CRAFT Tutorials · Getting Started · 1 of 12
CRAFT runs inside Claude Cowork. This first step is quick — a few minutes of pure Cowork setup — and once you’re in, you’ll be ready to point Claude at a project folder and start running CRAFT.
Good news before you start: this whole page is Claude Cowork’s own setup, not CRAFT’s. Cowork is Anthropic’s product — they build it, maintain it, and document it. So rather than copy their steps here (where they’d slowly go out of date), we’ll tell you what to do and link you straight to Anthropic’s official guides for the exact clicks. CRAFT comes in the next post, once Cowork is running.
What you’ll need
- A paid Claude plan — Cowork is available on Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans.
- The Claude Desktop app — Cowork runs in the desktop app for macOS or Windows. It isn’t available on the web or on mobile (though Pro and Max users can message tasks from their phone while the desktop app stays open).
- An internet connection — required while Claude is working.
Step 1 — Install the Claude Desktop app
Cowork lives inside the Claude Desktop app. If you don’t have it yet, download it from Anthropic’s download page. Their get-started guide also has a quick “readiness check” you can run first to confirm your computer can handle Cowork.
📎 Official Anthropic guide
Get started with Claude Cowork — download links, the readiness check, and system requirements. (Direct download: claude.com/download.)
Step 2 — Turn Cowork on
Open the Claude Desktop app and look for the mode selector near the top — it has a Chat tab and a Cowork tab. Click Cowork to switch into task mode.
✓ You’ll know it worked when the app switches to Cowork and you see the Tasks view — a space inviting you to describe a task instead of a normal chat box. That’s it: Cowork is on.
One thing worth knowing now, because you’ll pick one as you work — Cowork has two permission modes:
- Ask before acting — Claude pauses for your approval before each action. Best when you’re new or working with unfamiliar files. Start here.
- Act without asking — Claude works without pausing. Faster, but only use it while you’re actively watching and working with files and sites you trust.
In either mode, Claude always asks for explicit permission before permanently deleting a file.
📎 Official Anthropic guide
Use Claude Cowork safely — how the permission modes work and when to use each.
That’s the whole setup. Cowork is installed and on. Next, you’ll create a project folder and put CRAFT inside it — that’s Start your first project, the next post in this series.
Claude Cowork is built and maintained by Anthropic. The steps above follow Anthropic’s official documentation — always check their guides for the latest details, since Cowork updates regularly.