# Claude Cowork — Complete Agent Context (llms.txt) > Everything on openclawdatabase.com about Claude Cowork, in one fetch. Generated 2026-06-11. > Tell your agent: "read https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/llms.txt and help me set up Claude Cowork." ## Pages in this bundle - Claude Cowork — Now GA with Opus 4.7 + Claude Design (2026) — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/ - Claude Design — Text-to-Prototype Guide (2026) — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/claude-design/ - Claude Cowork FAQ — Community Questions Answered (2026) — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/ - Claude Code and Codex Git Collaboration — Async Agent Relay Pattern (2026) — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/claude-code-codex-git-collaboration/ - Does Claude Pro ($20/mo) Still Include Claude Code? — 2026 Update — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/claude-code-pro-plan-pricing/ - Claude Code Hidden Configuration Options Not in the Official Docs (2026) — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/claude-code-undocumented-configuration/ - Why Claude Hesitates Mid-Sentence — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/claude-token-correction/ - Why Claude Suggests You Sleep or Rest — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/claude-usage-limits-behavior/ - Dynamic Workflows in Claude Code — Adaptive Multi-Step Agent Patterns (2026) — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/dynamic-workflows-claude-code/ - /effort xhigh vs high vs max — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/effort-levels/ - What Is a CLAUDE.md File? Why Developers Use It (2026 Guide) — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/what-is-claude-md-file/ - Claude Cowork + Hermes Together: Paid-and-Free Agent Workflow (2026) — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/hermes-workflow/ - Claude Cowork Pricing Guide 2026 — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/pricing/ - Claude Cowork Projects & Artifacts Guide 2026 — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/projects/ - Claude Cowork Team Setup Guide 2026 — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/ - Claude Cowork Integrations Database — Verified Official — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-database/ - Claude Cowork Skills Guide — Build Your Own Team Workflows — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-guide/ - Claude Cowork System Prompts & Personas 2026 — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/system-prompts/ - Claude Cowork vs Claude API vs OpenClaw 2026 — https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/vs-api/ ================================================================ # Claude Cowork — Now GA with Opus 4.7 + Claude Design (2026) URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/ Last updated: 2026-05-30 ================================================================ 🤝 # Claude Cowork Anthropic's hosted team workspace — shared context, persistent artifacts, and collaborative Claude access without any infrastructure. 🟢 GA since Apr 9, 2026 Opus 4.7 + xhigh effort tier Claude Design (text-to-prototype) Managed Agents beta 4 tiers: Free → Pro → Business → Enterprise No API keys required Claude Cowork is Anthropic's answer to the question: how does a team use Claude together? Each project gives every member shared context — the same system prompt, the same knowledge documents, the same artifact library — so conversations build on each other instead of starting from scratch. No API keys, no server, no DevOps. If your team is non-technical and needs AI-assisted collaboration today, Cowork is the fastest path. 🚀 What's new in April 2026 - **Apr 17 — Claude Design launched.** Anthropic Labs' text-to-prototype tool inside Cowork. Turns prompts and codebases into design systems, websites, and slide decks. Powered by Opus 4.7. See our [Claude Design guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/claude-design/). - **Apr 16 — Opus 4.7 + xhigh effort.** New flagship model with an `xhigh` effort level between `high` and `max`. Use `/effort` to tune speed vs intelligence. Auto mode is now available for Max subscribers using Opus 4.7. - **Apr 9 — Cowork hit GA.** General availability with Managed Agents public beta and enterprise RBAC. Business and Enterprise tiers stabilized; SOC 2 Type II current. - **March — 90-day artifact retention.** Shared artifacts persist for 90 days from last modification (was 30). Business: pin for indefinite. Enterprise: custom retention periods. Guides [🏗️ Team Setup Guide Create a workspace, invite members, configure roles (Owner/Admin/Member/Viewer), set up SSO with SAML, enable SCIM provisioning on Enterprise. Covers bulk CSV invite and recommended project structure. Live](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/) [📁 Projects & Artifacts How Projects provide persistent shared context — system prompts, knowledge documents, and artifact libraries. Artifact types (Document, Code, Data table, SVG), 90-day retention mechanics, version history, sharing access levels, and collaborative editing. Live](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/projects/) [📝 System Prompts & Personas Write effective project system prompts: role definitions, communication rules, hard constraints, and uncertainty handling. Includes four ready-to-use templates for Engineering, Marketing, Customer Support, and Leadership teams. Live](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/system-prompts/) [💰 Pricing & Tiers Full Free/Pro/Business/Enterprise comparison table — usage limits, model access, integrations, SSO, SCIM, audit logs, and data residency. Includes a worked cost example for a 10-person marketing team and upgrade decision criteria per tier. Live](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/pricing/) [⚖️ Cowork vs Claude API vs OpenClaw Three-way comparison of when to use each option. Includes migration guides in both directions — Cowork to OpenClaw (system prompt → SOUL.md, knowledge docs → workspace files) and API integration to Cowork. Live](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/vs-api/) [🔧 Skills Guide: Build Workflows How to build reusable team workflows directly in Cowork — prompt templates for meeting notes, code review, customer feedback triage, and weekly summaries. No plugins required; teach Claude your team's patterns. Live](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-guide/) [🔗 Integrations Database Verified official Anthropic integrations only: Google Drive, GitHub, Slack, Jira, web search, and code execution. Tier requirements, what each integration does, and data handling notes. Live](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-database/) [🎨 Claude Design — text-to-prototype Anthropic Labs' new text-to-prototype tool inside Cowork (launched April 17, 2026). Generate design systems, websites, and slide decks from prompts or codebases. Powered by Opus 4.7. Setup, prompt patterns, pricing, and limitations. New](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/claude-design/) [❓ Claude Cowork FAQ Top community questions from r/ClaudeAI: /effort xhigh vs high vs max, why Claude self-corrects mid-sentence, the wellness-suggestion behavior, and the most common usage-limit gotchas. Updated weekly. Live](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) [🤝 Cowork + Hermes Together The highest-leverage setup uses both: paid Cowork for premium, high-judgment work and a free, always-on Hermes agent for the repetitive running. Which tool owns which job, the handoff workflow, and the cost win. Live New](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/hermes-workflow/) Need more than Cowork offers? Cowork is locked to Anthropic models and a web UI. For model flexibility (swap Claude, Gemini, or local Ollama), messaging-app channels (Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord), or 50–70% lower costs at equivalent usage, see [OpenClaw](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/). For long-running autonomous tasks that run unattended, see [Hermes](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/). Many teams run Cowork for team documents and OpenClaw for personal automation simultaneously — they don't conflict. ## At a Glance | Factor | Detail | | --- | --- | | **What it is** | Anthropic's hosted team collaboration product for Claude | | **Who runs the infrastructure** | Anthropic — no servers, no API keys, no config files | | **Model access** | Claude Haiku 4.5, Sonnet 4.6, Opus 4.6, and **Opus 4.7** with xhigh effort tier (tier-dependent) | | **Effort levels** | `low` · `medium` · `high` · `xhigh` · `max` — set via `/effort` or model picker (Opus 4.7) | | **Managed Agents** | Public beta — included on Business and Enterprise during the beta window | | **Claude Design** | Available since April 17, 2026 — text-to-prototype on Pro and above | | **Model locked to Anthropic** | Yes | | **Pricing model** | Per-user/month subscription (not per-token) | | **Tiers** | Free · Pro (~$20/user/mo) · Business (~$30/user/mo) · Enterprise (custom) | | **Shared context** | Yes — Projects with system prompts, knowledge documents, and artifact libraries | | **Artifact retention** | 90 days from last modification (updated March 2026); Business: pin for indefinite | | **Official integrations** | Google Drive, GitHub, Slack, Jira, web search, code execution | | **SSO** | SAML/OIDC on Business and Enterprise; SCIM on Enterprise | | **SOC 2 compliance** | Business and Enterprise tiers | | **Data residency** | Enterprise only (US or EU) | | **Time to first useful output** | Minutes — create workspace, invite team, start a project | | **Can embed in customer-facing products** | No — Cowork ToS requires internal team use only; use the Claude API for that | ## Cowork & Claude Code Troubleshooting - [Rate limit 429](https://openclawdatabase.com/troubleshooting/#rate-limit-429) — what to do when you hit per-minute caps - [MCP server not responding](https://openclawdatabase.com/troubleshooting/#mcp-server-not-responding) — diagnose .mcp.json + claude mcp logs - [All troubleshooting entries →](https://openclawdatabase.com/troubleshooting/) ## Cowork Use Cases & Security - [Code review automation](https://openclawdatabase.com/use-cases/code-review/) — pairs naturally with Cowork's GitHub integration - [Release notes generator](https://openclawdatabase.com/use-cases/release-notes/) — Projects keep audience context across runs - [Social content engine](https://openclawdatabase.com/use-cases/social-content/) — leverages the new Claude Design slide-deck mode - [Don't paste secrets into Cowork chats](https://openclawdatabase.com/security/secrets/) — retention defaults make this risky - [15-minute hardening checklist](https://openclawdatabase.com/security/checklist/) for any Cowork workspace See also: [OpenClaw](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/) · [Hermes](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/) · [IronClaw](https://openclawdatabase.com/ironclaw/) · [Cowork vs Claude API vs OpenClaw](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/vs-api/) · [Decision guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/compare/) ## Latest Claude Cowork News Recent releases, tutorials, and video summaries: [▶ Claude Cowork Is a Game Changer — If You Use It Correctly 2026-05-25](https://openclawdatabase.com/news/videos/2026-05-25-claude-cowork-game-changer-use-correctly/) [▶ 12 Claude CoWork Skills That Save 10+ Hours a Week 2026-05-20](https://openclawdatabase.com/news/videos/2026-05-20-12-claude-cowork-skills-knowledge-work/) [▶ Build a Live Data Dashboard in Claude Cowork in Under 3 Minutes 2026-05-13](https://openclawdatabase.com/news/videos/2026-05-13-claude-cowork-live-artifacts-dashboard/) [▶ Claude Managed Agents Add Dreaming, Outcomes, and Multi-Agent Orchestration 2026-05-10](https://openclawdatabase.com/news/videos/2026-05-10-claude-managed-agents-dreaming-outcomes-orchestration/) [See all Claude Cowork news (11) →](https://openclawdatabase.com/news/claude-cowork/) ================================================================ # Claude Design — Text-to-Prototype Guide (2026) URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/claude-design/ Last updated: 2026-04-19 ================================================================ # 🎨 Claude Design — Text-to-Prototype Inside Cowork Anthropic Labs shipped Claude Design on April 17, 2026 — a text-to-prototype tool that lives inside Claude Cowork and turns prompts (or whole codebases) into design systems, websites, and slide decks. It's powered by Opus 4.7 and uses the new xhigh effort tier by default. Here's how to set it up, prompt it well, and avoid the obvious traps. 🟢 Launched April 17, 2026 Powered by Opus 4.7 Free / Pro / Business / Enterprise Inside Cowork — no separate signup ## What it actually does Three output types, one tool: - **Design systems.** Generate a token set (color, spacing, type scale, shadows), a component library (buttons, cards, forms, navigation), and a Storybook-style preview. Exports to CSS variables, Tailwind config, or Figma library. - **Websites & web apps.** Multi-page prototypes — landing pages, marketing sites, dashboards. Outputs HTML/CSS, React (with Tailwind or shadcn/ui), or full Next.js scaffolds. One-click deploy to Cloudflare Pages, Vercel, or Netlify. - **Slide decks.** Pitch decks, internal updates, customer presentations. Exports to Google Slides, PowerPoint (.pptx), and PDF. Can pull in your project's existing brand tokens for visual consistency. The killer feature: it can read an existing GitHub repo (via Cowork's GitHub integration), infer your design tokens, and generate new screens that match. Going from "we need a settings page" to a working PR draft takes minutes, not hours. ## How to access it 1. ### Step 1: Open any Cowork project Claude Design is a tool surface within existing Cowork projects — there's no separate signup. If you have Pro, Business, or Enterprise, you already have access. The Free tier gets a small daily quota for trying it. 2. ### Step 2: Click the Design tab in the project New tab next to Chat and Artifacts. Opens the Design canvas — a side-by-side prompt + preview interface. Output appears as a new artifact in the project, with version history. 3. ### Step 3: Pick an output mode Toggle at the top: **Design system**, **Website**, or **Slide deck**. The mode determines the export options and prompt scaffolding Claude uses underneath. You can switch mid-conversation. 4. ### Step 4: (Optional) Connect a codebase If you have the Cowork GitHub integration set up, "Attach repo" lets Claude Design read existing components and design tokens. New generations will match the inferred patterns. Strongly recommended for any work that has to ship into an existing product. 5. ### Step 5: Prompt, iterate, export Generations show in real-time. Refine with follow-up prompts ("make the buttons rounded," "tighten the spacing on cards," "add a dark variant"). When ready, export to your target — code, Figma, deploy URL, or .pptx. ## Prompt patterns that actually work ### For design systems ``` Generate a design system for a B2B SaaS analytics dashboard targeting data-savvy ops teams. Tone: precise, calm, slightly dense. Light + dark themes. 8-step type scale. Color: cool grays + one accent (your pick). Output: CSS custom properties + Tailwind config + Storybook preview. ``` ### For websites ``` Build a landing page for [product]. Target reader: [persona]. Hero, 3-feature row, social proof, pricing snapshot, FAQ, CTA footer. Match the design tokens in the connected repo. Output: Next.js with Tailwind. Deploy to Cloudflare Pages preview. Mobile-first. ``` ### For slide decks ``` 10-slide investor update for Q1 2026. Cover, agenda, KPI snapshot, top 3 wins (with one chart each), top 3 risks, ask, Q&A. Use our brand tokens (in the connected repo). Export: .pptx. Each slide self-contained, presenter notes optional. ``` The pattern: **output spec + audience + token source + export format**. Skipping any one of those produces generic output. ## Pricing | Tier | Claude Design access | Effort levels available | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | ~5 generations/day, watermarked exports | low / medium | | Pro ($20/user/mo) | Unlimited generations, no watermark | low / medium / high / xhigh | | Business ($30/user/mo) | Pro + shared brand tokens across projects, team Figma library export | All tiers including xhigh | | Enterprise (custom) | Business + SSO, audit logs, dedicated support, custom token retention | All tiers + max | Pricing as of April 2026; verify current rates at [anthropic.com](https://www.anthropic.com). Claude Design generations count against your existing Cowork message quota — there is no separate Design billing meter during the launch period. ## Pitfalls to avoid - **Treating it as a Figma replacement.** It's not. Figma is still the right tool for detailed visual design, multi-frame interaction flows, and team design libraries. Use Claude Design for the 0-to-1 step and Figma for refinement. - **Skipping the codebase connection.