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>
220 lines
13 KiB
YAML
220 lines
13 KiB
YAML
# cowork-reference.yaml
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# Quick lookup for Claude Cowork - ~1.5K tokens target
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# Source: cowork/ documentation
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# Purpose: Condensed index for LLMs to quickly answer user questions about Cowork
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version: "1.0.0"
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updated: "2026-01-20"
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status: "research-preview"
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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# CORE DOCUMENTATION - File paths for detailed info
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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docs:
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hub: "cowork/README.md"
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overview: "cowork/guide/00-overview.md"
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getting_started: "cowork/guide/01-getting-started.md"
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capabilities: "cowork/guide/02-capabilities.md"
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security: "cowork/guide/03-security.md"
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troubleshooting: "cowork/guide/04-troubleshooting.md"
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cheatsheet: "cowork/reference/cheatsheet.md"
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faq: "cowork/reference/faq.md"
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comparison: "cowork/reference/comparison.md"
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glossary: "cowork/reference/glossary.md"
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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# PROMPTS LIBRARY (60+ ready-to-use)
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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prompts:
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file_ops: "cowork/prompts/file-ops.md" # 20 prompts
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document_creation: "cowork/prompts/document-creation.md" # 15 prompts
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data_extraction: "cowork/prompts/data-extraction.md" # 15 prompts
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research: "cowork/prompts/research.md" # 17 prompts
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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# WORKFLOWS (step-by-step guides)
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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workflows:
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file_organization: "cowork/workflows/file-organization.md"
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expense_tracking: "cowork/workflows/expense-tracking.md"
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report_synthesis: "cowork/workflows/report-synthesis.md"
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meeting_prep: "cowork/workflows/meeting-prep.md"
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team_handoff: "cowork/workflows/team-handoff.md"
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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# QUICK REFERENCE - Essential facts
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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essentials:
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what: "Agentic desktop feature for knowledge workers - file manipulation without code"
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platform: "macOS only (Windows planned, Linux not announced)"
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subscription: "Pro ($20/mo) or Max ($100-200/mo) - both have access"
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usage_limits: "Resets every 5 hours; Pro ~1-1.5h intensive use, Max 5x-20x more"
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context: "~200K tokens theoretical, ~165K effective (system overhead)"
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vpn_compatible: "NO - #1 issue, VM routing conflict"
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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# CAN DO / CANNOT DO
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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capabilities:
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can_do:
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- "Read/write local files in sandbox"
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- "Create Office docs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)"
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- "Extract data from images (OCR)"
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- "Organize folders/files"
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- "Web research via Chrome"
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- "Generate PDFs"
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cannot_do:
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- "Execute code or scripts"
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- "Make API calls"
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- "Access cloud storage directly"
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- "Process audio/video"
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- "Work with VPN active"
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- "Run on Windows/Linux"
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- "Operate in background"
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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# PROMPTING FORMULA (CTOC)
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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prompting:
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framework: "CTOC - Context → Task → Output → Constraints"
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context: "Background, files, situation"
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task: "Clear single objective"
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output: "Exact format and location"
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constraints: "Rules, limits, preferences"
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example: |
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CONTEXT: I have 50 receipts from Paris business trip in ~/Cowork-Workspace/input/receipts/
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TASK: Extract all expenses into a spreadsheet
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OUTPUT: Save as ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/paris-expenses.xlsx
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CONSTRAINTS: Use EUR currency, semicolon formulas, categorize by type
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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# COMMON ERRORS - Exact messages + solutions
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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errors:
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vm_timeout:
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message: "Failed to start Claude's workspace — VM connection timeout after 60 seconds"
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cause: "VPN active"
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solution: "Disconnect VPN completely before using Cowork"
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chrome_host:
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message: "Chrome native messaging host not found"
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cause: "Extension mismatch or missing host"
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solution: "Manual installation via bash (see troubleshooting doc)"
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context_limit:
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message: "Context limit reached"
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cause: "System overhead (~25-35K tokens)"
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actual_limit: "~165K usable (not 200K)"
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solution: "Break into batches of 10-20 files"
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access_denied:
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message: "Access denied — path outside allowed directories"
