Anthropic has launched Cowork, a new research-preview feature for macOS users on its $100/month Claude Max plan, enabling the Claude AI to directly access, read, edit, rename, extract from, and generate files within a user-specified folder. The capability allows Claude to perform multi-step, autonomous file operations based on natural language instructionsâsuch as reorganizing directories, converting receipt images into expense reports, or synthesizing data into spreadsheetsâmarking a shift from conversational AI to an agent that actively manipulates local files. This can, potentially, reduce the friction of routine knowledge work, such as organizing records, preparing reports, or synthesizing scattered information.
“When we released Claude Code, we expected developers to use it for coding. They didâand then quickly began using it for almost everything else. This prompted us to build Cowork: a simpler way for anyoneânot just developersâto work with Claude in the very same way. Cowork is available today as a research preview for Claude Max subscribers on our macOS app, and we will improve it rapidly from here,” Anthropic announced in an official blog post.
At its core, Cowork functions by allowing users to grant Claude access to a specific folder on their computer, effectively creating a sandboxed workspace. Within that boundary, the AI can scan file contents, rename documents according to a defined structure, extract data into spreadsheets, or assemble new documents based on what it finds. Anthropic has highlighted use cases such as turning a folder of receipt photos into a structured expense report or cleaning up a chaotic downloads directory by intelligently renaming files based on their contents. Unlike traditional chat interactions, these tasks unfold as a sequence of actions rather than a single response.
Cowork is also designed to work alongside other tools rather than in isolation. Through connectors, Claude can link to external applications to generate presentations, documents, or other outputs that span beyond the local folder. Integration with the Claude extension in the Chrome browser further allows Cowork to complete tasks that require limited web access, such as collecting information or formatting content pulled from online sources. The result is a system that blurs the boundary between local computing and AI-driven automation.
Anthropic says Cowork emerged not from a top-down roadmap, but from observing how users repurposed Claude Code, its developer-focused automation tool. Claude Code was originally designed to help programmers automate software tasks through the command line, but users quickly began applying it to non-technical problems. Developers and non-developers alike used it for personal administration, document organization, research projects, and other everyday work that had little to do with writing code. This pattern revealed demand for a more accessible interface built on the same agent-based architecture. The company effectively transformed an engineering tool into a general-purpose work assistant, while retaining the same underlying agent loop that allows Claude to plan and execute multi-step tasks.
The launch of Cowork places Anthropic squarely in the race to define the next generation of productivity software. Competitors such as OpenAI and Google are pursuing similar visions through agent-based features that can browse the web, manipulate interfaces, and complete tasks end-to-end. Microsoft integrates deep agentic capabilities through Copilot (including in Microsoft 365 and VS Code agent mode), allowing autonomous edits across files, terminal commands, and productivity tasks with strong enterprise ecosystem integration (such as Office apps, email, and calendar), though it often requires more setup and benefits from hybrid model support including Claude itself. OpenAI focuses on broader “computer use” agents like Operator and ChatGPT agent features, emphasizing web browsing, interface manipulation, and task automation.
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