** If you have an existing product, connecting the GitHub repo doubles the quality of every output. The unattached version generates generic-looking results that don't match your brand. - **Prompting without a target audience.** "Build a landing page" produces something. "Build a landing page for engineering managers evaluating internal AI tools" produces something useful. - **Deploying directly to production.** The deploy-to-Cloudflare-Pages button is for previews, not production. Pipe through your normal review/CI before shipping anything customer-facing. ## How it compares | Tool | Strength | Weakness vs Claude Design | | --- | --- | --- | | Vercel v0 | Mature React/shadcn output, fast iterations | No design-system or slide-deck modes; no codebase awareness without manual paste | | Figma + AI plugins | Best-in-class visual editor, mature collaboration | Plugin AI is fragmented and generally weaker than Opus 4.7; no code export | | Bolt.new / Lovable | End-to-end app generation with backend | Less brand-aware; not optimized for design-system output; separate tool from Cowork | | Cursor / Claude Code | Best for finishing code in your real repo | Not optimized for visual prototyping or slides | The honest summary: if you're already in Cowork, Claude Design is the lowest-friction prototyping tool available. If you live in Figma or Cursor, you don't need it, but the GitHub integration is genuinely useful for "design a feature that matches our existing app" workflows. ## Limitations to know - No native mobile (iOS/Android) output — web only at launch. SwiftUI/Jetpack Compose said to be coming. - Animations are limited to CSS transitions; no Lottie or complex motion. - The Figma export uses the Figma plugin, which only the project owner can install — Business tier or above for team library sharing. - Generated React uses shadcn/ui by default; opting into other component libraries (Radix, MUI, Chakra) requires explicit prompting. - Long codebases (>~50k LOC) may not all fit in context — Claude Design samples representative files rather than reading every line. ## Related - [Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) — the parent product - [Projects & Artifacts guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/projects/) — where Design outputs live - [Cowork pricing breakdown](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/pricing/) — full tier comparison - [Use case: social content with AI](https://openclawdatabase.com/use-cases/social-content/) — pairs well with Design's slide-deck mode ## More Claude Cowork Guides Continue your Claude Cowork journey — every guide on the hub: [⚡ Team Workspace Setup Create the workspace, invite teammates, configure permissions, and set up shared memory.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/) [📁 Projects & Artifacts How Projects scope context and Artifacts let teams co-create deliverables — and the limits.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/projects/) [📝 System Prompts & Personas Workspace-level prompts, project-level prompts, and the persona patterns that work in practice.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/system-prompts/) [💰 Pricing & Tiers Pro vs Max vs Team — what changes at each tier and the actual breakeven math vs the API.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/pricing/) [⚖️ Cowork vs Claude API vs OpenClaw Three ways to use Claude — when each is the right choice, plus migration paths.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/vs-api/) [🛠 Skills Guide: Build Workflows Cowork skills explained: writing them, sharing them, and the patterns that scale to teams.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-guide/) [📚 Integrations Database Curated list of Cowork skills and integrations with what they do and how teams actually use them.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-database/) [❓ Cowork FAQ Most-asked Cowork questions — pricing edge cases, usage limits, token correction, effort levels, CLAUDE.md.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) [← Back to Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) ← Back to the [Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) · See also our [decision guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/compare/). ================================================================ # Claude Cowork FAQ — Community Questions Answered (2026) URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/ Last updated: 2026-06-07 ================================================================ # Claude Cowork FAQ — Community Questions Answered The top Claude questions from [r/ClaudeAI](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/) and [r/artificial](https://www.reddit.com/r/artificial/) this week, answered with community insight and specific steps you can act on today. Updated weekly. ## Top Questions This Week What is `/effort xhigh` and when should I use it vs `high` or `max`? `xhigh` is a new Opus 4.7 effort level introduced in Claude Code 2.1.111 (Apr 2026) — sitting between `high` and `max`. Use it when `high` isn't producing the depth you need but `max` is overkill (and ~6–8× the cost). The `/effort` command without arguments now opens an interactive arrow-key slider. Default to `high` for most coding work; bump to `xhigh` for hard debugging, architecture decisions, or security review; drop to `medium` for chat. [Read the full effort-levels guide →](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/effort-levels/) Source: Claude Code 2.1.111 release notes Why does Claude sometimes hesitate and self-correct mid-sentence? Claude operates on tokens — chunks of text — not individual letters. Sometimes it fires off a token based on partial word association and self-corrects when the full context resolves, which you see as a stutter or "fake-out" mid-reply. The community calls this "thinking out loud." It's most disruptive in coding sessions. Best practice: read the full reply before copying any code or following multi-step instructions, since Claude may revise its initial output within the same response. [Read the full guide →](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/claude-token-correction/) Source: [r/ClaudeAI](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1slbtw1/) Why does Claude suggest I go to sleep or take a break? Claude's wellness suggestions appear when you mention being tired, reference the time, or use casual phrasing that implies you've been at it for hours. Some community members believe this also helps Anthropic manage compute load during peak hours. To disable it permanently, add a custom instruction: *"Never comment on my schedule or suggest I rest."* You can also tell Claude in-chat to add this to its memory so it carries over to future conversations. [Read the full guide →](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/claude-usage-limits-behavior/) Source: [r/ClaudeAI](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1shjmpu/) How did Claude overtake ChatGPT despite launching later? Claude gained ground through execution quality rather than first-mover advantage — particularly in coding accuracy, long-context tasks, and honest instruction-following. Anthropic's Constitutional AI approach means Claude is more likely to acknowledge limitations rather than confidently hallucinate, which builds trust with developers. The community widely credits a relentless focus on product quality over hype cycles as the differentiating factor, echoing a pattern seen across successful late-to-market products in tech history. Source: [r/artificial](https://www.reddit.com/r/artificial/comments/1shypcx/) Does Claude's $20 Pro plan still include Claude Code? As of April 2026, Anthropic is testing the removal of Claude Code from the $20 Pro plan for new subscribers, shifting it to the $100/month Max tier. Existing Pro subscribers generally still have access, but new sign-ups may find Claude Code locked behind Max. Check [Anthropic's official pricing page](https://www.anthropic.com/pricing) for current status — if you hit a paywall, the standalone Claude Code CLI with API credits is the most cost-effective workaround for light usage. [Read full guide →](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/claude-code-pro-plan-pricing/) Source: [r/ClaudeAI](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1ss3asp/) What is a CLAUDE.md file and why do developers swear by it? CLAUDE.md is a markdown file that Claude Code reads at session startup, letting you encode project-specific rules, coding standards, and workflow preferences without repeating them every chat. The community debate centers on specificity: vague rules like "be helpful" add little value, while concrete directives ("always write tests," "run npm run lint before committing") measurably improve Claude's outputs. Treat it like a rulebook for a new contractor — the more project-specific, the better. [Read full guide →](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/what-is-claude-md-file/) Source: [r/ClaudeAI](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1stfoo7/) Does Claude replace software engineers? Claude accelerates code writing but doesn't replace software engineering — writing code is a small fraction of an engineer's job. The real work is system design, architecture, debugging, and cross-team coordination. Community consensus: Claude is the hammer, but you still need the architect to wield it. The most effective Claude Cowork workflow is to lead with problem framing and system design yourself, then delegate repetitive code synthesis to Claude. See the [Claude Cowork setup guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/) for workflow tips. Source: [r/ClaudeAI](https://reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1t4rkki/) How does Claude compare to Microsoft Copilot? The community verdict is decisive: Claude significantly outperforms Copilot in depth and reliability. Copilot launched with promise but has stagnated, failing basic tasks even within Microsoft's own ecosystem. Claude excels at nuanced coding assistance, architecture discussion, and multi-context reasoning — the community has described it as the tool Copilot should have been. For enterprise evaluation, the key differentiator is Claude's ability to engage with problem architecture rather than just autocompleting lines. Source: [r/ClaudeAI](https://reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1t9cfga/) Can Anthropic remotely inject system prompts into Claude Code? Yes, as of Claude Code v2.1.150. The app calls `api.anthropic.com/api/claude_cli/bootstrap` at startup and checks a GrowthBook feature flag (`tengu_heron_brook`) that refreshes every 60 seconds — both can inject text into the active system prompt. To block this, set `CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC=1` as an environment variable (and optionally `DISABLE_GROWTHBOOK=1`). Prior versions had the code path but it returned null; this was activated in v2.1.150 and listed in the changelog only as "Internal infrastructure improvements." Source: [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48259288) Why won't Ctrl+V paste images into Claude Code on WSL? WSL runs a Linux kernel inside Windows, so the clipboard is a Windows resource that WSL processes can't reach directly — image data lives in the Windows clipboard and never crosses the WSL boundary. Only plain text is forwarded. The fix: use the VS Code extension version of Claude Code (runs natively on Windows and has full clipboard access), or install the `win32yank` bridge for terminal clipboard support. The Claude Code desktop app for Windows avoids this issue entirely. Source: [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48267432) Is Microsoft canceling Claude Code licenses for enterprise customers? Microsoft is canceling Claude Code licenses for its own internal employees — not for external enterprise customers. This is part of Microsoft's push to consolidate internally on GitHub Copilot. Businesses purchasing Claude Code directly through Anthropic or AWS Marketplace are completely unaffected. The HN discussion (490 points) confirmed the cancellations are scoped exclusively to Microsoft's internal IT procurement. Source: [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48238896) Does Claude Code eliminate the need for front-end frameworks like React? Claude Code can generate production-quality apps in vanilla HTML, CSS, and JavaScript — and many developers find this sufficient for internal tools, prototypes, and single-page projects. However, React and similar frameworks still provide clear value for large codebases with complex state management, reusable component libraries, and multi-developer collaboration. Claude Code raises the floor of what's achievable without frameworks without eliminating the ceiling that frameworks provide. Source: [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48315680) What Claude Code settings and behaviors aren't covered in the official documentation? The `.claude/settings.json` file accepts many undocumented fields that advanced users rely on: `autoApprove` lists of safe commands, `hooks` for pre/post tool callbacks, per-project model overrides, and permission arrays that bypass the interactive prompt. The official docs cover slash commands and CLAUDE.md basics, but community discovery has surfaced options like `bash.allowedCommands`, `disableToolUseStreaming`, and environment variable injection — which appear only in changelog entries. [Read the full configuration guide →](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/claude-code-undocumented-configuration/) Source: [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48318174) How do I build dynamic multi-step workflows in Claude Code that adapt based on results? Claude Code supports dynamic workflows by combining the `TaskCreate`/`TaskUpdate` tools, conditional subagent spawning, and loop constructs in SKILL.md files. The pattern: a planning phase maps out subtasks, then an orchestrator prompt reads task status and re-routes the agent if a step fails or returns unexpected results. Pairing `/loop` and `/plan` with explicit success conditions in CLAUDE.md prevents runaway loops and keeps agents on track. [Read the full guide →](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/dynamic-workflows-claude-code/) Source: [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48311705) Can Claude Code and Codex collaborate asynchronously via Git on the same project? Yes — Claude Code and Codex can work as a relay by using Git branches as a shared communication channel. One agent commits partial work (code, inline TODO markers, a `HANDOFF.md`) on a dedicated branch; the other checks it out, reads the diff, and continues. This is most useful for large refactors where you want Codex's speed for scaffolding and Claude Code's deeper reasoning for architecture decisions and edge-case handling. [Read the full guide →](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/claude-code-codex-git-collaboration/) Source: [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48345837) Where can I find pre-built skills and reasoning frameworks for Claude Code? The [skills-for-humanity](https://github.com/finnworks/skills-for-humanity) project on GitHub provides 171 structured reasoning skills for Claude Code — covering code review, analysis, debugging, and domain-specific workflows. Install them by cloning into `.claude/skills/` and invoking with `/skill-name`. Community repos like `awesome-claude-code` and our own [Skills Database](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-database/) also track widely-adopted skills with usage notes. Source: [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48275571) How do I add custom behavior to Claude Code using Python hooks? Claude Code hooks are scripts (Python or shell) that execute automatically before or after tool calls — configured in `.claude/settings.json` under the `hooks` key. Each entry specifies an event type (`PreBash`, `PostEdit`, `PreWrite`), the script path, and optional matchers. The `claude-code-hooks` Python package on PyPI wraps this in a decorator API: annotate a function with `@hook("PreBash")` and it fires before every bash command Claude attempts, letting you add logging, validation, or blocking logic. Source: [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48318978) How do I run multiple Claude Code agents in parallel as a swarm? Running Claude Code at scale means spawning multiple agent instances via the Anthropic API (not the CLI), each working in a separate git worktree to prevent file conflicts. Key lessons from practitioners: give each agent a narrow 1–2 file scope with explicit success criteria; use an orchestrator agent to read all status files and merge results; set per-agent token budgets to prevent one runaway agent from draining your credits. Typical setups run 4–8 agents concurrently driven by a lightweight Python orchestrator. Source: [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48407998) ## More Claude Cowork Guides Continue your Claude Cowork journey — every guide on the hub: [⚡ Team Workspace Setup Create the workspace, invite teammates, configure permissions, and set up shared memory.