Anthropic launches Cowork: Claude works on your computer's files, no code needed
Cowork is a simpler take on Claude Code for everyone. You give it a folder and describe the job in plain language.
On January 12, Anthropic announced Cowork, a more accessible version of Claude Code for people who don't write code.
How it works
Cowork lives inside the Claude Desktop app. You choose a folder Claude may read or modify, then tell it what to do in a normal chat.
Example: hand it a folder of receipt photos and Claude assembles an expense report.
Availability
- Launched as a research preview
- Only for Max subscribers at first
- Other plans can join a waitlist
Cowork is built on the Claude Agent SDK, so it uses the same underlying model as Claude Code.
Anthropic's warning
Anthropic itself flags risks such as prompt injection (hidden instructions inside files) and deleted files, noting these risks aren't new with Cowork.
Claude Code's timeline
Claude Code launched as a command-line tool in November 2024, came to the web in October 2025 and to Slack two months later.
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