How to use Claude Cowork.

Cowork is where you hand Claude the whole job. Read these top to bottom and you'll learn it one step at a time, like taking a class.

Full transparency. These follow Anthropic's free Introduction to Claude Cowork course. I take each lesson, check it against Anthropic's current docs, and rewrite it in plain English. Not affiliated with Anthropic, and every guide links to the real course so you can take it yourself.
Cowork
✓ My Anthropic Certificate

Learn Claude Cowork, one lesson at a time

By the end, you'll go from asking Claude questions to handing it real, multi-step work in your own files and tools.

Take the official Introduction to Claude Cowork course ↗
  1. 1 What Is Claude Cowork, and Why I Do Everything in It Cowork is where you stop asking Claude questions and start handing it the whole job. Here is what it is, and why I live in it. 6 min read →
  2. 2 How to Set Up Claude Cowork: The 3 Choices That Matter Setting up Cowork is really three choices: the folder you point it at, the apps you connect, and how much it can act on its own. 6 min read →
  3. 3 What Claude Cowork Can Do: The 3 Kinds of Tasks Worth Handing Off The best Cowork tasks share three shapes. Once you can spot them, you know exactly what to hand off. 7 min read →
  4. 4 Hand Claude Cowork Your First Task: A Beginner's Walkthrough Your first Cowork hand-off is four simple moves. Get them right and it clicks. 7 min read →
  5. 5 Make Claude Cowork Better at Your Work: 4 Building Blocks Cowork does not learn your business on its own. Four building blocks let you hand it reusable context, each at a different scope. 7 min read →
  6. 6 Claude Cowork Global Instructions and Projects: Standing Context Global instructions teach Claude about you. Projects teach it about one stream of work. Here is how to set up both. 7 min read →
  7. 7 How to Build a Claude Skill: No Coding Required A skill teaches Cowork to run a repeated job the same way each time. And you build it by talking to Claude, not by coding. 7 min read →
  8. 8 Claude Plugins: Package Your Skills Into One Toolkit A plugin bundles several skills and their connectors into one install, so a whole way of working travels as a package. 6 min read →
  9. 9 Claude in Chrome: Put Claude to Work Across the Web Claude in Chrome is the bridge for tools with no connector. It works the page for you, then hands the results to Cowork. 6 min read →
  10. 10 How to Use Claude Cowork Safely (3 Simple Habits) Cowork has guardrails, but the real safety comes from three habits: the folder you point it at, how you phrase the ask, and watching the run. 6 min read →
  11. 11 How to Test a Claude Skill Before You Trust It An eval is just a test-drive for a skill: a real request in, a look at the output, one line of feedback. No code, just your judgment. 6 min read →
More lessons land here as I work through the course. See all courses or the full blog.