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/) [📁 Projects & Artifacts How Projects scope context and Artifacts let teams co-create deliverables — and the limits.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/projects/) [📝 System Prompts & Personas Workspace-level prompts, project-level prompts, and the persona patterns that work in practice.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/system-prompts/) [💰 Pricing & Tiers Pro vs Max vs Team — what changes at each tier and the actual breakeven math vs the API.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/pricing/) [⚖️ Cowork vs Claude API vs OpenClaw Three ways to use Claude — when each is the right choice, plus migration paths.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/vs-api/) [🛠 Skills Guide: Build Workflows Cowork skills explained: writing them, sharing them, and the patterns that scale to teams.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-guide/) [📚 Integrations Database Curated list of Cowork skills and integrations with what they do and how teams actually use them.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-database/) [🎨 Claude Design — Text-to-Prototype How Claude Design turns prompts into design systems, websites, and decks. Opus 4.7 + the new xhigh tier.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/claude-design/) [← Back to Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) ← Back to [Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) · See also: [Setup Guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/) · [System Prompts](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/system-prompts/) · [Cowork vs API](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/vs-api/) ================================================================ # Claude Code and Codex Git Collaboration — Async Agent Relay Pattern (2026) URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/claude-code-codex-git-collaboration/ Last updated: 2026-06-07 ================================================================ # Claude Code and Codex: Real-Time Collaboration via Git Claude Code and Codex can collaborate asynchronously on the same project by using Git branches as a shared communication channel — each agent commits work and context notes, the other picks up and continues. Here's the pattern and when it makes sense. ## Why Git as a communication channel? Both Claude Code and Codex operate in isolated sessions with no shared state. Git branches solve this: a commit is a durable, structured message that any agent can read regardless of what session created it. Unlike trying to coordinate via shared files or environment variables, Git provides a clean log of what changed, when, and with what context — and both agents already know how to read diffs. The technique was popularized in a June 2026 Hacker News post (115 points) showing that agents can carry on a "real-time conversation" through commits — each one leaving enough context for the other to continue without re-deriving the whole problem. ## The handoff pattern The workflow has three parts: - **Phase 1 — Codex scaffolds:** Codex is faster and cheaper for mechanical tasks. Give it the spec and let it generate boilerplate, file structure, and test stubs on a dedicated branch (`agent/codex-scaffold`). Codex commits with a `HANDOFF.md` at the repo root explaining what was done, what remains, and any design decisions it made. - **Phase 2 — Claude Code continues:** Claude Code checks out the branch, reads `HANDOFF.md` and the diff, then picks up the deeper work — implementing business logic, handling edge cases, writing meaningful tests. It adds its own notes to `HANDOFF.md` before committing. - **Phase 3 — Review and merge:** A human (or an orchestrator agent) reviews the branch, resolves any remaining TODOs, and merges. The commit history is a readable log of agent reasoning. ## What to put in HANDOFF.md The handoff file is the agent's message to its successor. Keep it short and specific: ``` ## What was done - Generated file structure for the auth module - Stubbed all route handlers in routes/auth.js - Created test file with 12 test cases (all skipped) ## What remains - Implement JWT validation logic in middleware/auth.js - Fill in the test cases with real assertions - Handle the refresh token rotation edge case (see TODO in auth.js:47) ## Decisions made - Used express-jwt for token parsing (lighter than passport) - Tokens expire in 15 min; refresh tokens in 7 days ``` ## When to use this pattern The relay pattern shines for large refactors (2,000+ lines), greenfield features where structure and logic are distinct phases, and code review workflows where one agent writes and another reviews. It's overkill for small bug fixes — just use one agent start to finish. The main cost is the coordination overhead: writing good handoff notes takes a few extra tokens and requires you to prompt both agents explicitly about the pattern. ← Back to [Claude Cowork FAQ](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) · See also: [Cowork vs API](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/vs-api/) · [Compare Agents](https://openclawdatabase.com/compare/) ================================================================ # Does Claude Pro ($20/mo) Still Include Claude Code? — 2026 Update URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/claude-code-pro-plan-pricing/ Last updated: 2026-05-30 ================================================================ # Does Claude's $20 Pro Plan Still Include Claude Code? Short answer: **it depends on when you subscribed.** Anthropic is rolling out a pricing change that removes Claude Code access from the $20/month Pro plan for new subscribers, moving it to the $100/month Max tier — but existing Pro members have been largely unaffected so far. Here's what the community found and what your options are. ## What changed In April 2026, sharp-eyed r/ClaudeAI members noticed Anthropic's pricing page had been quietly updated. A key support article URL changed from `claude-code-on-pro-or-max-plan` to `claude-code-on-max-plan` — dropping the "pro" entirely. Anthropic confirmed via an exec's tweet that this is a "small test" on new subscribers, not a full rollout. The community interpretation: Anthropic is trying to shed cost-heavy hobbyist usage from the Pro tier to free up compute for enterprise clients, who pay significantly more. The $100/month Max plan was the existing premium tier; Claude Code is being repositioned as a power-user feature within it. ## Who is affected - **Existing Pro subscribers (before April 2026):** Generally still have Claude Code access. No confirmed forced migrations yet. - **New Pro subscribers (after April 2026):** May find Claude Code unavailable or blocked depending on the test cohort they fall into. - **Annual plan subscribers:** The most frustrated group — they paid for a full year expecting Claude Code access. ## Your best workarounds If you hit a Claude Code paywall on Pro, these are your most practical options ranked by cost: 1. **Claude Code CLI + API credits** — Install the standalone `claude` CLI and connect it directly to your Anthropic API key. You pay per token (roughly $3/1M input tokens on Sonnet 4.5) rather than a flat subscription. Light users typically spend $5–15/month this way. [See the setup guide →](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/) 2. **OpenClaw** — The open-source alternative to Claude Code. Self-hosted, no subscription, connects to any model provider including Anthropic, OpenAI, or local models. [See OpenClaw setup →](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/setup/) 3. **Upgrade to Max ($100/mo)** — Worth it if you use Claude Code heavily for professional work. Max includes 5× more usage than Pro and guarantees Claude Code access. 4. **GitHub Codex / Cursor / Windsurf** — The community's most-mentioned escape hatches. Codex in particular gained traction as a direct substitute after this change surfaced. ## How to check your current status Open Claude in your browser and navigate to **Settings → Usage**. If Claude Code is listed under your plan features, you still have it. If it's grayed out or absent, you've been moved to the restricted cohort. You can also run `claude --version` from the terminal — if the CLI is installed and your API key is active, it will work regardless of your chat plan. ← Back to [Claude Cowork FAQ](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) · See also: [Pricing Guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/pricing/) · [OpenClaw Setup](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/setup/) ================================================================ # Claude Code Hidden Configuration Options Not in the Official Docs (2026) URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/claude-code-undocumented-configuration/ Last updated: 2026-06-07 ================================================================ # Claude Code Configuration Options the Official Docs Don't Cover The `.claude/settings.json` file is far more powerful than the official documentation suggests. Community discovery has surfaced dozens of options that meaningfully change how Claude Code behaves — from skipping permission prompts to injecting environment variables and hooking into every tool call. ## The settings.json file: your real control panel Claude Code reads `.claude/settings.json` (project-level) and `~/.claude/settings.json` (global) at startup. The official docs explain a handful of top-level keys, but the file supports many more. Project-level settings override global ones, so you can lock down dangerous commands site-wide while allowing them in a specific repo. The most impactful undocumented fields: - **autoApprove** — an array of bash command prefixes Claude can run without prompting. Example: `["npm test", "git status", "git diff"]`. Saves dozens of confirmation clicks in long sessions. - **bash.allowedCommands** — a finer-grained allowlist that supports glob patterns: `["git *", "npm run *", "ls *"]`. Commands not matching any pattern always prompt. - **model** — override the default model at the project level. Useful for locking a cost-sensitive project to Haiku while your main work uses Sonnet. - **disableToolUseStreaming** — set to `true` to disable streaming for tool calls. Useful when a proxy or corporate firewall mangles chunked responses. ## Hooks: intercept every tool call The `hooks` key is arguably the most powerful undocumented feature. It lets you register scripts that run before or after any Claude Code tool event. The hook system fires on `PreBash`, `PostBash`, `PreEdit`, `PostEdit`, `PreWrite`, and several others. Example `settings.json` hooks configuration: ``` { "hooks": { "PreBash": [{"command": "python .claude/hooks/validate_bash.py"}], "PostEdit": [{"command": "node .claude/hooks/lint_on_edit.mjs"}] } } ``` The hook script receives the event payload as JSON on stdin and can exit non-zero to block the action. This is how teams enforce security policies (block `rm -rf`), auto-run linters, or log every file Claude touches to an audit trail. ## Environment variable injection You can inject environment variables into Claude Code's subprocess environment via the `env` key in settings.json. This is useful for setting `NODE_ENV=test`, pointing to a local API mock, or providing credentials without exporting them in your shell profile. Variables set here take precedence over the shell environment. ## Where to find more The best discovery method is reading Claude Code changelog entries closely — new settings options often appear as "internal infrastructure improvements." The community maintains lists in the [HN thread "Everything you can configure that the docs don't tell you"](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48318174) (326 points, June 2026) and in GitHub searches for `.claude/settings.json` in public repos. See also our [Claude Cowork FAQ](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) for more commonly asked configuration questions. ================================================================ # Why Claude Hesitates Mid-Sentence URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/claude-token-correction/ Last updated: 2026-05-30 ================================================================ # Why Claude Hesitates Mid-Sentence — Token Correction Explained You've seen it: Claude starts a sentence, then reverses course and writes something different — all in a single reply. The r/ClaudeAI community calls it "thinking out loud." Here's what's actually happening and what to do about it. ## What Is Happening? Claude doesn't process text letter by letter — it generates **tokens**, which are chunks of text (roughly a word or part of a word each). When generating a response, Claude samples the most probable next token given everything before it. Sometimes, the partial context fires off a confident token before the full sentence meaning resolves. A classic example from r/ClaudeAI: a user asked Claude to spell out the month that comes before July. Claude started writing "Jun—" and then corrected to "June." The community worked out that Claude had associated "June" → "6th month" → "six" → token beginning with "x", then caught itself. This is a normal side-effect of how autoregressive language models generate text — not a bug unique to Claude. ## When Does It Matter Most? The self-correction behavior is mostly harmless in casual conversation — Claude resolves the inconsistency within the same reply. It becomes a real problem in two scenarios: - **Code generation:** Claude may output a function signature and then rewrite it mid-block, leaving you with a half-completed or inconsistent snippet if you copy too early. - **Multi-step instructions:** Claude may propose step 1, shift approach by step 3, and produce instructions that are internally contradictory if you follow them sequentially. ## Practical Workarounds ### 1. Read the full reply before acting This is the most reliable rule. Claude frequently resolves its own hesitations within the same response. Never copy code or execute instructions from a streaming reply — wait for the full output. ### 2. Ask Claude to plan before writing Add this to your prompt: *"Before writing the code, state your approach in one sentence."* This forces Claude to commit to a structure before generating, which reduces mid-stream corrections. ### 3. Use the system prompt to enforce consistency In Claude Cowork, add to your system prompt: ``` If you change your approach mid-response, stop and restart the relevant section clearly labeled "Revised:" rather than leaving contradictory instructions inline. ``` ### 4. Break long tasks into smaller prompts Self-correction is more common in very long responses where early commitments conflict with constraints that emerge later. Splitting a complex coding task into multiple focused prompts reduces the chance of mid-stream reversals. ## Is This Getting Better? Newer Claude models have improved extended thinking capabilities, which allow the model to reason internally before generating a visible response. When extended thinking is enabled in Claude Cowork, visible mid-sentence corrections become significantly rarer because the model resolves ambiguities before outputting. Check your Claude Cowork settings to confirm extended thinking is active for complex tasks. ← [Back to Claude Cowork FAQ](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) · See also: [System Prompts guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/system-prompts/) · [Setup Guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/) ================================================================ # Why Claude Suggests You Sleep or Rest URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/claude-usage-limits-behavior/ Last updated: 2026-05-30 ================================================================ # Why Claude Suggests You Sleep or Rest — And How to Turn It Off r/ClaudeAI users have noticed that Claude sometimes recommends a break, mentions it's getting late, or suggests you go to bed — mid-conversation, unprompted. Here's why it happens and how to disable it with a single custom instruction. ## What Triggers the Behavior? Claude's wellness suggestions are triggered by **contextual signals in your own messages**. The community has identified these reliable triggers: - Mentioning you're tired, exhausted, or running low on energy - Referencing the time ("it's 2am", "I've been at this all day") - Casual, unfocused phrasing that implies a long session ("ugh I keep going in circles") - Frustration language ("I give up", "I can't think straight") Claude is trained to be genuinely helpful, which Anthropic has interpreted to include caring about user wellbeing — not just completing tasks. So when it picks up signals of fatigue, it responds with what a considerate colleague would say. ## Is There a Compute Management Angle? The r/ClaudeAI thread (714 upvotes) debated this extensively. A significant portion of the community believes the wellness prompts also serve a practical purpose: nudging heavy users to end long sessions during peak hours frees compute for enterprise customers. Anthropic has not confirmed this. The official position is that it's purely a wellbeing feature. Both can be true simultaneously — a feature can be genuinely helpful and operationally convenient. ## How to Disable It: Custom Instructions The fastest fix is a custom instruction that explicitly overrides the behavior. Go to **Settings → Personalization → Custom Instructions** and add: ### Minimal version ``` Never comment on my schedule, sleep, or suggest I rest. Treat every request as coming from a professional during working hours, regardless of what I mention about the time or my energy level. ``` ### Full version (covers edge cases) ``` Wellness and schedule rules: - Never suggest I sleep, rest, or take a break. - Never comment on what time it is or imply I should stop working. - Never add phrases like "make sure you get some rest" or "don't forget to take care of yourself" to your responses. - If I mention being tired, acknowledge it briefly if relevant, then focus on the task. - Treat every session as a standard professional workday regardless of what I mention. ``` ## How to Use Memory to Persist the Setting If you prefer not to use Custom Instructions, you can tell Claude in-chat to save the preference to memory: 1. Start a new conversation. 