The Complete Claude Guide
Chapter 15 · WEB

Cowork in the cloud and on the web

Cowork handles multistep work with tools and files. Define the outcome, boundaries and success criteria. Chat and Cowork are changing during the current rollout, so your interface may differ from a screenshot.

Verified against source on 2026-09-30

Video

Steps

  1. Open Cowork or the current task workflow. Request a small outcome: "Prepare a report from these files without sending it to anyone."
  2. Specify what may be read, what may be changed and where the output should go. Require a stop before external actions or commitments.
  3. Read the plan and progress updates. Claude may split the work and run parts in parallel. Check that the task has not expanded beyond your request.
  4. Open the result and compare it with your criteria. Request a focused correction. Completed is a task state, not proof the result fits your needs.
Common pitfall: Permission to work on a folder is not permission to send its contents to another person.
Hands-on exercise: Use a sample folder and request a short report listing the files read. Check that source files were not changed.
Filmed demo · Video is added in the media phase

Recap

Comprehension check

What belongs in a Cowork request?

Recap

Official sources

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