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cause: "Folder not granted"
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solution: "Re-grant folder access in System Preferences"
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session_terminated:
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message: "Session terminated unexpectedly"
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cause: "Sleep/background/VPN"
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solution: "Keep app foreground, disable sleep, disconnect VPN"
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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# TOKEN BUDGET - Task costs
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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tokens:
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simple_qa: "5K-10K"
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file_inventory: "20K-30K"
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small_file_org: "30K-50K (10-20 files)"
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large_file_org: "80K-150K (50+ files)"
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multi_doc_synthesis: "50K-100K"
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ocr_batch: "60K-100K (10+ images)"
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agentic_overhead: "15-30% (Plan→Execute→Check cycles)"
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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# OCR ACCURACY (from Perplexity research)
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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ocr:
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field_extraction: "~97% (vendor, date, totals)"
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line_items: "~63% (table rows)"
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warning: "Budget 30-50% of 'saved' time for error correction"
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best_for: "Single-currency, clear fonts, standard formats"
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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# COMPETITIVE POSITIONING
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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competition:
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unique_strength: "Only assistant with true multi-step autonomy + local files + browser automation"
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vs_copilot: "Better autonomy, worse OCR accuracy"
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vs_gemini: "Better autonomy, smaller context (165K vs 1M+)"
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vs_chatgpt: "Better autonomy, macOS only vs cross-platform"
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vs_apple_intelligence: "Better capabilities, cloud vs on-device"
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best_ocr: "Microsoft Copilot"
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best_context: "Gemini Advanced (1M+ tokens)"
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best_privacy: "Apple Intelligence (on-device)"
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best_autonomy: "Cowork"
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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# ENTERPRISE VALIDATION (Claude general, not Cowork-specific)
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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enterprise:
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telus: "$90M value, 500K hours saved"
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rakuten: "87.5% reduction in processing time"
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zapier: "89% employee adoption"
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note: "Stats for Claude in general - validates underlying AI capabilities"
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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# LIMITATIONS & CONSTRAINTS
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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limitations:
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environment:
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- "VPN incompatible (VM routing conflict)"
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- "macOS only (Windows planned, Linux not announced)"
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- "Requires app foreground (no background operation)"
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- "No session persistence across restarts"
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technical:
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- "No code execution"
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- "No API calls"
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- "No cloud storage direct access"
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- "No audio/video processing"
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- "Context limit hits at 165K (not 200K)"
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workflow:
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- "Pro tier exhausts in ~1-1.5h intensive use"
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- "Usage resets every 5 hours (not daily)"
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- "No cross-session memory"
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- "Connector reliability inconsistent"
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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# DECISION FLOWCHART
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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decide:
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use_cowork_when:
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- "Need to organize/rename files"
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- "Create Office documents"
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- "Extract data from images/receipts"
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- "Compile research → documents"
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- "Batch file operations"
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- "Browser automation tasks"
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use_alternative_when:
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- "Need code execution → Claude Code"
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- "Need best OCR → Microsoft Copilot"
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- "Need 1M+ context → Gemini Advanced"
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- "Privacy critical → Apple Intelligence"
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- "On Windows/Linux → Copilot or ChatGPT"
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- "VPN required → Claude Code"
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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# QUICK START (5 steps)
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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quick_start:
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1: "Enable Cowork in Claude Desktop → Settings → Features"
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2: "Create ~/Cowork-Workspace/{input,output}"
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3: "Grant folder access when prompted"
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4: "Use CTOC framework for prompts"
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5: "Review plan before approval"
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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# GOLDEN RULES
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# ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
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rules:
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1: "Always review plan before approval"
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2: "Dedicated workspace only (never Documents/Desktop)"
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3: "No credentials in workspace"
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4: "Verify file sources (prompt injection risk)"
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5: "Budget 30-50% time for OCR error correction"
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6: "Disconnect VPN before using"
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7: "Backup before destructive operations"
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