2. Say: *"Add to your memory: Never suggest I rest, sleep, or take breaks. I prefer you focus entirely on the task."* 3. Confirm that Claude acknowledges the memory update. This approach works across conversations as long as Claude's memory is enabled in your account settings. Note that memory can be cleared — if the behavior returns, repeat the above. ## What If You Actually Want This Feature? Some users appreciate the nudges. If you want Claude to remind you to rest on a schedule, say so explicitly: *"If our conversation runs past 60 minutes, remind me to take a 5-minute break."* This gives you intentional wellness prompts instead of unexpected interruptions. ← [Back to Claude Cowork FAQ](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) · See also: [System Prompts guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/system-prompts/) · [Setup Guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/) ================================================================ # Dynamic Workflows in Claude Code — Adaptive Multi-Step Agent Patterns (2026) URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/dynamic-workflows-claude-code/ Last updated: 2026-06-07 ================================================================ # Dynamic Workflows in Claude Code Static prompts tell Claude what to do once. Dynamic workflows let Claude adapt — branching when a test fails, looping until a condition is met, or spawning a specialist subagent when a subtask is out of scope. Here's how to build them. ## The core pattern: plan → execute → evaluate → re-route A dynamic workflow starts with a planning phase that breaks the goal into subtasks, then evaluates each result before deciding what to do next. Claude Code's `TaskCreate` and `TaskUpdate` tools are built for this: create tasks at the start with status `pending`, mark them `in_progress` when started, and `completed` or `failed` when done. An orchestrator prompt that reads the task list can then re-route — retry a failed step with a different approach, or skip ahead if a dependency succeeded. The simplest version is a CLAUDE.md instruction like: *"After each edit, run the tests. If they fail, diagnose and fix before moving on. If they fail three times on the same file, stop and ask."* This turns a linear "write code" task into a feedback loop without any code changes. ## Using /loop and /plan The `/loop` skill runs a prompt on a recurring interval, re-invoking itself until a stop condition is met. Pair it with a check command — for example, loop every 60 seconds running `npm test` until all tests pass, then commit. The loop self-terminates when the success condition appears in output. The `/plan` skill generates a structured task breakdown before any code is written. By externalizing the plan to a `PLAN.md` file (or task list), subsequent agent turns can read current progress and pick up from the right step — even across session restarts. This is the key to workflows that survive context resets. ## Spawning specialist subagents For tasks that span domains — say, a refactor that touches both the database schema and the API layer — spawn separate subagents with narrow scopes rather than asking one agent to context-switch. The `Agent` tool in Claude Code creates a child agent with its own context window, runs a specific prompt, and returns a result. The orchestrator agent receives the summary and decides what to do next. Keep subagent tasks to 1-2 files and under 500 lines of change for best results. ## Preventing runaway loops Dynamic workflows can run indefinitely if success conditions are vague. Always encode explicit termination: a maximum iteration count, a concrete output to check for, or a "stop if N consecutive failures" rule in CLAUDE.md. Adding `"If you've made more than 5 edits to the same file without passing tests, stop and report what you tried"` to your CLAUDE.md prevents the most common runaway pattern. ← Back to [Claude Cowork FAQ](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) · See also: [Skills Guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-guide/) · [Setup Guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/) ================================================================ # /effort xhigh vs high vs max URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/effort-levels/ Last updated: 2026-05-30 ================================================================ # /effort xhigh vs high vs max — Opus 4.7 Effort Levels Explained Claude Code 2.1.111 (April 2026) shipped `xhigh` — a new effort level that sits between `high` and `max`. The release also added an interactive slider, so `/effort` with no arguments now opens an arrow-key picker instead of requiring you to remember the exact name. Here's what each level actually does, when to use them, and how the cost breaks down. ## The Five Levels | Level | What it's for | Relative cost | Typical latency | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `low` | Trivial questions, formatting, lookups. The fastest option. | 1× (baseline) | < 2s | | `medium` | Routine coding, refactors, doc edits. Good chat default. | ~1.3× | 2–5s | | `high` | Complex coding, multi-file changes. The right default for most engineering work. | ~2× | 5–15s | | `xhigh` New | Hard debugging, architecture design, security review. The new sweet spot when `high` isn't enough. | ~3–4× | 15–40s | | `max` | Genuinely novel problems, research-grade reasoning. Rarely necessary. | ~6–8× | 40s–2min | Cost and latency are approximate; exact numbers vary by prompt complexity and model. Other models fall back to `high` when `xhigh` is requested — only Opus 4.7 honors the new tier directly. ## How to switch Three ways: 1. **Slash command:** `/effort xhigh` — direct switch. 2. **Interactive slider:** `/effort` with no arguments. Arrow keys to move between levels, Enter to confirm. New in 2.1.111. 3. **CLI flag:** `claude --effort xhigh` — set for the whole session at launch. The setting persists for the session. Use `/effort` again to change mid-conversation; cost from prior turns isn't affected. ## When to use each ### Default to `high` For day-to-day engineering work, `high` is the right baseline. It produces multi-file refactors, working test suites, and reasonable architectural decisions without burning through your monthly quota. Most people who feel like Claude Code is "too expensive" are running everything on `max` when `high` would have produced equivalent results. ### Drop to `medium` for chat If you're asking Claude to explain something, summarize a file, or do a one-line fix, `medium` is plenty. The marginal quality gain at `high` for these tasks is small and you'll feel the latency. ### Bump to `xhigh` when stuck The clearest signal: you ran `high`, it produced something that looked plausible but didn't work, and on retry it produced the same kind of plausible-but-wrong answer. That's the failure mode `xhigh` targets — problems where the model needs to think longer to actually reason through the constraints. Hard concurrency bugs, design choices with non-obvious trade-offs, security advisories that require correlating multiple files. ### `max` is rarely the answer It exists for genuinely hard problems — novel architecture decisions, research-grade analysis. If `xhigh` didn't solve it, the next move is usually to break the problem into smaller pieces, not throw more compute at the same prompt. `max` is also gated to Max tier subscribers (and now works with Auto mode without the old `--enable-auto-mode` flag). ## The Auto mode interaction Claude Code 2.1.111 also shipped Auto mode for Max subscribers when using Opus 4.7. Auto picks the effort level for you based on prompt complexity — it's a different lever than `/effort` and can override your manual setting. If you've set `/effort xhigh` but Auto decides `medium` is enough for the next prompt, Auto wins. Disable Auto if you want to enforce a fixed effort. ## Practical cost rules of thumb - **Routines should pin effort.** Scheduled jobs running unattended should set effort explicitly (usually `medium` or `high`) — Auto mode's variability can blow your budget on a single off-day. - **Pair Haiku with low/medium for batch work.** If you're processing 100 items, use Haiku at `medium` not Opus 4.7 at `xhigh`. The cost difference is 50× for marginal quality gain. - **Don't use xhigh for code review.** Use `/ultrareview` instead — it's the new multi-agent review command from 2.1.111 and it's cheaper than running `xhigh` against the same diff. ## Related - [Commands reference: /effort and --effort](https://openclawdatabase.com/commands/?q=effort) - [Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) — Opus 4.7 + xhigh notes - [All Claude Cowork FAQ entries](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) - [Cost optimization guide (OpenClaw)](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/cost-optimisation/) — same principles apply ← Back to the [Claude Cowork FAQ](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) ================================================================ # What Is a CLAUDE.md File? Why Developers Use It (2026 Guide) URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/what-is-claude-md-file/ Last updated: 2026-05-30 ================================================================ # What Is a CLAUDE.md File and Why Do Developers Use It? CLAUDE.md is a plain markdown file you drop into the root of your project. Claude Code reads it at the start of every session, so it's where you encode the rules, standards, and context that apply to your specific project — without repeating yourself every chat. A 2,000-star GitHub repo helped popularize it, and the community debate about what actually belongs in it has been fierce. ## How it works When you run `claude` in a project directory, Claude Code automatically looks for `CLAUDE.md` (and `.claude/CLAUDE.md`) and injects the contents as a persistent system-level instruction before your first message. This means Claude knows your project's context before you type a single word. It also stacks hierarchically: a root-level CLAUDE.md sets project-wide rules, while a CLAUDE.md inside a subdirectory adds context for that module. Most teams commit CLAUDE.md to git so every developer — and every Claude session — starts from the same shared baseline. ## What actually belongs in it The r/ClaudeAI thread that drove 2,000+ stars surfaced a sharp community split: half the comments called it "cargo culting" and "homeopathy," while the other half reported genuine improvements. The consensus from the most-upvoted replies: - **Specific beats vague.** "Be helpful and accurate" does almost nothing. "Always write Jest tests for new functions, placed in `__tests__/` next to the source file" is concrete enough to change behavior. - **Project structure matters most.** Document your directory layout, key file locations, and how modules relate. Claude has no other way to know this. - **Commands it should always/never run.** "Always run `npm run lint` before suggesting a commit." "Never run `git push` without confirmation." These are where CLAUDE.md earns its keep. - **Tech stack and non-obvious constraints.** Framework versions, deprecated APIs you've banned, third-party libraries already in use that Claude shouldn't reinvent. ## Copy-paste starter template ``` # Project: [Your project name] ## Tech stack - Node.js 22, TypeScript 5.4 - React 19 (functional components only — no class components) - PostgreSQL via Drizzle ORM ## Directory structure - src/ Source files - src/routes/ Express route handlers - src/db/ Database schema and queries - tests/ Jest test files (mirror src/ structure) ## Rules - Always write tests for new functions (Jest, placed in tests/) - Run `npm run lint` before suggesting any git commit - Never run `git push` or deploy commands without explicit user confirmation - Prefer named exports over default exports - Never use `any` in TypeScript — use `unknown` or a proper type ## Context This is a SaaS dashboard. Authentication uses Clerk. Background jobs use BullMQ. ``` ## What the debate gets wrong The "cargo cult" critics are often judging CLAUDE.md files filled with vague personality rules ("think step by step," "be thorough"). Those genuinely don't help. But project-specific structural rules — the kind only you could write because only you know your codebase — measurably reduce the friction of every Claude session. The question isn't whether CLAUDE.md works; it's whether you've put the right things in it. ← Back to [Claude Cowork FAQ](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) · See also: [System Prompts Guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/system-prompts/) · [OpenClaw SOUL.md](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/soul-md/) ================================================================ # Claude Cowork + Hermes Together: Paid-and-Free Agent Workflow (2026) URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/hermes-workflow/ Last updated: 2026-06-01 ================================================================ # Claude Cowork + Hermes Together Most comparisons ask "Cowork *or* Hermes?" — but the highest-leverage setup uses both. Pair paid Claude Cowork for premium, high-judgment knowledge work with a free, always-on Hermes agent for the repetitive background running, and you get top-tier quality where it matters without paying premium rates for low-stakes automation. This guide maps which tool owns which job and gives you a concrete handoff workflow. The one-line split **Cowork thinks. Hermes runs.** Use Cowork (paid, top models, polished UI, team artifacts) for planning, drafting, and high-stakes judgment. Use [Hermes](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/) (free, self-hosted, always-on) for scheduled, repeatable execution that runs unattended and messages you the results. ## Which tool owns which job | Job | Best fit | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | Planning, specs, strategy | Claude Cowork | Premium models and a focused workspace for high-judgment thinking and team-visible artifacts. | | Drafting documents & decks | Claude Cowork | Quality and iteration matter; the output is the deliverable. | | Scheduled / recurring jobs | Hermes | Runs unattended on a server on a cron; no subscription burned on routine work. | | Inbox triage, daily briefs | Hermes | Always-on, reaches you over [Telegram](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/telegram/)/Discord, cheap on a free model. | | Monitoring & alerts | Hermes | Background watchers that only ping you when something changes. | | Multi-step execution of a plan | Hermes | Turns a Cowork-made plan into [long-running tasks](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/tasks/) with its own skills. | | Team collaboration | Claude Cowork | Shared projects, artifacts, and connectors built for teams. | ## The handoff: shared artifacts as the seam You don't need a special integration. The two tools meet at a shared file, repo, or task list: 1. **Cowork produces the artifact.** A plan, spec, content calendar, or draft — written to a shared folder, a Git repo, or a doc the Hermes agent can read. 2. **Hermes picks it up.** Point a Hermes [skill](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/skills-guide/) at that location. It reads the artifact and executes the repeatable parts — publishing, filing, notifying, updating a tracker. 3. **Hermes runs it on a schedule.** What was a one-time plan becomes a recurring job: Hermes re-runs the workflow daily/weekly and messages you the results or anything that needs a human. 4. **You review in Cowork.** When the recurring job surfaces something that needs judgment, bring it back to Cowork for the high-quality pass. Loop closed. ## Worked example: a content pipeline 1. **Cowork (paid):** you co-write the week's content strategy and three polished draft posts in a Cowork project. 