10 Claude Cowork Use Cases: Automate Your Workflow in Minutes

How to Use These Examples

Each use case follows this format:

1. →Scenario — The real-world problem
2. →Traditional Method — How you'd do it manually
3. →Cowork Prompt — Copy-paste template to adapt
4. →What Cowork Does — Step-by-step actions
5. →Time Saved — Typical before/after comparison

Pro Tip: Modify the prompts to match your specific folder names, file types, and output requirements.

1. Expense Report Automation

Scenario

You have 30 receipt images and PDFs from a business trip. You need an expense report spreadsheet with date, vendor, category, and amount.

Traditional Method (2-3 hours)

1. →Open each receipt
2. →Manually identify date, vendor, amount
3. →Type into spreadsheet
4. →Categorize each expense
5. →Calculate totals
6. →Double-check for errors

Cowork Prompt

In the 'receipts-january' folder:

1. Analyze all receipt images and PDFs
2. Create 'expense-report-january.xlsx' with columns:
   - Date
   - Vendor
   - Category (Meals, Transport, Lodging, Supplies, Other)
   - Amount
   - Currency
3. Add a 'Summary' sheet with totals by category
4. If any receipt is unclear or missing data, move it to 'needs-review' subfolder
5. Sort by date ascending

What Cowork Does

• →Uses OCR to extract text from images
• →Identifies key fields (date patterns, currency amounts, vendor names)
• →Auto-categorizes based on vendor type (restaurant → Meals, hotel → Lodging)
• →Creates formatted Excel with formulas for totals
• →Flags 3-5 unclear receipts for human review

Time Saved

2. Research Literature Synthesis

Scenario

You have 50 academic papers (PDFs) for a literature review. You need a comparison table and synthesis document.

Traditional Method (10-15 hours)

1. →Read or skim each paper
2. →Take notes on key findings
3. →Identify themes and patterns
4. →Create comparison spreadsheet
5. →Write synthesis narrative

Cowork Prompt

Analyze all PDFs in 'literature-review' folder:

1. Create 'paper-comparison.xlsx' with columns:
   - Title
   - Authors
   - Year
   - Research Question
   - Methodology
   - Sample Size
   - Key Findings
   - Limitations
   - Relevance Score (1-5)

2. Create 'synthesis-document.docx' with sections:
   - Executive Summary (200 words)
   - Methodology Overview (how studies approached the topic)
   - Key Findings (organized by theme)
   - Contradictions and Gaps
   - Recommendations for Future Research
   - References

Use [Author, Year] citation format throughout.

What Cowork Does

• →Spawns parallel sub-agents to read papers simultaneously
• →Extracts structured metadata from each PDF
• →Identifies recurring themes across papers
• →Generates formatted Word document with proper headings
• →Creates comparison table with sortable columns

Time Saved

Note: Cowork provides excellent first-pass analysis. Budget 1-2 hours for human refinement of the synthesis.

3. File Organization & Cleanup

Scenario

Your Downloads folder has 500+ files accumulated over months. You need to organize by type and remove duplicates.

Traditional Method (3-4 hours)

1. →Manually sort through files
2. →Create folder structure
3. →Move files one by one
4. →Identify duplicates visually
5. →Delete or archive old files

Cowork Prompt

In my 'Downloads' folder:

1. Create this folder structure:
   /Documents (PDFs, Word, text files)
   /Images (PNG, JPG, GIF, SVG)
   /Videos (MP4, MOV, AVI)
   /Audio (MP3, WAV, FLAC)
   /Archives (ZIP, RAR, 7z)
   /Installers (DMG, PKG, EXE)
   /Other (everything else)

2. Move each file to appropriate folder

3. Rename files to format: YYYY-MM-DD_original-name.ext
   (use file creation date)

4. Detect duplicates using file hash:
   - Keep newest version
   - Move duplicates to '/Duplicates' folder

5. Files older than 90 days: move to '/Archive-2025' folder

6. Create 'organization-log.txt' with:
   - Total files processed
   - Files moved per category
   - Duplicates found and removed
   - Space recovered

What Cowork Does

• →Scans all files and extracts metadata
• →Creates folder structure
• →Moves and renames files according to rules
• →Calculates file hashes to identify exact duplicates
• →Generates detailed log of all actions

Time Saved

4. Invoice Data Extraction

Scenario

You receive 100 vendor invoices monthly (PDFs). You need to extract key data into a spreadsheet for accounting.

Traditional Method (4-5 hours)

1. →Open each invoice
2. →Find invoice number, date, amount
3. →Type into spreadsheet
4. →Verify totals match
5. →Flag discrepancies

Cowork Prompt

Process all invoices in 'incoming-invoices' folder:

1. Extract from each PDF:
   - Invoice Number
   - Invoice Date
   - Due Date
   - Vendor Name
   - Vendor Address
   - Line Items (description, quantity, unit price)
   - Subtotal
   - Tax Amount
   - Total Due
   - Payment Terms

2. Create 'invoice-register-january.xlsx' with:
   - Sheet 1: Invoice summary (one row per invoice)
   - Sheet 2: Line item details (all line items with invoice reference)
   - Sheet 3: Vendor summary (total by vendor)
   - Sheet 4: Due dates (sorted by due date for payment scheduling)

3. Flag any invoice where:
   - Line items don't sum to subtotal
   - Tax calculation seems incorrect
   - Due date is in the past

4. Move flagged invoices to 'needs-review' folder

What Cowork Does

• →Parses invoice layouts (handles various formats)
• →Extracts structured data with validation
• →Creates multi-sheet Excel workbook
• →Performs mathematical verification
• →Flags anomalies for human review

Time Saved

5. Meeting Notes Compilation

Scenario

You have 20 meeting notes from the past quarter (text files, Word docs). You need a single summary document with action items.

