Cowork Cheatsheet

One-page quick reference : Print-friendly

Availability (as of October 11, 2026): Cowork is for Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans (not Free). Claude Desktop runs on macOS (13 Ventura or later), Windows and Linux (beta, Ubuntu 22.04+ / Debian 12+). Since September 16, 2026, Cowork is built into every Claude conversation (rolling out on Pro and Max, web, desktop and mobile): no Chat/Cowork mode to pick. Verify the current Cowork availability before relying on a surface.

Where tasks run: since October 6, 2026, new Pro and Max tasks run in the cloud (Anthropic servers, temporary isolated environment). Your folders stay on your computer; a cloud task reaches only the folders you connected, and only while Claude Desktop is open. Scheduled tasks run in the cloud even with your computer off. Tasks started locally before October 6 stay local. Team: beta, on by default. Enterprise: beta, off until an owner turns it on.

Quick Start

# 1. Create workspace
mkdir -p ~/Cowork-Workspace/{input,output}

# 2. Enable Cowork in Claude Desktop → Settings → Features

# 3. Grant folder access when prompted

Essential Prompt Pattern

Task: [clear single objective]
Input: ~/Cowork-Workspace/input/
Output: ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/[filename.ext]
Format: [specific format requirements]

Model Selection

Model	Use For	Notes (Anthropic, October 2026)
Opus 5.5 (Sept 22)	Hard, multi-step work	Matches Fable 5.1 on most tasks, 40% cheaper to run than Opus 5
Sonnet 5.5 (Sept 28)	Everyday tasks	Over 30% faster than Sonnet 5
Haiku 5.5 (Oct 7)	High-volume, simple tasks	Anthropic’s smallest, fastest, cheapest model
Fable 5.1, Mythos 5.1, Opus 5	Still available	Check the model picker

Effort levels: Low, Medium, High, Extra high, Max. The default model per plan is not published: use the options shown in Claude and test a small task before a large batch.

Approval Modes

Mode	What happens	Watch out
Manual (was “Ask before acting”)	Claude waits for Allow or Deny at each request	Safest, slowest
Auto	Each action is checked, dangerous ones are blocked	Uses more of your usage limit
Skip all approvals (was “Act without asking”)	No pause, no filtering	Non-sensitive work only

Team and Enterprise: Auto is offered by default; “Always allow” for connector tools is off by default; a tool set to “Restrict to Ask” still asks even in Skip all approvals. Source: support.claude.com/en/articles/13345190 and 13455879.

Personalize Your Profile

Create my-profile.md in your workspace:

## Tone & Style
- Formal / Casual
- Concise bullet points

## Things I NEVER Do
- Use exclamation marks
- Promise specific deadlines

Usage: “Read my-profile.md first. Then [your request]“

Can Do / Cannot Do

✅ CAN DO	❌ CANNOT DO
Read/write files	Use an unrestricted host shell
Run code in an isolated task environment	Bypass plan, surface or permission controls
Create Office docs	Run unrestricted host scripts
Extract data from images	Process audio/video
Organize folders	Decrypt files
Browser and connector tasks, when available and permitted	Treat a configured connector as universal cloud access
Generate PDFs	Assume a capability is on every surface
Configured skills and connectors
Scheduled tasks
Direct Excel/PowerPoint integrations

Customize Tab & Skills

Feature	How to Access	Example Usage
Skills	Customize tab → Skills	`/pdf`, `/docx`, `/xlsx`
Skill chaining	Chain two skills in a prompt	`/pdf` then `/xlsx` in sequence
Connectors	Customize tab → Connectors	Web search, local files, custom JSON
Permissions	Per-tool: Allow / Ask / Block	Set web search to “Ask”
Memory	Desktop Commander + memory.md	”Read memory.md first, then…”
Scheduled tasks	Settings → Scheduled Tasks	Daily brief, weekly report

Skills Ecosystem

Official skills: github.com/anthropics/skills
Community: claudemarketplaces.com | skills.sh | skillhub.club
Install via: Customize tab → search by name or paste URL

