Introduction to Claude Cowork

What you’ll be able to do

• Recognize when to delegate a small project to Claude Cowork.
• Prepare a focused workspace and write a useful task brief.
• Review a plan, steer the work, and check the finished files.

Your first class: from scattered notes to a usable brief

You do not need to code to take this introductory class. Over about 45 minutes, you will turn a small set of fictional notes into a one-page workshop brief and an action checklist. The important skill is defining and reviewing work, rather than finding a perfect phrase.

Suggested pace: 10 minutes for orientation and setup, 20 minutes for the guided project, and 15 minutes for review and practice questions. Download the class worksheet using the button beside this lesson. It contains the sample notes, task brief, and a review sheet.

What is Claude Cowork?

Claude Cowork is Anthropic’s task-oriented Claude experience: it can carry out multi-step work with files and connected tools, rather than only explain what you could do. You describe a deliverable, supply context, and inspect the result. No terminal is required.

For example, “What belongs in a workshop brief?” invites an explanation. “Use these notes to create a workshop brief and a separate checklist of unanswered questions” defines a small project. Choose the project when an actual deliverable would help. A conversation is still useful when you are exploring an idea.

Before you begin

This UAI class and its worksheet are free. Running the live exercise in Cowork requires access to an eligible paid Claude plan. Anthropic currently lists Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise; workplace access can depend on administrator settings. Check the official availability page linked below before buying anything. If you do not have access, complete the planning and review exercises on paper using the same sample notes.

Open Claude at claude.ai, or use the latest Claude Desktop app. If you see a Cowork selector, choose it. In the newer unified experience, simply start a conversation with the task. Button labels may differ during rollout.

For this class, use the desktop app if you want Claude to work with a local practice folder. Keep it open while local files are needed. Cloud execution does not mean your computer’s files are reachable while the app is closed. Review your account’s privacy settings before supplying any material.

Set up a small workspace

Create a new folder named UAI Cowork Practice. Put a copy of the downloaded worksheet in it, or create a plain text file named workshop-notes.txt containing the fictional notes below. Keep original personal and work files outside this practice folder.

Use the working-folder control to select this practice folder; Anthropic’s quickstart calls it Work in a folder. If you prefer a file-based exercise without local-folder access, attach a copy of the sample notes and request downloadable outputs. Do not connect email, calendars, or other services for this exercise. They are unnecessary for the assignment.

Select Manual approval where available, then read each request against your intended task. Treat a prompt instruction as a boundary you still need to supervise, not a security guarantee.

Optional orientation: Anthropic’s guided setup is available through /setup-claude. You can explore it later; this exercise does not require a role plugin or extra connectors.

Your fictional source notes

Saturday community AI workshop. Library meeting room. Audience: adults trying AI for the first time. Free admission. Laptop optional. Start time not confirmed. Capacity not confirmed. Facilitator: Maya. Jordan will check room availability. Registration method undecided. Suggested activity: turn rough notes into a short invitation. No accessibility arrangements confirmed yet.

Before opening Claude, underline the confirmed facts and circle the missing details. This is your reference for checking the output. Notice that an unconfirmed arrangement should become a question, not a reassuring promise.

Give Claude a clear brief

Copy this prompt. If you attached the notes instead of using a folder, replace the first sentence with “Use only the sample notes attached to this task.”

Use only workshop-notes.txt in my UAI Cowork Practice folder.
Create two new files: workshop-brief.md and questions-and-actions.md.
The brief should be under 250 words, for a first-time volunteer organizer.
The second file should separate unanswered questions from assigned actions.
Use only confirmed source facts. Label suggestions as suggestions.
Write “not confirmed” for missing times, capacity, and arrangements.
Assign an owner only when the source names one. Do not invent deadlines.
First show a short plan and wait for me to review it before creating files.
Keep the source file unchanged. Do not delete, move, or overwrite existing files.
Do not browse, connect services, send messages, or publish anything.
When finished, identify the files created and list what still needs human review.

Review the plan and steer the task

A suitable plan reads the notes, separates facts from unknowns, writes two new files, and checks them against the source. If the plan proposes browsing for a venue or sending invitations, redirect it: “Keep this task to the supplied notes and two draft files.”

Once the approach matches your brief, tell Claude to proceed. Watch for questions or permission requests. If it cannot see the file, check the selected folder, filename, and desktop connection. Do not solve a small access problem by granting access to your entire Documents folder.

After the first draft, ask for one concrete revision: “In the action checklist, keep Jordan as the room-check owner. Move items with no named owner to an unassigned section.” Compare the revised file with the previous version.

Your practice: inspect the deliverable

1. Open both output files yourself; a completion message is not the deliverable.
2. Compare every date, person, arrangement, and commitment with the original notes.
3. Confirm that no start time, capacity, registration link, or accessibility promise was invented.
4. Check that Maya is identified as facilitator and Jordan only owns the room check.
5. Make sure the source file remains unchanged and the outputs are readable.
6. Record one correction you requested and whether it actually appeared.

Your finished artifact: Two reviewed draft files, the original notes, and a completed worksheet with your corrections. If working without Cowork, handwrite the brief, checklist, and review record instead.

What a good result looks like

A useful brief explains the audience and purpose, preserves the known details, and plainly marks what remains undecided. The checklist makes the next human decisions visible. It does not imply that a room has been booked or that anyone has been contacted.

Score your work out of five: one point each for factual accuracy, visible unknowns, correct ownership, readable files, and a documented human review. Revise any missing item before calling the task complete. This is a self-check, not a credential or certification.

A common mistake

Giving an assistant a large folder and asking it to “organize everything” as a first task. That makes it difficult to predict the changes or verify success. Start with a copy of one source and a pair of new outputs. Expand the scope only after you can explain how you will review it.

Reflection and your next step

Which instruction most improved the result? What would you check before using the same workflow with real information? Write one sentence for each. Then try the workflow lesson to measure whether your process is repeatable.

Official guides and class notes

Product steps checked October 21, 2026. Interfaces, plans, and availability can change; use these official guides for current details.

• Anthropic: get started with Claude Cowork
• Claude Academy: guided setup and working folders
• Anthropic: web, desktop, mobile, and local-file requirements

This is an independent Universal AI Institute class, not an Anthropic certification. The fictional workshop assignment and review rubric are UAI teaching materials.