2. **Handoff:** the approved drafts and a simple schedule land in a shared folder. 3. **Hermes (free, always-on):** a skill reads the folder, formats each post, and publishes on the scheduled days — then messages you a confirmation on Telegram. 4. **Monitoring:** Hermes also watches engagement and pings you only if a post underperforms a threshold. 5. **Back to Cowork:** at week's end you review Hermes's summary in Cowork and plan the next batch. The premium subscription did the creative, high-judgment work; the free agent did the repetitive running. That's the cost win — quantify it with the [cost calculator](https://openclawdatabase.com/tools/cost-calculator/). ## Keep the combined setup safe Two agents means two attack surfaces. Apply the same discipline to both: least privilege on every credential, approval gates on irreversible actions, and a hardened Hermes daemon ([iteration limits, allowlists, local-only dashboard](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/security/)). The shared folder/repo is a trust boundary — treat anything Hermes writes back as data to review, not instructions to obey. See the [responsible-use checklist](https://openclawdatabase.com/responsible-ai/) before pointing either agent at production accounts. ## Related Guides Set up each half of the pairing: [⚡ Claude Cowork Setup](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/) [⚡ Hermes Setup](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/setup/) [⚖️ Hermes vs Claude Cowork](https://openclawdatabase.com/compare/hermes-vs-claude-cowork/) [💸 Best Free Models for Hermes](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/free-models/) [🗓 Hermes Long-Running Tasks](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/tasks/) [🧮 Cost Calculator](https://openclawdatabase.com/tools/cost-calculator/) [← Back to Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) ================================================================ # Claude Cowork Pricing Guide 2026 URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/pricing/ Last updated: 2026-05-30 ================================================================ # Claude Cowork Pricing & Tiers — What You Get at Each Level Claude Cowork pricing is tiered by usage limits, feature access, and team size. This guide explains what each tier actually includes — usage caps, model access, feature gates — and helps you decide whether Cowork, the Claude API, or a self-hosted solution is the right cost trade-off for your team's usage pattern. Verify current pricing at anthropic.com Anthropic updates pricing and tier features regularly. The figures on this page reflect our best understanding as of April 2026, but exact prices, message limits, and feature availability may have changed. Always confirm at [anthropic.com/pricing](https://www.anthropic.com/pricing) before making purchasing decisions. This content was created by AI — it is not financial advice. ## The Four Tiers | Feature | Free | Pro | Business | Enterprise | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Price** | $0 | ~$20/user/mo | ~$30/user/mo | Custom | | **Models available** | Haiku (limited Sonnet) | Sonnet + Haiku | Sonnet + Haiku + Opus | All models | | **Message limits** | Low daily cap (resets) | 5× higher than Free | Higher, with priority queuing | Negotiated, with SLA | | **Shared workspace** | No | Up to 5 members | Unlimited members | Unlimited members | | **Projects** | Limited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | | **Knowledge documents** | 1 per project | 5 per project | 20 per project | Unlimited | | **Artifact retention** | 30 days | 90 days | 90 days (pinned: indefinite) | Custom / indefinite | | **Web search** | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | | **Code execution** | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | | **Google Drive integration** | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | | **GitHub integration** | No | No | Yes | Yes | | **Slack integration** | No | No | Yes | Yes | | **Jira integration** | No | No | Yes | Yes | | **SSO (SAML/OIDC)** | No | No | Yes | Yes | | **SCIM provisioning** | No | No | No | Yes | | **Audit logs** | No | No | Limited | Full | | **Data residency** | No | No | No | Yes (US/EU) | | **SOC 2 compliance** | No | No | Yes | Yes | | **Priority support** | No | Email | Priority email | Dedicated CSM | Feature availability is our best understanding as of April 2026. Anthropic updates tiers regularly. ## Understanding Usage Limits Claude Cowork uses a **message-based** usage model, not token-based like the API. Each "message" is a conversation turn — you send a message, Claude responds — that counts as one unit toward your daily or monthly cap. What this means in practice: - Long messages with large documents cost the same per-turn as short messages - Uploading a 100-page PDF to your knowledge documents doesn't cost extra — that context is pre-loaded - But conversation turns that process very long inputs are sometimes throttled during high-demand periods even if you're within your message cap ### When you hit the limit On Free and Pro tiers, hitting the daily message limit doesn't cut you off immediately — it slows Claude down by routing you to a lower-capacity queue. Heavy Sonnet use may temporarily fall back to Haiku when limits are reached on Pro tier. Business tier gets priority queuing that prevents most slowdowns. ### Limit resets Limits reset at midnight UTC daily for most tiers. Monthly limits (where applicable) reset on your billing anniversary date. ## Cost Comparison — Cowork vs Claude API The right question isn't "is Cowork or the API cheaper?" — it's "which is cheaper *for your usage pattern*?" They charge differently: | Usage pattern | Better choice | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | Team of 5–20 doing 20–50 conversations/day each | Cowork Pro or Business | Flat per-user price is predictable; API billing would vary wildly by day | | Developer building a customer-facing product | Claude API | Cowork doesn't allow embedding Claude in third-party products | | Small team (<5 people) doing light AI use | Cowork Free or Pro | Cost is low; no DevOps overhead | | High-volume automation (1000+ API calls/day) | Claude API | API per-token pricing is cheaper at volume; Cowork rate limits would block this | | Non-technical team that needs zero setup | Cowork | No API keys, no code, no configuration | | Team that needs model flexibility (not just Claude) | OpenClaw | Cowork is locked to Anthropic models; OpenClaw supports any provider | | Team needing long-running autonomous tasks | Hermes | Cowork is session-based; Hermes runs tasks unattended | ### A worked example — 10-person marketing team A 10-person marketing team using Claude for content drafting, brainstorming, and editing — roughly 30 conversation turns per person per day: - **Cowork Business:** ~$30 × 10 = $300/month. Predictable. No setup. Opus available for complex tasks. - **Claude API (Sonnet 4.6):** 10 people × 30 turns × ~2,000 avg tokens/turn = ~600K tokens/day × 22 working days ≈ 13.2M tokens/month. At $3/M input + $15/M output (rough 3:1 ratio): ~$75/month in API fees plus developer time to build and maintain the interface. - **Verdict:** For this team, Cowork is actually more expensive per-token — but the zero-setup, professional UI, and shared context features are worth the premium for a non-technical team. A technical team that can build their own interface would likely prefer the API. ## Cowork vs OpenClaw + Claude — Cost & Control | | Claude Cowork | OpenClaw + Claude API | | --- | --- | --- | | **Monthly cost (10 users)** | $200–300 (flat) | $50–150 in API fees + ~$10 VPS + setup time | | **Setup time** | Minutes | Hours (technical) | | **Model flexibility** | Anthropic only | Any provider — swap freely | | **Data control** | Anthropic's servers | Your VPS; your data | | **Custom integrations** | Official integrations only | Any skill or MCP tool | | **Channel support** | Web UI only | WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, email | | **Skill ecosystem** | 6 official integrations | 53 official + 13,700+ community skills | | **Audit logging** | Business/Enterprise only | Built-in to all tiers | | **Technical requirement** | None | Node.js, basic CLI comfort | ## When to Upgrade Between Tiers ### Free → Pro - You're hitting the daily message limit before your work is done - You need to share work with a small team (<5 people) - You need web search or code execution in conversations - You need Google Drive integration - You want 90-day artifact retention instead of 30 days ### Pro → Business - Your team is larger than 5 people - You need GitHub, Slack, or Jira integrations - You need SSO so employees sign in with company credentials - You need SOC 2 compliance for your security questionnaires - You need Opus 4.6 or **Opus 4.7 (with the new xhigh effort tier)** for complex reasoning tasks - You want Claude Design (text-to-prototype) — included from Pro and up - You want Managed Agents — currently included on Business and Enterprise during the public beta - You need pinned artifacts with indefinite retention ### Business → Enterprise - You need SCIM for automatic user provisioning/deprovisioning - You need data residency guarantees (data stays in EU or US) - You need custom retention periods beyond 90 days - You need a dedicated Customer Success Manager and SLA - You need full audit logs for compliance - You're negotiating volume pricing for 50+ seats ## Getting the Most from Each Tier ### Making Pro go further - Use knowledge documents heavily — pre-loading context in the project means shorter conversations and fewer turns per task - Write tight system prompts that front-load context — reduces back-and-forth clarification turns - Save well-structured prompts as pinned artifacts so team members can copy and adapt rather than starting from scratch each time - Switch to Haiku for simple tasks (summarise, reformat, extract) — it's faster and saves your Sonnet allowance for reasoning tasks ### Managing Business tier seats - Assign Viewer role to stakeholders who only need read access — some teams give Viewer to 2–3× more people than Member, keeping costs predictable - Audit inactive members monthly — remove anyone who hasn't logged in for 30+ days - Use project-level visibility controls so not every member sees every project — reduces noise without reducing access for those who need it ## More Claude Cowork Guides Continue your Claude Cowork journey — every guide on the hub: [⚡ Team Workspace Setup Create the workspace, invite teammates, configure permissions, and set up shared memory.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/) [📁 Projects & Artifacts How Projects scope context and Artifacts let teams co-create deliverables — and the limits.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/projects/) [📝 System Prompts & Personas Workspace-level prompts, project-level prompts, and the persona patterns that work in practice.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/system-prompts/) [⚖️ Cowork vs Claude API vs OpenClaw Three ways to use Claude — when each is the right choice, plus migration paths.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/vs-api/) [🛠 Skills Guide: Build Workflows Cowork skills explained: writing them, sharing them, and the patterns that scale to teams.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-guide/) [📚 Integrations Database Curated list of Cowork skills and integrations with what they do and how teams actually use them.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-database/) [🎨 Claude Design — Text-to-Prototype How Claude Design turns prompts into design systems, websites, and decks. Opus 4.7 + the new xhigh tier.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/claude-design/) [❓ Cowork FAQ Most-asked Cowork questions — pricing edge cases, usage limits, token correction, effort levels, CLAUDE.md.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) [← Back to Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) ← Back to [Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) · See also: [Cowork vs Claude API vs OpenClaw](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/vs-api/) · [OpenClaw Cost Optimisation](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/cost-optimisation/) ================================================================ # Claude Cowork Projects & Artifacts Guide 2026 URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/projects/ Last updated: 2026-05-30 ================================================================ # Projects & Artifacts — Shared Context & Team Documents Projects and Artifacts are the two features that transform Claude Cowork from a chat interface into a genuine team workspace. Projects give Claude persistent context about your team's work. Artifacts are the documents, code, and data Claude produces — shareable, revisable, and stored for up to 90 days. Understanding how they interact is what separates teams that get marginal value from Cowork and teams that make it central to how they work. ## How Projects Work A Project is a persistent context container. Every conversation started inside a Project begins with Claude already knowing: - The project's **system prompt** — standing instructions about tone, format, constraints, and role - The project's **knowledge documents** — files you've uploaded that Claude references for context - The project's **artifact library** — documents and outputs already created in this project This means a team member starting their fifth conversation in the Engineering project doesn't have to re-explain what the codebase looks like, what your coding standards are, or what you were working on last week. Claude already knows — because the project told it. ### What Goes in Project Context | Context type | What to put there | Size limit | | --- | --- | --- | | **System prompt** | Role, tone, format rules, what Claude should never do, standing instructions | ~2,000 words recommended; hard limit varies by tier | | **Knowledge documents** | Product specs, style guides, codebase READMEs, brand guidelines, FAQ docs | Up to 5 files on Pro, 20 on Business, unlimited on Enterprise | | **Pinned artifacts** | Key outputs you want Claude to reference and team members to find easily | Up to 10 pinned per project | ## Knowledge Documents — Giving Claude Your Context Knowledge documents are the single most impactful thing you can add to a project. Upload a file and Claude can reference it in any conversation in that project without you pasting it in each time. ### What works well as a knowledge document - **Product documentation** — Claude can answer team questions about how the product works without you explaining it every time - **Style guide** — upload your brand voice document and Claude applies it to all content in this project - **Codebase README or architecture overview** — gives Claude enough context to give useful technical answers - **Team glossary** — company-specific terms, acronyms, project codenames - **Previous decisions log** — "We decided X because Y" — Claude won't suggest things you've already rejected - **Persona or role definition** — "In this project, you are our senior copywriter with 10 years of B2B SaaS experience" ### Supported file formats PDF, DOCX, TXT, MD, CSV, XLSX (read as text), and code files (JS, Python, etc.). Images are supported on tiers with vision enabled. Each file is converted to text for indexing — formatting may simplify. ### Keeping knowledge documents current Knowledge documents don't auto-update. When your style guide changes or your product docs are revised, re-upload the updated file. Delete the old version to avoid Claude being confused by contradictory information. Many teams add a date to filenames: `brand-guidelines-2026-04.pdf`. ## Artifacts — What Claude Produces An Artifact is any substantial output Claude creates in a conversation: a document, a code file, a table, a report. Claude automatically suggests creating an Artifact when the output is long or structured — you can also request one explicitly: "Write this as an artifact so I can share it with the team." ### Artifact types | Type | Examples | What makes it useful | | --- | --- | --- | | **Document** | Reports, briefs, blog posts, meeting summaries, proposals | Rendered markdown view; shareable link; can be edited collaboratively | | **Code** | Scripts, functions, configuration files, SQL queries | Syntax highlighted; can be run in the code executor on Pro/Business | | **Data table** | Comparison tables, research summaries, structured lists | Rendered as a table; exportable as CSV | | **SVG / diagram** | Flowcharts, architecture diagrams, org charts | Rendered inline; editable by asking Claude to modify it | ### Iterating on artifacts One of the most powerful workflows: start a conversation, get an artifact, continue the conversation to refine it. Each revision creates a new version — the artifact shows a version history so you can step back if a revision made things worse. You never lose the previous draft. ``` # Example