Anthropic just changed the game for founders who are drowning in messy folders and manual data entry. While Claude Code was a win for the developers in our community, the new Cowork feature brings that same level of agency to everyone else.
Cowork is a research preview available for macOS users on the Claude Max plan.
It allows Claude to interact directly with a folder on your computer. Instead of you copying and pasting text into a chat box, you give Claude permission to read, edit, and create files inside that specific folder.
A New Way to Delegate Your Busy Work
For most of us, the hardest part of the day is the "in-between" work. This includes things like organizing research, updating spreadsheets, or drafting reports from messy notes. Cowork handles these tasks with much more independence than a standard AI chat.
Cowork is a research preview available for macOS users on the Claude Max plan.
You can point Claude toward a folder full of scattered screenshots and ask it to build a structured expense spreadsheet. You can have it read through ten different customer interview transcripts and write a cohesive summary report. It functions less like a search bar and more like a virtual assistant sitting next to you.
Maintaining Control of Your Files
The idea of an AI editing files on your hard drive might feel a bit modern. Anthropic has built this with a "safety first" mindset. Claude cannot see any files or folders unless you explicitly grant access.
It is also designed to loop you in. Claude will share its plan before it starts working and will ask for permission before taking significant actions. Since the tool is still in a research phase, it is wise to keep backups of your data.
Claude will share its plan before it starts working and will ask for permission before taking significant actions.
It can perform "destructive" actions like deleting files if it misunderstands a prompt. If you are a Claude Max subscriber on a Mac, you can find the Cowork option in the sidebar of the desktop app.
Remember to start small, take it from there, and have fun!
