# Cowork Getting Started

> Best practices, checklists, and reusable prompts for delegating multi-step knowledge work in Claude Cowork to produce deliverables.

- Skill: `uygnoey/cowork-getting-started-2` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 6 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add uygnoey/cowork-getting-started-2`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/uygnoey/cowork-getting-started-2/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: uygnoey (https://skillmd.com/u/uygnoey)
- Updated: 2026-09-21
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/uygnoey/cowork-getting-started-2

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# Cowork Getting Started (Best Practices)

## Goal
Help you decide when to use Claude Cowork (vs chat or Claude Code) and how to frame requests so Cowork can reliably produce useful deliverables.

## When to use Claude Cowork
Use Claude Cowork when:
- You want Claude to work inside your existing work context (files and connected apps).
- You want a deliverable someone will open, present, share, or reuse.
- The task is multi-step.
- The work touches more than one file or file type.
- The work touches more than one app.
- The work is better described as a task than a question.
- The task is recurring.
- You already know what good output looks like and can evaluate it quickly.
- The “middle” is the boring part (extract, compile, reconcile, reformat).

Prefer chat if what you want fits in a few exchanges (questions, explanations, brainstorming, gut checks).

## Instructions
1. **Give Cowork something to work with.**
   - Add a few files, OR point Cowork at a folder, OR connect an app you frequently use (Slack, Gmail, Notion, CRM, etc.).
2. **State the outcome.** Describe the deliverable you want at the end (format, audience, and any templates to follow).
3. **Provide rich context.** Include constraints, definitions, source-of-truth locations, and examples of “good”.
4. **Start with a task you know well.** This makes it easy to judge quality and learn what context Cowork needs.
5. **Require clarifying questions before execution.** Use the template below.

### Prompt templates
- Clarifying questions: see [templates/clarify-first.md](./templates/clarify-first.md)
- Outcome-first framing: see [templates/outcome-first.md](./templates/outcome-first.md)

### Cowork-shaped task checklist
See [references/cowork-shaped-checklist.md](./references/cowork-shaped-checklist.md).

## Examples
- See: [examples/chat-vs-cowork.md](./examples/chat-vs-cowork.md)
- See: [examples/use-case-outputs.md](./examples/use-case-outputs.md)

## Source
- https://claude.com/blog/best-practices-for-getting-started-with-claude-cowork