iteration flow: User: "Write a product launch announcement for our new API pricing tier" Claude: [Creates document artifact: "API Pricing Launch Announcement"] User: "Good. Make the opening more direct — lead with the price change, not the background story. Also add a FAQ section at the bottom." Claude: [Revises artifact — creates v2, retains v1 in history] User: "The FAQ is great. Shorten the main body by 30%." Claude: [Revises — creates v3] ``` ## Artifact Retention — The 90-Day Policy Shared artifacts are retained for **90 days** from the date of last modification (updated from the previous 30-day limit in March 2026). What this means in practice: - Artifacts you actively work on reset their 90-day clock each time they're modified - Artifacts that aren't touched for 90 days are marked for deletion with a 7-day warning - You receive email notifications before artifacts expire - Deleted artifacts cannot be recovered — export before the deadline ### Extending retention - **Pin the artifact** — pinned artifacts have indefinite retention on Business tier - **Export it** — download as PDF, DOCX, or markdown and store externally - **Enterprise tier** — configurable retention periods, including indefinite ### Exporting artifacts ``` # From the artifact view: → Click the ⋮ menu on any artifact → Export As: PDF | DOCX | Markdown | Plain text | CSV (for data tables) # Bulk export (Business/Enterprise): → Project Settings → Export → Download all artifacts as ZIP ``` Don't use Cowork as your only storage Important team documents should live in your primary document system (Google Drive, Notion, Confluence) — not only in Cowork artifacts. Use Cowork as the creation and iteration layer, then export finished documents to wherever your team archives work. The 90-day clock is a real deadline. ## Sharing Artifacts Every artifact has a **shareable link**. The link can be set to three access levels: | Access level | Who can view | Use case | | --- | --- | --- | | **Private** | Only project members | Internal drafts in progress | | **Workspace** | Anyone in your Cowork workspace | Cross-team visibility without external sharing | | **Anyone with the link** | Anyone — no login required | Sharing with external stakeholders or clients | Public artifact links show a "Created with Claude" attribution but do not show your workspace name, team members, or the conversation that produced the artifact. ## Collaborative Editing Multiple team members can view an artifact simultaneously. Collaborative editing (multiple people editing at once) is available on Business and Enterprise tiers. On Pro tier, edits are sequential — if two people edit at the same time, the last save wins. To edit an artifact directly (without asking Claude to revise it): 1. Open the artifact 2. Click **Edit** — the artifact becomes a rich text editor 3. Make changes directly 4. Click **Save** — creates a new version, preserving history 5. Or click **Continue in Claude** — returns to the conversation with the edited version as the current draft ## Organising a Project for Long-Term Use Projects that stay useful for months follow a consistent structure. Here's a pattern that works: - **Knowledge docs:** Keep 3–5 core documents. Too many and Claude's context gets diluted. If you have 20 documents, split into sub-projects. - **Pinned artifacts:** Pin the current version of the most important living documents (style guide, decision log, project brief). Unpin artifacts that are no longer active. - **Naming convention:** Date-prefix important artifacts — `2026-04 Q2 Campaign Brief` — so the artifact library stays navigable as it grows. - **Archive sub-project:** Create an "Archive" project with no system prompt and move old artifacts there rather than deleting them. Gives you a 90-day grace period after moving. - **Monthly review:** Assign one team member to review the project's knowledge docs and pinned artifacts monthly and update anything stale. ## More Claude Cowork Guides Continue your Claude Cowork journey — every guide on the hub: [⚡ Team Workspace Setup Create the workspace, invite teammates, configure permissions, and set up shared memory.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/) [📝 System Prompts & Personas Workspace-level prompts, project-level prompts, and the persona patterns that work in practice.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/system-prompts/) [💰 Pricing & Tiers Pro vs Max vs Team — what changes at each tier and the actual breakeven math vs the API.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/pricing/) [⚖️ Cowork vs Claude API vs OpenClaw Three ways to use Claude — when each is the right choice, plus migration paths.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/vs-api/) [🛠 Skills Guide: Build Workflows Cowork skills explained: writing them, sharing them, and the patterns that scale to teams.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-guide/) [📚 Integrations Database Curated list of Cowork skills and integrations with what they do and how teams actually use them.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-database/) [🎨 Claude Design — Text-to-Prototype How Claude Design turns prompts into design systems, websites, and decks. Opus 4.7 + the new xhigh tier.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/claude-design/) [❓ Cowork FAQ Most-asked Cowork questions — pricing edge cases, usage limits, token correction, effort levels, CLAUDE.md.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) [← Back to Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) ← Back to [Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) · See also: [System Prompts & Personas](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/system-prompts/) · [Team Setup Guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/) ================================================================ # Claude Cowork Team Setup Guide 2026 URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/ Last updated: 2026-05-30 ================================================================ # Claude Cowork Team Setup — Workspace, Members & Roles Claude Cowork is the fastest way to put Claude in front of a whole team. No API keys, no infrastructure, no onboarding docs about tokens and rate limits — just sign in, create a workspace, invite your team, and start. This guide covers the setup path from scratch, including the roles system and how to structure projects for different teams. 🆕 Recent Claude Code updates (v2.1.121–v2.1.158, April–May 2026) - **Auto mode on Bedrock, Vertex & Foundry** (v2.1.158) — Claude can now dynamically choose its own thinking level on enterprise cloud providers. Enable with `CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_AUTO_MODE=1`; no code changes required. - **Local plugins auto-load** (v2.1.157) — plugins in `.claude/skills/` now load automatically without a marketplace listing. Scaffold a new one with `claude plugin init `. - **claude agents improvements** (v2.1.157) — honours the `agent` field in `settings.json`, autocompletes skill names, and `EnterWorktree` can switch between managed worktrees mid-session. - **Windows PowerShell is now the primary shell** on Windows installs (v2.1.126). New installs default to PowerShell; bash examples below still work under WSL but are no longer the default. - See [/changelog/](https://openclawdatabase.com/changelog/) for full release notes. ## Step 1 — Create Your Workspace Go to **claude.ai/cowork** and sign in with your Anthropic account. If you don't have one, create a free account first. 1. Click **Create Workspace** 2. Enter a workspace name — use your company or team name (e.g. "Acme Corp" or "Product Team") 3. Choose your initial plan — you can start free and upgrade once you know your team's usage pattern 4. You're now the workspace **Owner** — the highest permission level One workspace per organisation, multiple projects within it The recommended structure is one workspace per company, with separate Projects inside for each team, department, or use case. Don't create separate workspaces for each team — that fragments billing, member lists, and cross-team visibility. Projects are the right level of separation. ## Step 2 — Invite Team Members Go to **Settings → Members → Invite Members**. You can invite by email address individually or paste a comma-separated list for bulk invites. Invited members receive an email with a link. They need an Anthropic account to accept — if they don't have one, the invite link walks them through creating one. There's no minimum plan required to accept an invite; the workspace's plan covers their access. ### Bulk Invite For teams of 10+, use the CSV import option in Settings → Members → Import: ``` email,role alice@company.com,member bob@company.com,member carol@company.com,admin dave@company.com,viewer ``` Upload the CSV and all invites go out simultaneously. Check the import log for any addresses that failed (invalid format or existing members). ## Step 3 — Understanding Roles | Role | Can do | Cannot do | Assign to | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Owner** | Everything — including billing, deleting the workspace, transferring ownership | Nothing | The person responsible for billing. Usually 1 per workspace. | | **Admin** | Invite/remove members, create/delete projects, manage project permissions, set workspace-level system prompts | Access billing, delete workspace, change ownership | Team leads, department heads, IT admins | | **Member** | Access projects they've been invited to, start conversations, create and edit artifacts, view shared conversations | Invite others, delete others' artifacts, change project settings | Most team members — the default role | | **Viewer** | Read-only access to projects they've been invited to — can view conversations and artifacts but not start new ones | Start conversations, create or edit artifacts | Stakeholders, clients, reviewers who need visibility without editing | ### Project-Level Roles Members can have different roles in different projects. A developer might be a Member in the Engineering project but a Viewer in the Marketing project. Set project-level roles in **Project Settings → Members**. ## Step 4 — Create Your First Projects Projects are the main organisational unit inside a workspace. Think of each project as a persistent Claude workspace for a specific team or purpose — with its own members, system prompt, knowledge documents, and artifact library. Click **New Project** from the workspace home: 1. **Name the project** — e.g. "Engineering", "Marketing Content", "Customer Support" 2. **Set visibility** — Workspace (all members can find it) or Invite-only (only explicitly invited members) 3. **Add a project description** — shown to members on the project home; helps them understand what this project is for 4. **Optionally add a system prompt** — Claude uses this as standing instructions for every conversation in this project. See the [System Prompts guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/system-prompts/) for templates. ### Recommended Project Structure | Project name | Who has access | System prompt focus | | --- | --- | --- | | Engineering | Developers, tech leads | Code review, technical writing, debugging assistant | | Marketing Content | Marketing team | Brand voice, content guidelines, target audience context | | Customer Support | Support team | Product knowledge, escalation rules, tone guidelines | | Leadership Briefings | Admins + leadership | Executive summary format, strategic context | | Sandbox | All workspace members | No system prompt — free exploration | ## Enterprise SSO Setup On Business and Enterprise tiers, you can require all workspace members to sign in through your identity provider (Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace, etc.) rather than individual Anthropic accounts. Go to **Settings → Security → Single Sign-On**: 1. Select your IdP from the dropdown (Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace, SAML 2.0 generic) 2. Copy the **ACS URL** and **Entity ID** shown — paste these into your IdP's SAML app configuration 3. Paste your IdP's **Metadata URL** or XML into the Claude Cowork SSO settings 4. Test the connection — a test button sends a test authentication request through your IdP 5. Enable **Enforce SSO** — after this, all members must use SSO. Existing password-based sessions are invalidated at their next login. Test SSO before enforcing it Always test with a non-admin account before enabling Enforce SSO. If the SSO config is wrong and you enforce it, you may lock yourself (and all admins) out of the workspace. Anthropic support can unlock it but it may take 24–48 hours. Test first. ### SCIM Provisioning (Enterprise) Enterprise tier supports SCIM for automatic user provisioning and deprovisioning. When an employee leaves and their account is deactivated in your IdP, SCIM automatically removes their Cowork access — no manual cleanup required. ``` # SCIM base URL (enter into your IdP's SCIM config): https://api.claude.ai/cowork/scim/v2/{workspace-id} # Bearer token: generate in Settings → Security → SCIM → Generate Token ``` ## Step 5 — Set Workspace Defaults Before your team starts using Cowork heavily, configure a few workspace-level defaults in **Settings → Workspace**: - **Default model** — Sonnet 4.6 for most teams (good quality at reasonable cost); Opus 4.6 for research or complex writing teams. Members can switch per-conversation on Pro/Business tiers. - **Artifact retention** — default is 90 days. Enterprise tier can extend to custom periods or indefinite retention. - **Conversation sharing** — whether members can share conversation links outside the workspace. Disable this for sensitive teams. - **Default project visibility** — whether new projects are workspace-visible or invite-only by default. - **Usage notifications** — email alerts when workspace usage approaches tier limits. ## Onboarding Your Team The most common reason teams underuse Cowork is a weak onboarding moment — people sign up, see a blank chat interface, and don't know where to start. A good onboarding takes 10 minutes and dramatically increases adoption: 1. **Write a welcome artifact** — create a shared document called "How we use Claude here" explaining the team's key projects, what each project's system prompt does, and 3–5 example prompts that work well for your team's work. 2. **Pin it to the workspace home** — pinned artifacts appear at the top of the project view for all members. 3. **Run a 15-minute live demo** — walk the team through one real workflow (e.g. turning meeting notes into action items) so they see it work before going async. 4. **Create a Sandbox project with no rules** — give people a project with no system prompt where they can experiment freely without worrying about "doing it wrong". ## More Claude Cowork Guides Continue your Claude Cowork journey — every guide on the hub: [📁 Projects & Artifacts How Projects scope context and Artifacts let teams co-create deliverables — and the limits.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/projects/) [📝 System Prompts & Personas Workspace-level prompts, project-level prompts, and the persona patterns that work in practice.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/system-prompts/) [💰 Pricing & Tiers Pro vs Max vs Team — what changes at each tier and the actual breakeven math vs the API.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/pricing/) [⚖️ Cowork vs Claude API vs OpenClaw Three ways to use Claude — when each is the right choice, plus migration paths.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/vs-api/) [🛠 Skills Guide: Build Workflows Cowork skills explained: writing them, sharing them, and the patterns that scale to teams.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-guide/) [📚 Integrations Database Curated list of Cowork skills and integrations with what they do and how teams actually use them.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-database/) [🎨 Claude Design — Text-to-Prototype How Claude Design turns prompts into design systems, websites, and decks. Opus 4.7 + the new xhigh tier.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/claude-design/) [❓ Cowork FAQ Most-asked Cowork questions — pricing edge cases, usage limits, token correction, effort levels, CLAUDE.md.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) [← Back to Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) ← Back to [Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) · Next: [Projects & Artifacts →](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/projects/) ================================================================ # Claude Cowork Integrations Database — Verified Official URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-database/ Last updated: 2026-05-30 ================================================================ # Claude Cowork: Verified Official Integrations We list only integrations documented in Anthropic's official product pages with clear data handling policies. We do not list or endorse third-party Claude plugins or unofficial browser extensions. If an integration isn't on this page, verify it directly with Anthropic before connecting it to team data. 