30 Claude Cowork Commands You Need to Steal

Cowork is Claude doing a multi-step task for you instead of just answering. Anthropic is folding it into regular chat, rolling out to Pro, Max and Ultra first. If your message box still shows Chat and Cowork in the bottom left, pick Cowork. If it doesn’t, you have the new version, so paste any prompt below into a normal chat.

What You Need

A paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Ultra, Team or Enterprise). The Claude desktop app for anything that touches folders on your computer. Cowork also runs on the web and phone for Pro, Max, Ultra and Team (details).

Know This Before You Start

The Gmail and Google Calendar connectors are read-only. Claude can search and summarize them, and it writes reply drafts for you to paste, but it can’t send email or book meetings. Google Drive can create new files.

Schedule anything

Tasks can run hourly, daily, weekly, on weekdays, or only when you click run. In any chat, describe the task and how often. On the older layout, click Scheduled in the left sidebar, then New task, then Create with Claude. Typing /schedule in Cowork also turns the chat so far into a task. New tasks run in the cloud, so they keep going with your laptop asleep, unless they need local files (how scheduling works).

Schedule A Task

Schedule this as a recurring task. Task: [what you want done, in plain words] How often: [hourly / daily / weekly / weekdays] at [time] Use: [connectors or folder it needs] Output: [where the result goes and what it looks like] Before you save it, run it once now so I can check the result. Ask me before taking any action that deletes, sends or shares anything.

Type a slash

Type / followed by a skill’s name to call that skill on purpose. Claude also picks skills on its own when one fits. Manage the list under Customize (being renamed Plugins), then Skills.

Connect your apps

Go to Customize (or Plugins on newer accounts), then Connectors. Find Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Slack, Notion or whatever you use, click Connect and sign in. Half of the workflows below need at least one.

Give it one folder

On the desktop app, connect only the folder a task needs. Claude can reach only folders you’ve connected, and only while the app is open. I make a working folder per project so nothing else gets touched.

Use Projects for memory

Put each area of your work in its own Project. Claude uses the Project’s files and instructions as context, and each Project keeps its own memory, so marketing context doesn’t leak into finance.

Ask for an artifact

Add "build this as an artifact" to a prompt and Claude makes an interactive page right in the chat, like a tracker, dashboard or calculator, that you can reopen and share.

Build An Artifact

Build me a [tracker / dashboard / calculator] as an artifact. What it's for: [the job it does] Data: [paste it, attach a file, or say which connector to read] Must show: [the 3 to 5 things I need to see at a glance] Let me: [filter / sort / add rows / change inputs] Keep it clean and simple. If any data is missing, tell me instead of making it up.

Run the Scheduled page

Scheduled in the left sidebar is the control panel. You can review past and upcoming runs, edit instructions or timing, pause, resume, delete, or run a task on demand. On the new layout, ask Claude in chat to show or change your scheduled tasks.

Start tasks from your phone

On Pro, Max, Ultra and Team, start, steer and review a task in the Claude mobile app. It runs in the cloud and pings you when it’s done or needs you. Anything that needs local files still needs your desktop app open.

These run on the desktop app with a connected folder. Claude reads each file, works out what it is, and acts.

Batch rename

Works on PDFs, images, docs, anything.

Batch Rename

Look at every file in my [Downloads] folder. Rename each one using this pattern: YYYY-MM-DD_short-description_type (for example 2026-10-14_client-invoice_pdf). Use the date inside the file if there is one, otherwise the date it was created. Show me a table of old name and new name before you rename anything, and skip any file you can't identify.

Smart deduplication

Finds exact copies and near copies, then waits for your yes.

Find Duplicates

Find duplicate and near-duplicate files across my [Documents] and [Desktop] folders. Near-duplicate means the same content with a different name or a slightly different version. Group them, tell me which copy looks newest or most complete, and recommend which to keep. Do not delete anything. Move the extras to a folder called _Duplicates-Review only after I say yes.

Folder structure from scratch

Point it at chaos and get back order plus a log.

Organize A Folder

Look at every file in my [Downloads] folder. Propose a simple folder structure (no more than 8 top-level folders) based on what's actually there. Show me the structure and where each file would go. After I approve, move everything and save a file called move-log.md listing what went where.

Archive old files

You decide what stays untouched. Everything else gets archived by age.

Archive Old Files

In my [Projects] folder, find files I haven't modified in 90 days. Do not touch anything inside [Projects/Active]. List them with their last modified date and size, then move them to [Archive], keeping the same subfolder structure. Show me the list and wait for my yes before moving anything.

Template generator

Claude reverse engineers your best work into a reusable template.

Make A Template

Read the finished [proposals] in this folder. Work out the structure they share: the sections, the order, typical length of each section and the phrases I reuse. Create a blank template I can reuse, with a one-line note under each heading saying what goes there. Save it as [proposal-template.docx].

Search inside every PDF

It searches the contents, not only the filenames.

Search My PDFs

Search every PDF in my [Research] folder for anything about [topic]. For each hit, give me the file name, page number and the exact paragraph quoted. Then write a 5-bullet summary of what the sources say. Only use what's in the files, and say so if you find nothing.

Size audit

Find the biggest files and the abandoned ones in one pass.

Size Audit

Show me the 20 largest files in my [Documents] folder with their size and last modified date. Flag any that haven't been modified in 6 months. Recommend what to archive, what to move to cloud storage and what to keep. Don't delete or move anything yet.

These need connectors from 03. Claude reads across your apps in one prompt, then hands you drafts to send yourself.

