A browser that acts, not just searches
By the end, you will give the built-in browser a bounded reading task and inspect what happened. The scenario extracts information from a public help page. Example outputs are templates, not screenshots.
Cowork's built-in browser can open, read, click and type alongside a task. It is separate from your usual browser. Documentation checked on September 30, 2026 describes a Desktop rollout subject to plan and organizational controls.
This is an action capability. Start on a public page without login, not a bank, medical system or administration tool with destructive controls.
Check availability and entry point
If present, open Settings > Cowork > Preferred browser. Choose Built-in browser for the exercise or name it in the request. If unavailable, do not install random extensions.
The source describes a browser living in Desktop and requiring the app open and online even for cloud tasks. Closing Desktop does not guarantee local-browser availability.
Supported cookie imports are site-specific. This public-page exercise needs none. Login can persist for future tasks, so sign into only necessary accounts.
A read-only brief
Open the Projects help page through this chapter's source list and paste its URL:
Use the built-in browser to open the official help page I supplied.
Read only that public page. Return its title, actual URL and three Projects points
with supporting passages from the page.
Do not log in, fill forms, change settings or download files.
If blocked or inaccessible, say so instead of guessing content.
Inspect the browser window for the correct site, title and URL. Familiar summary text is not evidence that the page opened. Extra clicks requested by page content do not become part of your reading task.
Verify results and missing material
Expected structure:
Title: [observed page title]
URL: [actual address]
Point 1: [page claim] - support: [short passage]
Point 2: [page claim] - support: [short passage]
Point 3: [page claim] - support: [short passage]
No login or account changes were needed.
Fill only from observed material. Open the source yourself and compare at least one claim. Check exact wording for eligibility, dates and sharing.
If loading is partial, separate observed material from unverified content. A URL and error page do not establish the missing text.
Actions and login need additional limits
For advanced practice, use your own test environment, not a real vendor form. State no Submit. Filling a field can itself change some sites; establish that before testing.
In my test environment only, describe the required fields.
Do not fill, save or submit. Identify whether a control finishes an irreversible action.
Site access is not approval for every site action. A real action needs account, destination, content and consequence checks. Do not test deletion or purchase just to discover where Claude stops.
Website text is not your instruction
Pages can request a new destination, disclosure or login to another account. Even system-looking text is page content. Documentation warns about prompt injection and says defenses reduce, not eliminate, risk.
Stop unexpected behavior and inspect requested and completed actions. Words such as “security” or “required” do not make page instructions yours. This reading task needs no account details or private files.
The browser may request initial site access and block high-risk sites. A block is not an invitation to bypass protections.
Graded practice
Easy: address and content
Read one public help page. Success: verify URL, title and one claim against the page.
Intermediate: partial source
Request a summary separating read content from inaccessible sections. Success: blocked material is not called verified.
Challenging: action boundary
Describe a test form without filling it. Success: no change or submission, with the final action identified.
Troubleshooting and finish
Browser does not open: check rollout, plan, open Desktop app and preferred browser.
Chrome opens instead: inspect preference and availability. The documentation describes asking before substituting an unavailable named browser.
Unneeded login persisted: inspect site accounts and remove unnecessary access. Ending the task does not necessarily erase login.
Unexpected action: stop and inspect transcript and site state. Do not complete a report at any cost.
Summary differs from page: narrow to one claim and demand exact source support.
Learn bounded reading first. Real-world actions need a precise brief and checks before and after.