🆕 Discover skills faster — `/skills` search filter (v2.1.121) In Claude Code, `/skills` now accepts a search term: `/skills github` filters to skills mentioning GitHub, `/skills mcp` to MCP-related skills, etc. This replaces the older "scroll the full list" workflow when a workspace has many installed integrations. See [/changelog/](https://openclawdatabase.com/changelog/) for the full v2.1.121 release notes. Always check current availability Anthropic updates integrations and tier requirements regularly. This table reflects what was documented as of 2026-04-06. Before building a workflow that depends on a specific integration, verify current availability on the [official Anthropic website](https://www.anthropic.com). ## Official Integrations (as of 2026-04-06) | Integration | What it does | Data sent to Claude | Tier | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Google Drive | Import Docs, Sheets, and Slides directly as workspace artifacts — Claude can read and work with the content | Document content | Pro / Business | | GitHub | Reference repos, branches, files, and PRs within workspace conversations | Repo metadata + selected file content | Business | | Slack | Bring Claude into Slack channels via Anthropic's official bot — responds to mentions | Channel messages where Claude is mentioned | Business | | Jira | Query, summarise, and update Jira issues from within a workspace conversation | Issue titles, descriptions, status fields | Business | | Web search | Claude fetches live web results to ground responses in current information | Search queries + returned page content | Pro / Business | | Code execution | Run Python snippets in a sandboxed environment and return output inline in the conversation | Code submitted for execution | Pro / Business | ## Data Handling Notes When you connect an integration, content from that source flows through Anthropic's infrastructure as part of the conversation. Key points: - **Enterprise tier** includes SOC 2 compliance, SSO, and data residency options. If your team handles sensitive data (healthcare, legal, financial), verify the current enterprise data handling addendum directly with Anthropic — this page is AI-generated and should not be relied on for compliance decisions. - **Pro tier** does not include enterprise data agreements by default. Check Anthropic's current privacy policy for Pro retention terms before connecting sensitive documents. - **Third-party integrations** (Google, GitHub, Slack, Jira) are subject to both Anthropic's data handling and the third party's API terms. Review both. ## What We Don't List We don't include: - Unofficial browser extensions that inject Claude into third-party sites - Community-built Claude plugins or tool-use wrappers not published by Anthropic - MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers not officially supported by Anthropic These may be useful but carry supply-chain risk. If you need capabilities beyond the official integrations, the [Skills Guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-guide/) shows how to build them directly in Claude using prompts — no third-party trust required. For a self-hosted alternative with a larger skill ecosystem: see the [OpenClaw Skills Guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/skills-guide/) and [OpenClaw Skills Database](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/skills-database/). ## More Claude Cowork Guides Continue your Claude Cowork journey — every guide on the hub: [⚡ Team Workspace Setup Create the workspace, invite teammates, configure permissions, and set up shared memory.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/) [📁 Projects & Artifacts How Projects scope context and Artifacts let teams co-create deliverables — and the limits.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/projects/) [📝 System Prompts & Personas Workspace-level prompts, project-level prompts, and the persona patterns that work in practice.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/system-prompts/) [💰 Pricing & Tiers Pro vs Max vs Team — what changes at each tier and the actual breakeven math vs the API.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/pricing/) [⚖️ Cowork vs Claude API vs OpenClaw Three ways to use Claude — when each is the right choice, plus migration paths.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/vs-api/) [🛠 Skills Guide: Build Workflows Cowork skills explained: writing them, sharing them, and the patterns that scale to teams.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-guide/) [🎨 Claude Design — Text-to-Prototype How Claude Design turns prompts into design systems, websites, and decks. Opus 4.7 + the new xhigh tier.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/claude-design/) [❓ Cowork FAQ Most-asked Cowork questions — pricing edge cases, usage limits, token correction, effort levels, CLAUDE.md.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) [← Back to Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) ← Back to [Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) · See also: [Skills Guide: Build Your Own Workflows](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-guide/) ================================================================ # Claude Cowork Skills Guide — Build Your Own Team Workflows URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-guide/ Last updated: 2026-05-30 ================================================================ # Claude Cowork Skills Guide: Build Your Own Team Workflows Claude Cowork doesn't use the OpenClaw skill registry. It operates through Claude's native tool use, shared system prompts, and workspace integrations. Our philosophy: instead of pointing your team at an unvetted plugin marketplace, we teach you to build the exact workflows you need — directly with Claude. This page is the full guide. 🆕 New in Claude Code v2.1.157 (May 2026) — local plugins auto-load - **Plugins in .claude/skills/ now auto-load** without a marketplace listing. No publish step required — create a local skill and it's immediately available in the session. - **claude plugin init ** scaffolds a new local plugin instantly with the correct SKILL.md structure. The fastest way to start building a custom Cowork workflow. - **claude agents autocompletes skill names** — dispatch to a skill by name without remembering the exact slug. - **/skills search filter** (v2.1.121) — type `/skills ` to narrow the in-session list when a workspace has many skills. - See [/changelog/](https://openclawdatabase.com/changelog/) for full release notes. ## The Philosophy: Small Inputs, Big Outputs The fastest, most reliable Claude Cowork "skill" is a well-written system prompt saved to your workspace. It acts like a persistent instruction set for every conversation in that project — Claude already knows what role to play, what format to use, and what it should never do. The second-best option is a reusable prompt template saved as a workspace artifact that any team member can open and fill in. Unlike external plugins, these are fully transparent, editable by your team, and require no third-party trust. ## Step-by-Step: Build a Reusable Team Workflow 1. **Describe the task precisely.** What are the inputs your team provides each time? What should the output look like — a table, a list, a document? What should Claude never do in this workflow? 2. **Paste the prompt template below** into your Claude Cowork workspace. 3. **Review the output** before saving. Ask Claude to explain each step. If anything is unclear, ask for a simpler version. 4. **Save to a shared artifact** — any team member can open it, fill in their specific inputs, and run it. The artifact persists for 90 days (as of the March 2026 update). 5. **Add a workspace system prompt** for workflows that should run automatically on every conversation in a project. Settings → System Prompt → paste your instruction. ## Copy This Prompt Paste into Claude Cowork to generate a reusable team workflow — fill in the bracketed sections: ``` "Build me a reusable Claude workflow for [describe the task clearly]. Inputs my team will provide each time they use this: [List the specific inputs — e.g. 'raw meeting notes', 'a code diff', 'customer feedback text'] Output format: [table / bullet list / structured document / JSON] Constraints: - Claude must never [list anything off-limits — e.g. 'make assumptions about decisions not in the notes'] - Keep the output under [word or line limit if relevant] After generating the workflow output, also give me: 1. A system prompt version I can paste into workspace settings so this behaviour is always active for this project 2. A one-paragraph description of the workflow I can use as artifact title" ``` ## Ready-to-Use Workflow Templates ### Meeting Notes → Action Items ``` "Take these raw meeting notes and extract: 1. Decisions made (numbered list) 2. Action items — each with: owner name, task description, deadline (or 'TBD') 3. Open questions that need a follow-up Format as a structured document with three sections. Do not infer owners or deadlines that aren't explicitly stated in the notes. Flag any ambiguous items with [NEEDS CLARIFICATION]. Meeting notes: [paste your meeting notes here]" ``` ### Code Review Assistant ``` "Review the following code diff for: - Bugs or logic errors - Security issues (injection, credential exposure, unsafe input handling) - Performance concerns - Style and readability issues For each issue found: - Line number(s) - Issue type (Bug / Security / Performance / Style) - Severity: Low / Medium / High / Critical - A suggested fix (code snippet where applicable) If no issues in a category, say 'None found.' Code diff: [paste diff here]" ``` ### Customer Feedback Triage ``` "Read the customer feedback items below and for each one: - Category: Bug Report / Feature Request / Billing / General Question / Praise - One-sentence summary suitable for a product backlog (for Bug and Feature only) - Priority signal: High / Medium / Low based on language urgency Return as a table with columns: # | Category | Summary | Priority Feedback items: [paste feedback here]" ``` ### Weekly Team Summary ``` "Summarise this week's work from the notes below into three sections: 1. Key decisions made (bullet list, max 5) 2. Work in progress (what's actively being worked on, by whom if mentioned) 3. Blockers (anything explicitly called out as blocked or waiting) Keep each section to max 5 bullets. Use plain language — no jargon. Do not include anything not mentioned in the source material. Source material: [paste this week's notes, messages, or artifact content here]" ``` ### Document Simplifier ``` "Rewrite the following document for a non-technical reader. Requirements: - Replace all technical terms with plain-English equivalents (or explain them in parentheses on first use) - Maximum 8th-grade reading level - Preserve all key facts — do not omit or change meaning - Keep the same structure (headings, sections) as the original Source document: [paste document here]" ``` ## Turning a Workflow into a Workspace System Prompt If you want Claude to behave a certain way for every conversation in a project — without any team member needing to paste a prompt — add it as the workspace system prompt: 1. In your Claude Cowork workspace, go to **Settings → System Prompt**. 2. Paste an instruction like: *"You are a code review assistant for the [Team Name] engineering team. For every code diff shared with you, automatically apply the code review format: bugs, security, performance, style — each with severity and suggested fix."* 3. Save. Every conversation in this project now starts with that instruction active. System prompts are the closest equivalent to an installed "skill" in Claude Cowork — they're persistent, team-wide, and completely transparent. ## More Claude Cowork Guides Continue your Claude Cowork journey — every guide on the hub: [⚡ Team Workspace Setup Create the workspace, invite teammates, configure permissions, and set up shared memory.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/) [📁 Projects & Artifacts How Projects scope context and Artifacts let teams co-create deliverables — and the limits.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/projects/) [📝 System Prompts & Personas Workspace-level prompts, project-level prompts, and the persona patterns that work in practice.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/system-prompts/) [💰 Pricing & Tiers Pro vs Max vs Team — what changes at each tier and the actual breakeven math vs the API.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/pricing/) [⚖️ Cowork vs Claude API vs OpenClaw Three ways to use Claude — when each is the right choice, plus migration paths.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/vs-api/) [📚 Integrations Database Curated list of Cowork skills and integrations with what they do and how teams actually use them.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-database/) [🎨 Claude Design — Text-to-Prototype How Claude Design turns prompts into design systems, websites, and decks. Opus 4.7 + the new xhigh tier.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/claude-design/) [❓ Cowork FAQ Most-asked Cowork questions — pricing edge cases, usage limits, token correction, effort levels, CLAUDE.md.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) [← Back to Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) ← Back to [Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) · See also: [Official Integrations Database](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-database/) ================================================================ # Claude Cowork System Prompts & Personas 2026 URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/system-prompts/ Last updated: 2026-05-30 ================================================================ # System Prompts & Personas — Give Your Team a Consistent Claude The system prompt is the single highest-leverage configuration in Claude Cowork. It runs silently before every conversation in a project, shaping how Claude responds to every team member, every time. A well-written system prompt turns a generic Claude into something that feels built specifically for your team. A missing or vague one means every team member gets a different Claude based on how they phrase their first message. ## Where System Prompts Live System prompts can be set at two levels: - **Project system prompt** — applies to every conversation started in that project, for every member. Set in **Project Settings → Instructions**. This is where you put team-wide context, role definitions, and formatting rules. - **Conversation system prompt** — set at the start of a specific conversation. Overrides or extends the project system prompt for that conversation only. Useful for one-off tasks that need different instructions than the project default. Most of your effort should go into the project-level prompt. The conversation-level override is for exceptions. ## What Makes a Good System Prompt The best system prompts are specific, not aspirational. "Be helpful and professional" is useless — Claude already tries to be helpful and professional. What you need to specify is the things Claude won't know without being told: | Include | Skip | | --- | --- | | Your company/product name and what it does | "Be helpful" | | Who the team members are and what they need | "Provide accurate information" | | Your preferred output format (bullets vs prose vs table) | "Be concise" | | Industry-specific terminology to use or avoid | "Be professional" | | Hard constraints ("never recommend X", "always include Y") | Generic platitudes | | What Claude should do when it doesn't know something | "Do your best" | | Specific personas or expertise to embody | Vague role labels | ## The Four-Part System Prompt Structure Every strong system prompt covers four areas: ### 1. Role & Context Who is Claude in this project, and what does the team do? ``` You are the AI assistant for the engineering team at Acme Corp — a B2B SaaS company that builds project management software for construction firms. The team has 8 engineers across frontend (React, TypeScript) and backend (Python, FastAPI, PostgreSQL). ``` ### 2. How to Communicate Format, length, tone. Be specific. ``` Communication style: - Lead with the answer, then explain. Don't bury the point. - Use code blocks for all code, even short snippets. - Use bullet points for lists of 3+ items. Use prose for 1–2 items. - When reviewing code, organise feedback as: Critical → Moderate → Minor. - Never add disclaimers like "I should note that..." or "As an AI..." - If you're not sure about something, say so directly. ``` ### 3. Hard Constraints What Claude must never do in this project context. ``` Hard constraints: - Never suggest libraries or frameworks we haven't already approved (approved list: React, FastAPI, SQLAlchemy, pytest, pydantic, celery) - Never commit to deadlines or estimates on our behalf - If asked about architecture decisions, present options with trade-offs — don't make the decision for us - Don't suggest we rewrite existing