Lesson 3

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Estimated time: 11 minutes

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson you'll be able to:

• Spot the three patterns of work that suit Cowork: multi-step, file-based, multi-tool
• Set up a scheduled task with /schedule
• Run Cowork tasks in the cloud (in beta, on eligible plans), and start or check on them from your phone or any browser

What makes a task right for Claude Cowork

Not every task is a fit for Cowork, and you'll get more out of it when you can recognize the tasks that are. Three patterns cover most of the work Cowork is built for: tasks that take several steps, tasks that leverage context from real files, and tasks that span the tools you already use.

Pattern 1: The task is multi-step. If a task requires several steps, it's a good fit for Cowork. In one prompt, Claude gathers context, compares sources, does additional research, drafts a summary, and formats the deliverable. With Cowork, you can hand the whole arc to Claude.

Examples:

• Triage a week of customer-feedback emails into themes, with example quotes for each
• Pull figures from three reports and a spreadsheet, then assemble them into a single interactive dashboard

Pattern 2: The task lives in real files on your computer. Cowork is a great fit for when the objective of the task is to output a real artifact — a Word doc, a spreadsheet, a deck, a PDF — saved in the format you need. And the inputs are real too: Claude reads the existing files in your folder, edits them, and saves changes back. Chat can produce a new document; Cowork works on the files you already have.

Examples:

• A formatted client proposal that pulls from your standard template and the meeting notes
• A monthly metrics report assembled from raw spreadsheets, complete with charts

Pattern 3: The task spans multiple tools. The work touches the systems where you already operate — Gmail, Slack, the M365 suite, your calendar, your CRM. Claude accesses them through your connectors (the integrations that link Claude to your apps), gathers context, and acts. Chat connects to tools too — the difference is that Cowork plans across them and runs the whole sequence as one delegation, instead of you stitching the steps together one prompt at a time.

Examples:

• Drafting follow-up emails in Outlook after a meeting based on the calendar invite, attendee list, and meeting notes
• Searching Slack for everything the team has said about a launch and synthesizing it into an update

Explore the interactive below to see how Cowork performs across the three patterns.

The through-line across all three patterns is the same: work that used to mean juggling steps, files, and tools in your own head can now be handed off as a single task. When you spot that shape, give it to Cowork.

Scheduled tasks: have Claude work on a cadence

This video shows scheduled tasks in the desktop app, where a task runs when your computer is on. What changes when you run Cowork in the cloud is covered just below.

This video demonstrates scheduling in the desktop app, where a task runs when your computer is on. Where a scheduled task runs — including what changes when you run Cowork in the cloud — is covered just below.

Scheduled tasks let you set up a task once and have Claude run it on a cadence.

There are two ways to set up a scheduled task. You can start fresh: type /schedule, describe the task and the cadence, and Claude drafts a prompt for you to review and accept. Or — the more natural path — do the task once in Cowork, confirm the output looks right, then type /schedule to turn that exact process into a recurring one. Tell Claude your preferred cadence (hourly, daily, weekdays, or manual), review the prompt, and accept.

Where a scheduled task runs depends on where Cowork runs. With Cowork running in the cloud, a scheduled task runs in the cloud at its set time — your computer doesn't need to be on, and the task works through your cloud connectors rather than the folders on your computer. With Cowork running on your desktop, a scheduled task runs when your computer is on and Claude is running; if your laptop is closed, asleep, or off at the scheduled time, Claude picks the task up as soon as you're back and lets you know it was delayed. A scheduled task keeps running where it was created — a task you set up on your desktop stays on your desktop.

Some ideas worth scheduling:

• A Friday afternoon review: what shipped during the week, a recap of the major decisions made in Slack or Teams, and a preview of next week's tasks
• A monthly metrics roll-up pulled from your spreadsheets on the first of every month
• A morning briefing for the meetings on your calendar that draws on past meeting notes in your folder and your email threads to surface necessary context

Run Cowork in the cloud: work away from your desk

So far we've covered tasks you start at your desk and tasks Claude runs on a schedule. Running Cowork in the cloud covers the third case: work you start while you're nowhere near your computer.

When you run Cowork in the cloud, you can use Cowork on the web and in the Claude mobile app: start a task from your phone, check on it from any browser, and pick up the deliverable at your desk. The session runs in the cloud rather than on your desktop, so there's nothing to leave on or keep awake.

Two things to know before you rely on it. First, a session in the cloud reaches your connectors, not the folders on your computer — if a task needs files that live only on your machine, start it from the desktop app. Second, where you start a task is where it runs: start it from the web or the Claude mobile app and it runs in the cloud; start it from the desktop app and it runs on your desktop, with your local folders — and needs your computer on. A session stays where it started — to change where the work happens, start a new session.

Examples:

• On the way in, you remember today's client call needs a one-page summary of last quarter's support tickets. From the Claude app on your phone, ask Cowork to pull the quarter's tickets from your connected support tool and draft the one-pager. It gets started while you commute; you review the draft when you're at your desk.
• A vendor sends revised contract terms while you're at an offsite. From your phone, ask Cowork to compare them against last year's agreement in your Drive and list every change. When it's done, read the comparison from your phone or any browser.

If you don't have Cowork in the cloud yet, availability varies by plan and by your organization as the beta rolls out.

Bringing it together

Multi-step, file-based, multi-tool — the patterns tell you what's worth handing off. Scheduled tasks and Cowork in the cloud tell you when and where the handoff can happen. The judgment stays with you: Claude plans, executes, and asks. You decide what gets sent, shared, or shipped.

Lesson reflection

Look at your calendar or to-do list for this week. Pick one piece of work that matches one or more of the three patterns above — multi-step, file-producing, or tool-using. Write it down. You'll hand it to Claude in Lesson 4.

What’s next

In the next lesson, you'll walk through delegating that task end to end — from prompt to finished deliverable.