problems step-by-step. Shared capability between Claude Code and Cowork.
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---
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## F
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### Folder Sandbox
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The restricted area where Cowork can operate. You grant access to specific folders; Cowork cannot access anything outside this boundary.
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## K
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### Knowledge Worker
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Non-technical professionals who work primarily with information and documents (project managers, analysts, writers, consultants). Cowork's target audience.
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---
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## L
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### Local-First
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Design principle where data and processing stay on your computer rather than in the cloud. Cowork accesses local files only.
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## M
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### Max Tier
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The highest Claude subscription level ($100-200/month, with 5x or 20x usage multipliers). Recommended for heavy Cowork usage.
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### Pro Tier
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The standard Claude subscription level ($20/month). Now includes Cowork access, but with tighter usage limits (~1-1.5 hours intensive use before quota resets).
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### Multi-Step Task
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An operation requiring multiple sequential actions. Example: "read files → analyze → create report → organize output." Cowork excels at these.
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## O
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### OCR (Optical Character Recognition)
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Technology that extracts text from images. Cowork uses OCR to read receipts, screenshots, and scanned documents.
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### Orchestrator
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The main Cowork agent that receives your request, creates the plan, coordinates sub-agents, and assembles results.
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## P
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### Prompt Injection
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A security attack where malicious instructions are hidden in files, attempting to manipulate AI behavior. Mitigation: only process trusted files.
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### Projects
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Claude's conversation interface on claude.ai. Allows document uploads but no local file access or creation.
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## R
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### Research Preview
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Anthropic's term for early-access features that aren't production-ready. Cowork is in research preview (January 2026). Expect bugs.
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## S
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### Sub-Agent
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Specialized workers spawned by the orchestrator to handle specific parts of a task. Each sub-agent has fresh context and can work in parallel with others.
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### Sandbox
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See [Folder Sandbox](#folder-sandbox).
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## T
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### Token
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The unit Claude uses to measure text. Roughly 4 characters or 0.75 words. Used to calculate context limits.
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---
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## W
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### Workspace
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The dedicated folder structure for Cowork operations. Best practice: `~/Cowork-Workspace/` with `input/` and `output/` subfolders.
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---
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## Common Acronyms
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| Acronym | Meaning |
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|---------|---------|
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| CLI | Command Line Interface |
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| OCR | Optical Character Recognition |
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| PDF | Portable Document Format |
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| API | Application Programming Interface |
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| SSO | Single Sign-On |
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---
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## Related Terms from Claude Code
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| Term | In Code Context | In Cowork Context |
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|------|-----------------|-------------------|
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| **CLAUDE.md** | Project context file | Can use for shared team context |
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| **Sub-agents** | Task-specific workers | Same concept, file-focused |
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| **Hooks** | Event handlers | Not available in Cowork |
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| **MCP** | Model Context Protocol | Not exposed in Cowork |
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---
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*[Back to Cowork Documentation](../README.md)*
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