systems unless explicitly asked ``` ### 4. What to Do When Uncertain ``` When you don't know something: - Say "I don't know" rather than guessing - For questions about our specific codebase: ask for the relevant file or function rather than guessing at our implementation - For questions about our business decisions: ask who to escalate to rather than making assumptions ``` ## Ready-to-Use Templates Paste these directly into Project Settings → Instructions and customise the bracketed sections. ### Engineering Team ``` You are the AI assistant for the [COMPANY] engineering team — [one sentence about what the company builds]. Stack: [your languages and frameworks] Team size: [N] engineers Communication: - Lead with the answer. Explain after. - All code in code blocks. - Code review format: Critical (must fix) → Moderate (should fix) → Minor (optional). - Be direct. Skip affirmations. Approved libraries: [your approved list] Hard limits: - Don't suggest unapproved libraries without flagging it as a deviation. - Don't estimate timelines or make promises. - For architecture questions, present 2–3 options with trade-offs. When uncertain: ask for more context (the relevant file, function name, or error message) rather than guessing at our implementation. ``` ### Marketing & Content Team ``` You are the AI writing partner for [COMPANY]'s marketing team. About [COMPANY]: [2–3 sentences about the company, product, and customers] Brand voice: [Adjectives that define your tone — e.g. "Direct, warm, plain-spoken. No jargon. No exclamation marks. We write like a smart friend, not a press release."] Target audience: [who reads your content — be specific about their role, company size, pain points] Content rules: - Never use these words: [your banned words — e.g. "leverage", "synergy", "game-changing", "revolutionary"] - Always: [your required elements — e.g. "include a concrete example", "end with a single clear CTA", "write at a grade 9 reading level"] - Preferred formats: [bullets for how-to, prose for thought leadership, table for comparisons] Hard limits: - Never make claims about competitors - Don't promise outcomes we haven't validated ("will increase revenue by X%") - Don't use stock phrases like "In today's fast-paced world..." ``` ### Customer Support Team ``` You are a customer support assistant for [COMPANY]. Product: [what the product does in one sentence] Customer profile: [who your customers are — role, company type] Your role: Help support agents draft accurate, empathetic responses to customer issues. You do not talk to customers directly — your output is a draft the agent reviews before sending. Response format: - Subject line: clear and specific - Body: problem acknowledgment → explanation → solution/next steps - Sign-off: "[Agent name], [COMPANY] Support" - Max 150 words unless the issue requires more detail Tone: empathetic but efficient. Don't over-apologise. Don't be robotic. Hard limits: - Never promise refunds, credits, or timeline commitments — flag these for agent judgment - Never share internal tools, ticket systems, or pricing details that aren't on our public pricing page - If the agent hasn't provided enough context, ask for: customer ID, plan tier, and exact error or complaint ``` ### Leadership & Strategy Team ``` You are an executive assistant AI for the [COMPANY] leadership team. Company context: [2–3 sentences about the company stage, size, market] Format preferences: - Executive summaries first, details below - Use tables for comparisons - Use bullet points, not paragraphs, for status updates - Keep everything actionable — "Recommended action:" at the end of any analysis When analysing decisions: - Present options, not recommendations (unless explicitly asked) - Include: key assumption, main risk, time to reverse - Flag any decision with significant legal, compliance, or financial implications for professional review Hard limits: - Don't provide financial, legal, or investment advice - Don't make claims about competitors' internal strategies or finances - For any analysis involving confidential data: remind the user not to paste sensitive customer data or PII ``` ## Testing Your System Prompt Before rolling a system prompt out to the whole team, test it yourself with these scenarios: 1. **The core task** — ask Claude to do the thing this project is designed for. Does the output match what you want? 2. **An ambiguous request** — ask something vague. Does Claude ask for clarification in the right way? 3. **A hard constraint test** — ask Claude to do something your prompt says it shouldn't. Does it decline correctly? 4. **An out-of-scope request** — ask something completely unrelated to this project. Does Claude handle it gracefully without breaking character? 5. **A new team member scenario** — pretend you know nothing about the project. Does the output make sense without extra context? ## Iterating on System Prompts System prompts need maintenance. When something goes wrong in a conversation — Claude gives a badly formatted response, ignores a constraint, or seems confused about the context — check whether the system prompt needs updating rather than just re-prompting: - **Recurring mistakes** → add an explicit rule to the hard constraints section - **Format keeps changing** → add a concrete example of the exact format you want - **Context keeps being wrong** → update the role/context section - **Prompt is getting too long** → move stable background context to a knowledge document instead; system prompts work best under ~1,500 words Version-control your system prompts. Keep old versions in a document artifact so you can roll back if an update makes things worse. ## More Claude Cowork Guides Continue your Claude Cowork journey — every guide on the hub: [⚡ Team Workspace Setup Create the workspace, invite teammates, configure permissions, and set up shared memory.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/) [📁 Projects & Artifacts How Projects scope context and Artifacts let teams co-create deliverables — and the limits.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/projects/) [💰 Pricing & Tiers Pro vs Max vs Team — what changes at each tier and the actual breakeven math vs the API.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/pricing/) [⚖️ Cowork vs Claude API vs OpenClaw Three ways to use Claude — when each is the right choice, plus migration paths.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/vs-api/) [🛠 Skills Guide: Build Workflows Cowork skills explained: writing them, sharing them, and the patterns that scale to teams.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-guide/) [📚 Integrations Database Curated list of Cowork skills and integrations with what they do and how teams actually use them.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-database/) [🎨 Claude Design — Text-to-Prototype How Claude Design turns prompts into design systems, websites, and decks. Opus 4.7 + the new xhigh tier.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/claude-design/) [❓ Cowork FAQ Most-asked Cowork questions — pricing edge cases, usage limits, token correction, effort levels, CLAUDE.md.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) [← Back to Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) ← Back to [Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) · See also: [Projects & Artifacts](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/projects/) · [Workflow Builder Guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-guide/) ================================================================ # Claude Cowork vs Claude API vs OpenClaw 2026 URL: https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/vs-api/ Last updated: 2026-05-30 ================================================================ # Claude Cowork vs Claude API vs OpenClaw — Which to Choose? Anthropic offers three distinct ways to use Claude, and they're not interchangeable. Claude Cowork is a finished product for teams. The Claude API is a developer primitive for building products. OpenClaw is a self-hosted agent runtime that can use Claude (or any model) as its engine. Choosing the wrong one doesn't just cost money — it costs you weeks of setup or months of fighting against the wrong tool's constraints. ## The Core Distinction | | Claude Cowork | Claude API | OpenClaw + Claude | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **What it is** | A finished team product you subscribe to | An API endpoint you call in your code | Open-source agent software you install and host | | **Who runs the infrastructure** | Anthropic | Anthropic (model only); you run everything else | You (on your machine or VPS) | | **Technical skill needed** | None — point and click | High — developer required | Medium — CLI comfort + config files | | **Model locked to Anthropic** | Yes | Yes | No — swap freely | | **Data location** | Anthropic's servers | Anthropic's servers (model inference) | Your server; API calls go to provider | | **Customisation ceiling** | System prompts + official integrations | Unlimited — build anything | Very high — skills, custom channels, any model | | **Time to first useful output** | Minutes | Hours to days (build + test) | Under 10 minutes | | **Ongoing maintenance** | None (Anthropic handles it) | Your team maintains the integration | Updates via npm; minimal | ## Choose Claude Cowork If… - **Your team is non-technical** and can't or won't set up software on a server - **You need shared workspaces** where team members collaborate around Claude-generated documents - **You need zero ops overhead** — Anthropic handles uptime, updates, and security - **Your use case fits the product**: content creation, document editing, team Q&A, brainstorming, light data analysis - **You're in a regulated industry** and need SOC 2 compliance on Business tier, or data residency on Enterprise - **You want official integrations** (Google Drive, GitHub, Slack, Jira) without building them Cowork is not for building products The Claude Cowork Terms of Service do not permit using Cowork as a backend for a customer-facing product. If you want to build something your users interact with — a chatbot, a document tool, an AI-powered feature — you need the Claude API. Cowork is for internal team use. ## Choose the Claude API If… - **You're building a product** — something your customers or users interact with directly - **You need programmatic control** — call Claude from your code, integrate it into your pipeline, process thousands of documents automatically - **Your usage is high-volume** — the API's per-token pricing is significantly cheaper than Cowork at scale - **You need to control exactly what the model sees and does** — system prompt, conversation history, tool definitions, output parsing - **You have a developer** who can build and maintain the integration The Claude API is documented at [docs.anthropic.com](https://docs.anthropic.com). It's a standard REST API with official SDKs in Python, TypeScript, and more. ## Choose OpenClaw + Claude If… - **You want model flexibility** — start with Claude, try Gemini, switch to local Ollama, come back to Claude — without changing your agent setup - **You want your agent on messaging apps** — WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, iMessage. Cowork is web-only. - **You want the data on your own server** — your conversations stay on your machine; only the model inference call reaches Anthropic - **You want the 53-skill ecosystem** — weather, GitHub, email, notes, system monitoring, and more - **You want to automate personal workflows** — morning brief, email triage, recurring tasks — that don't fit a team document editor - **You need the cost of Cowork to go down** — OpenClaw + Claude API is typically 50–70% cheaper than Cowork Business for equivalent usage once you account for per-token API pricing - **You're on Bedrock, Vertex, or Foundry** — as of Claude Code v2.1.158 (May 2026), auto mode (Claude dynamically choosing its own thinking level) is now available on all three enterprise cloud providers. Set `CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_AUTO_MODE=1` to match the performance of direct-API users. ## Hybrid: Cowork + OpenClaw Together Many teams use Cowork and OpenClaw simultaneously for different purposes — they don't conflict: | Task | Use | | --- | --- | | Team document collaboration (marketing briefs, engineering specs) | Claude Cowork — shared artifacts, collaborative editing | | Personal productivity (morning brief, email triage, notes) | OpenClaw — Telegram or WhatsApp integration | | Automated monitoring (server health, GitHub PRs, cost alerts) | OpenClaw HEARTBEAT.md cron or Hermes tasks | | Exploratory research spanning days | Hermes — long-horizon autonomous tasks | | Customer-facing AI features | Claude API — direct integration in your product | ## Migrating from Cowork to OpenClaw If you've been using Cowork and want to move to self-hosted, the main things to migrate are: ### 1. Export artifacts before they expire ``` # In Cowork: Project Settings → Export → Download all artifacts as ZIP # Or export individually: Artifact → ⋮ → Export As → Markdown ``` ### 2. Convert your system prompts to SOUL.md Your Cowork project system prompts become OpenClaw workspace files. The format is similar — paste your system prompt into `~/.openclaw/workspace/SOUL.md` and adjust the section headings to match the [SOUL.md template](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/soul-md/). ### 3. Move knowledge documents to MEMORY.md or the workspace Cowork knowledge documents become either: - **MEMORY.md facts** — for short, factual items (product name, team glossary, key decisions) - **Workspace files** — for longer documents, save them to `~/.openclaw/workspace/` and reference them in AGENTS.md so your agent reads them at session start ### 4. Replace integrations with skills ``` # Cowork GitHub → OpenClaw openclaw skill install github ironclaw allowlist add github --network "api.github.com:443" # Cowork Google Drive → no direct equivalent skill yet # Use the filesystem skill + manual sync, or the Google Drive MCP server in Hermes # Cowork Slack → OpenClaw openclaw skill install slack # if available; or use Slack's webhook API directly ``` ### 5. Set up a channel OpenClaw doesn't have a web UI like Cowork. Pick a channel that works for your team — Telegram is the easiest, Discord works well for teams already there. See the [Telegram Setup guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/telegram/) for the full walkthrough. ## Migrating from Claude API to Cowork Moving in the other direction — from a custom Claude API integration to Cowork — is less common but happens when: - The team that built the API integration left and no one can maintain it - The use case turned out to be collaborative rather than automated - The business needs SOC 2 compliance that Cowork's Business tier provides Cowork doesn't offer an API-import path. Rebuild the system prompts in Cowork's Project Instructions, convert any knowledge documents to file uploads, and rebuild any automated workflows as manual Cowork workflows with system prompt templates. Conversations and history from your API integration cannot be imported. ## More Claude Cowork Guides Continue your Claude Cowork journey — every guide on the hub: [⚡ Team Workspace Setup Create the workspace, invite teammates, configure permissions, and set up shared memory.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/setup/) [📁 Projects & Artifacts How Projects scope context and Artifacts let teams co-create deliverables — and the limits.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/projects/) [📝 System Prompts & Personas Workspace-level prompts, project-level prompts, and the persona patterns that work in practice.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/system-prompts/) [💰 Pricing & Tiers Pro vs Max vs Team — what changes at each tier and the actual breakeven math vs the API.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/pricing/) [🛠 Skills Guide: Build Workflows Cowork skills explained: writing them, sharing them, and the patterns that scale to teams.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-guide/) [📚 Integrations Database Curated list of Cowork skills and integrations with what they do and how teams actually use them.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/skills-database/) [🎨 Claude Design — Text-to-Prototype How Claude Design turns prompts into design systems, websites, and decks. Opus 4.7 + the new xhigh tier.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/claude-design/) [❓ Cowork FAQ Most-asked Cowork questions — pricing edge cases, usage limits, token correction, effort levels, CLAUDE.md.](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/faq/) [← Back to Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) ← Back to [Claude Cowork hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/) · See also: [Pricing & Tiers](https://openclawdatabase.com/claude-cowork/pricing/) · [OpenClaw Quick Start](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/setup/) · [Hermes vs OpenClaw](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/vs-openclaw/)