Anthropic Debuts Cowork, Turning Claude Into a Desktop File‑Working Agent

Overview

• Cowork is live as a macOS research preview for Claude Max subscribers, with other plans on a waitlist and Windows support planned.
• Users grant access to a chosen folder so Claude can read, edit, create, and reorganize files, plan multi‑step tasks, and work through queues with status check‑ins.
• Anthropic requires user approval before significant actions, including deletions, and limits visibility to permitted folders using a virtualized environment.
• Reporters highlight real risks such as misinterpreted instructions and prompt‑injection attacks, especially when Cowork operates in a browser.
• Hands‑on testing found Cowork reliably handled file management and browser‑assisted tasks, paused short of purchases, and requires an internet connection to run.