Morning inbox triage

Triage, draft and save in one prompt.

Inbox Triage

Search my Gmail for unread emails from the last 24 hours. Sort them into four groups: Urgent, Needs a reply, FYI, Can ignore. For each email in Needs a reply, write a short reply draft in my voice that I can copy and paste. Then create a Google Doc called Inbox Summary [today's date] in my Drive with the four groups and the drafts. Don't make up details you can't see in the emails.

Meeting prep briefs

Walk into every meeting ready.

Meeting Prep

Check my Google Calendar for tomorrow. For each meeting with someone outside my company, give me a one-page brief: 1. Who's attending and what they do (search the web for public info only) 2. Our recent email history with them, from Gmail 3. What the meeting is likely about 4. Three questions I should ask Save all briefs in one Google Doc called Meeting Prep [date].

Slack action items

Never lose a task buried in a thread.

Slack Action Items

Read my Slack messages and the channels I'm in from the last 24 hours. Pull out every action item that's assigned to me or asks me for something. For each one: what's needed, who asked, which channel, a link to the message and a due date if one was mentioned. Sort by urgency and give me the list as a table.

Email chain resolver

For the thread that’s gotten too long to follow.

Resolve A Thread

Find the email thread about [project] in my Gmail and read the whole chain. Tell me: what was decided, what's still open, who owns each open item and any deadlines. Then write a follow-up email I can send that confirms the decisions and assigns the open items. Quote the email you're relying on for each point.

Cross-app search

When one project is scattered across three tools.

Find Everything On A Project

Find everything about [project] across my Google Drive, Slack and Gmail from the last [30 days]. Compile it into one Google Doc organized by source, with a link to each item. At the top, write a 5-line summary of where the project stands and what's blocked.

Take any document, like a transcript, contract or pile of research, and get something useful out the other end.

Voice note to article

Brain dump on a walk, get a draft back at your desk.

Voice Note To Article

Read this voice note transcript: [attach or paste]. Turn it into a 1,200-word article. Keep my natural voice and phrases, add a clear structure with subheads, cut repetition and filler, and keep every specific example I gave. Don't add facts I didn't say. Flag anything that needs checking.

Meeting notes distributor

No more "what did I say I’d do" emails.

Split Up Action Items

Read these meeting notes: [attach or paste]. Pull out every action item with its owner and deadline. Then write a separate short email for each person listing only their tasks and deadlines. Put all the drafts in one document so I can review and send them myself. Mark anything with no clear owner as UNASSIGNED.

Contract to plain English

A first pass before you pay a lawyer, not instead of one.

Contract In Plain English

Read this contract: [attach]. In plain English, give me: what I'm agreeing to, payment terms, every deadline and notice period, auto-renewal terms, liability caps, termination rights and anything unusual or one-sided. Quote the clause for each point. End with the 3 questions I should ask a lawyer. This is not legal advice.

Research to executive brief

Turn a stack of articles into 2 pages.

Executive Brief

Read every article in my [Research] folder. Write a 2-page brief: the main findings, where the sources agree, where they conflict and why, and 3 recommended actions for [my goal]. Cite the file for each claim. Don't use anything outside these files.

Content repurposing

One article, a week of posts.

Repurpose One Article

Take this article: [attach or paste]. Create 8 short posts for X or Threads, 2 LinkedIn posts, 3 Instagram captions and 1 newsletter teaser. Keep my voice, lead each with a hook, and don't repeat the same opening twice. Save each format as its own file in my [Content] folder.

Set these up once with 01 and they run on their own. The schedule menu offers hourly, daily, weekly and weekdays.

Daily inbox summary

Runs daily at 7am, before you open your phone.

Daily Inbox Summary

Every day at 7am: search my Gmail for emails since yesterday at 7am. Group them into Urgent, Needs a reply, FYI and Can ignore. Write reply drafts for the Needs a reply group in my voice. Save it all to a Google Doc called Inbox [date]. Never send anything.

Weekly file cleanup

Fridays at 5pm. It needs your Downloads folder, so it runs on your computer.

Weekly Downloads Cleanup

Every Friday at 5pm: sort my [Downloads] folder by file type and move each file into the matching folder in [Documents/Sorted]. Move anything older than 60 days into [Downloads/_To-Delete] instead of deleting it. Save a short log of what moved.

Monday planning brief

Mondays at 7:30am, ready when you wake up.

Monday Planning Brief

Every Monday at 7:30am: read my Google Calendar for this week and search Gmail for open threads from last week that still need me. Create a Google Doc called Week of [date] with my top 3 priorities, each day's meetings with one prep note each, and the open email threads. Keep it to one page.

Expense organizer

There’s no monthly option, so run it weekly or click run on the 1st.

Expense Organizer

Every Monday: read the receipts in my [Receipts] folder and search Gmail for receipt and invoice emails from the last 7 days. Add each one to a spreadsheet called [Expenses 2026] with vendor, amount, date and category. Skip any already in the sheet and flag anything you can't read.

End-of-day log

Daily at 6pm.

End-Of-Day Log

Every weekday at 6pm: look at the files I created or changed today in my [Work] folder. Write a short log: what I got done, what's in progress and what needs attention tomorrow. Add it to the top of a file called work-log.md.

My Rule

Run any prompt once by hand before you schedule it. If the first result isn’t right, fix the prompt, not the schedule.

30 Claude CoworkCommands You Need to Steal

30 Claude Cowork
Commands You Need to Steal