Output Formats

Format	Extension	Notes
Word	.docx	Headers, tables, formatting
Excel	.xlsx	Formulas, multiple sheets
PowerPoint	.pptx	Slides, basic formatting
PDF	.pdf	Generated from content
Text	.txt, .md	Any text format
Data	.csv, .json	Structured data

Prompt Examples

File Organization

Organize files in ~/Cowork-Workspace/input/ by type.
Create folders: Documents, Images, Spreadsheets, Other.
Save summary to ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/organization-report.txt

Data Extraction

Extract expenses from receipt images in ~/Cowork-Workspace/input/receipts/
Create Excel file with: Date, Vendor, Amount, Category
Add totals row. Save to ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/expenses.xlsx

⚠️ OCR: 97% field accuracy, 63% line-items. Always verify totals.

Document Synthesis

Combine notes in ~/Cowork-Workspace/input/notes/ into a status report.
Structure: Executive Summary, Progress, Risks, Next Steps.
Save as ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/status-report.docx

Web Research

Research top 5 project management tools.
Create comparison table with: Name, Price, Key Features, Pros, Cons.
Save to ~/Cowork-Workspace/output/pm-tools.md

Security Quick Rules

🔴 CRITICAL	🟠 HIGH
Dedicated workspace only	Review every plan
No credentials in workspace	Backup before destructive ops
Verify file sources	Manage Chrome permissions

Common Issues → Quick Fixes

Issue	Fix
Can’t see Cowork	Update app + restart
Permission denied	System Preferences → Privacy → re-grant
Task stops	Break into smaller batches
Excel formulas broken	Specify regional syntax
Chrome not working	Grant Accessibility permission
Computer use missing	Pro/Max only, macOS 14+ or Windows (not Team, Enterprise, Linux)

Dangerous Patterns to Avoid

❌ "Process all files in ~/"
❌ "You have access to Documents"
❌ "Here's my password file"
❌ "Delete all duplicates" (without backup)
❌ Skip plan review

Decision Flow

Need a developer-controlled shell? → Use Claude Code
Need file manipulation? → Use Cowork
Just conversation? → Use Projects

Regional Excel Settings

Region	Formula Syntax
US/UK	`=SUM(A1,A2)` (comma)
EU	`=SUM(A1;A2)` (semicolon)

Specify in prompt: “Use European/US formula syntax”

Workflow Cycle

Request → Analysis → Plan → ⚠️ Review → Approve → Execute → Verify
                            ↑
                     READ THIS CAREFULLY

Context and batch limits

Context capacity and compaction vary by model, plan and surface. Do not plan a workflow around a fixed token or document count from this guide. Start with a small batch, verify the output, then continue in reviewable groups.

Usage limits

Usage limits vary by plan, model, surface and task. Check the current plan information in Claude before a large batch; do not use historical prices, reset schedules or quota ratios from this guide to make a purchase decision.

Token Budget by Task

Task Type	Planning rule
File inventory	Begin with a representative folder
Small file organization	Verify a sample before continuing
Large file organization	Split work into reviewable batches
Multi-document synthesis	Keep source files and output traceable
OCR batch	Check source samples and totals

Optimization Tips

Strategy	Savings
Batch 10-20 files per request	Optimal efficiency
Checkpoint after each batch	Enables recovery
Start a new task when the context is no longer relevant	Avoid carrying unrelated instructions
Reuse previous outputs	Avoids re-processing

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Method
Stop execution	Type “Stop”
Send a message while Claude is replying	It waits in the queue; click Send now to stop the reply and send it
Interrupt and send immediately	Cmd+Enter (Mac) / Ctrl+Enter (Windows, Linux)
New conversation	Cmd+N
Clear context	Start new conversation

Links

Resource	URL
Full Docs	README.md
Security Guide	guide/03-security.md
Prompt Library	prompts/
Troubleshooting	guide/04-troubleshooting.md

Claude Cowork Guide v1.14.0 | Availability varies by plan, surface and capability