Claude Cowork: Anthropic's Desktop AI Agent
What is Claude Cowork?
Claude Cowork is Anthropic's desktop AI agent launched in January 2026. Described as "Claude Code for the rest of your work," it brings agentic capabilities to non-technical users for file management, document creation, and workflow automation.
Cowork runs inside the Claude Desktop app on macOS. You give Claude access to a folder, and it can autonomously read, edit, or create files—no coding required.
Key Capabilities
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| File automation | Organize, rename, convert, and manage files |
| Document creation | Create Word docs, spreadsheets, presentations, PDFs |
| Sub-agent coordination | Spawns parallel Claude instances for faster execution |
| Browser automation | Web forms, navigation, tasks via Claude in Chrome |
| Plugins | 11 open-source plugins for Legal, Finance, Sales, Marketing, and more |
What Triggered the "SaaSpocalypse"
On January 30, 2026, Anthropic released 11 open-source plugins for Cowork. The market reaction was dramatic—an estimated $285 billion wiped off software stocks in one day. Cowork's capabilities overlap with dozens of specialized SaaS tools for document processing, data extraction, and workflow automation.
Is Claude Cowork Free?
No, Cowork requires a paid Claude subscription:
| Plan | Price | Cowork Access |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Pro | $20/month | ✅ Yes |
| Claude Max | $100+/month | ✅ Yes |
| Claude Team | Per seat | ✅ Yes |
| Claude Enterprise | Custom | ✅ Yes |
| Free tier | $0 | ❌ No |
Cowork launched exclusively for Max subscribers, then expanded to Pro on January 16, 2026.
Is Cowork Available on Windows?
Not yet. As of February 2026, Claude Cowork is only available on macOS through the Claude Desktop app. It runs in a sandboxed virtual machine using Apple's Virtualization Framework.
Anthropic has announced plans for Windows support but hasn't provided a release date. Windows users can use Claude Code for similar agentic capabilities focused on coding workflows.
How Cowork Skills Work
Cowork uses the Agent Skills standard to handle file formats:
| Format | Capability |
|---|---|
| Excel (.xlsx) | Create, edit, analyze spreadsheets |
| PowerPoint (.pptx) | Create and edit presentations |
| Word (.docx) | Create and edit documents |
| Read, merge, fill forms |
Skills use progressive disclosure—Cowork loads instructions only when relevant, keeping the agent fast even with many skills installed.
Skills vs Plugins
| Component | What It Is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Skills | Individual capabilities | "Extract text from PDF" |
| Plugins | Bundled skills + connectors | "Legal Plugin" (contract review, redaction, compliance) |
Plugins are convenience packages—under the hood, they're just curated collections of skills.
How to Install Skills on Cowork
Via Plugins Button (Recommended)
- Open Claude Desktop → Cowork tab
- Click Plugins (bottom-left corner)
- Click Add marketplace
- Enter:
https://agentskill.sh/marketplace.json - Browse and install learn (or any skill)
The /learn command is now available in conversations.
Via Skill Upload
- Download the skill ZIP from agentskill.sh
- Go to Settings → Skills
- Upload the ZIP file
Using /learn
Once installed:
/learn spreadsheet # Search for skills
/learn @anthropic/pdf-processing # Install specific skill
/learn trending # See popular skills
Popular Cowork Skills
| Skill | Description | Installs |
|---|---|---|
| powerpoint | Create and edit presentations | 10K+ |
| excel | Generate and analyze spreadsheets | 12K+ |
| pdf-processing | Extract text, fill forms, merge PDFs | 8K+ |
| docx | Create and edit Word documents | 7K+ |
| cold-email | Cold emails that get replies | 9K+ |
Cowork Plugins (Open Source)
Anthropic released these plugins on January 30, 2026:
| Plugin | Focus Area |
|---|---|
| Productivity | File management, automation |
| Enterprise Search | Document discovery |
| Sales | CRM, outreach workflows |
| Finance | Expense reports, analysis |
| Data | Spreadsheet processing |
| Legal | Contract review, redaction |
| Marketing | Campaign automation |
| Customer Support | Ticket handling |
| Product Management | Spec writing, roadmaps |
| Biology Research | Lab data processing |
All plugins are open-source on the Anthropic GitHub organization.
Cowork vs Claude Code
| Feature | Cowork | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Documents, files, automation | Coding, development |
| Interface | GUI (Claude Desktop) | Terminal CLI |
| Platform | macOS only | macOS, Linux, Windows |
| File types | Office formats (XLSX, PPTX, DOCX, PDF) | Code files |
| Target user | Non-technical | Developers |
| Skills format | SKILL.md | SKILL.md (same) |
Both use the same skills format, but capabilities differ—Cowork excels at documents, Claude Code excels at code.
FAQ
Is Claude Cowork free?
No. Cowork requires Claude Pro ($20/month) or higher. It's included in Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise subscriptions.
Is Cowork available on Windows?
Not yet. As of February 2026, Cowork only runs on macOS. Windows support is planned but no date announced.
What's the difference between Skills and Plugins?
Skills are individual capabilities (like "create Excel chart"). Plugins bundle multiple skills + connectors for specific workflows (like "Legal Plugin" for contract review). Plugins are just curated skill collections.
Can I use Claude Code skills in Cowork?
Yes, both use the same SKILL.md format. However, coding skills (like "run tests") may not work in Cowork since it focuses on documents rather than terminal access. File-handling skills work perfectly in both.
What file formats can Cowork handle?
Cowork has native skills for Excel (.xlsx), PowerPoint (.pptx), Word (.docx), and PDF. You can create custom skills for other formats.
How do I install skills without coding?
Use the Plugins button in Claude Desktop: Add the agentskill.sh marketplace URL and browse/install with one click. Or download skill ZIPs and upload them via Settings → Skills.
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