Cowork runs inside the Claude Desktop app — it is not a browser tool or a separate product. You need the desktop application installed on your Mac or Windows machine.
Steps:
Important note: Cowork is currently a research preview feature. It may not be visible to all users immediately. If you do not see it, check your account settings or wait for rollout to your account.
Before you start using Cowork, you want to set up a folder on your computer that will act as Claude's "brain" for your business. This is the single most important setup step — it is what separates a generic AI assistant from one that actually knows your business.
Create this folder structure somewhere on your computer (Desktop, Documents, wherever you keep important files):
Claude-Context/
├── exec-context/
│ ├── about-me.md
│ ├── brand-voice.md
│ └── working-style.md
├── business-architecture/
│ ├── company-overview.md
│ ├── north-star-metrics.md
│ └── systems-map.md
├── playbooks-and-sops/
│ └── (your standard operating procedures go here)
└── meeting-loops/
└── (meeting notes and recurring meeting context go here)
You do not need to fill every file right now. Start with these three and add more over time:
about-me.md — Who you are, what you do, your role, your communication preferences. Think of this as the file that tells Claude "here is who I am and how I work." Include things like your name, title, companies you run, how you like to receive information (short and direct vs. detailed), and any personal context that affects how Claude should interact with you.
company-overview.md — What your business does, who your customers are, your team structure, your tools and tech stack. This is the file that gives Claude business context so it can make informed suggestions instead of generic ones.
north-star-metrics.md — The 3-5 numbers that matter most to your business right now. Revenue targets, growth goals, key performance indicators. When Claude knows what you are optimizing for, every recommendation it gives becomes more relevant.
Pro tip: These files are just plain text markdown files. You can create them in any text editor — Notes app, VS Code, TextEdit, whatever. The .md extension just means markdown, which is a simple formatting language that Claude reads easily.
Once your folder exists, you need to tell Cowork where it lives.