Traditional Method (2-3 hours)

1. →Open each document
2. →Read and identify key points
3. →Extract action items
4. →Compile into summary
5. →Organize by topic or date

Cowork Prompt

From all meeting notes in 'meetings-q4' folder:

1. Create 'q4-meetings-summary.docx' with:

   Section 1: Executive Overview
   - Key decisions made
   - Major milestones achieved
   - Ongoing challenges

   Section 2: Action Items
   Table format: Action | Owner | Due Date | Status | Source Meeting
   
   Section 3: Meeting-by-Meeting Summary
   For each meeting:
   - Date and attendees
   - Topics discussed (bullet points)
   - Decisions made
   - Next steps

2. Create 'action-items-tracker.xlsx':
   - All action items extracted
   - Grouped by owner
   - Sorted by due date
   - Highlight overdue items (due date before today)

3. Identify any action items mentioned in multiple meetings
   (may indicate incomplete follow-through)

What Cowork Does

• →Reads various document formats
• →Identifies action items using pattern recognition ("ACTION:", assigned to, will do)
• →Extracts dates and owner names
• →Compiles thematic summary
• →Cross-references items across meetings

Time Saved

6. Competitive Intelligence Report

Scenario

You monitor 5 competitors weekly for pricing and product changes. You need a tracking spreadsheet and change report.

Traditional Method (2 hours weekly)

1. →Visit each competitor website
2. →Navigate to pricing pages
3. →Record current information
4. →Compare with last week
5. →Write summary of changes

Cowork Prompt

Using Claude in Chrome, monitor these competitor websites:
- competitor1.com/pricing
- competitor2.com/products
- competitor3.com/features
- competitor4.com/pricing
- competitor5.com/plans

Create 'competitor-report-2026-01-28.xlsx':

Sheet 1: Current Pricing
- Company | Plan Name | Monthly Price | Annual Price | Key Features

Sheet 2: Feature Comparison
- Feature | Comp1 | Comp2 | Comp3 | Comp4 | Comp5

Sheet 3: Changes from Last Week
- Compare with 'competitor-report-2026-01-21.xlsx' in same folder
- List all pricing changes
- List new features or products
- List removed offerings

Sheet 4: Price History Chart
- Track price changes over time (if previous reports exist)

Also create 'weekly-summary.txt':
- Bullet points of significant changes
- Strategic implications
- Recommended actions

What Cowork Does

• →Launches Chrome to navigate competitor sites
• →Extracts pricing and feature information
• →Compares with historical data
• →Generates formatted reports
• →Highlights significant changes

Time Saved

Note: Requires Claude in Chrome connector. Respect competitors' terms of service.

7. Client File Migration

Scenario

A departing employee left 500 client files in a chaotic folder structure. You need to reorganize into a standard format.

Traditional Method (5-6 hours)

1. →Review existing structure
2. →Identify clients from filenames/content
3. →Create new folder structure
4. →Move and rename files manually
5. →Remove duplicates

Cowork Prompt

Reorganize 'old-client-files' into this structure:

/Clients/
  /[Client Name]/
    /Contracts/
    /Proposals/
    /Invoices/
    /Correspondence/
    /Deliverables/
    /Notes/

Rules:
1. Extract client name from:
   - Filename (if includes client name)
   - Document content (letterhead, "Dear [Client]")
   - Email addresses mentioned

2. Rename files: YYYY-MM-DD_[client]_[description].[ext]
   Use document date if available, else file creation date

3. Remove exact duplicates (keep most recent)

4. If client unclear: move to '/Needs-Classification/'

5. Create 'migration-log.xlsx':
   - Original path | New path | Client | Document Type | Action Taken
   
6. Create 'client-summary.txt':
   - List of all clients found
   - File count per client
   - Date range of documents per client

What Cowork Does

• →Analyzes file content to identify client references
• →Creates standardized folder structure
• →Intelligently categorizes document types
• →Detects duplicates using file hashes
• →Generates audit trail

Time Saved

8. Email Campaign Personalization

Scenario

You need to send personalized outreach to 150 prospects. You have a CSV with their details and an email template.

Traditional Method (4-5 hours)

1. →Open template
2. →Copy/paste prospect details
3. →Customize introduction for each industry
4. →Review for errors
5. →Save individual files

Cowork Prompt

Using 'prospects.csv' and 'email-template.txt':

1. Generate personalized email for each prospect
2. Personalize based on:
   - [Name] → First Name column
   - [Company] → Company column
   - [Industry Hook] → Write 1-2 sentences relevant to their Industry
   - [Company Size Value Prop] → Adjust based on Employees column:
     * <50: "growing teams like yours"
     * 50-500: "mid-size companies"
     * 500+: "enterprise organizations"

3. Save each email as 'emails/[Company-Name].txt'

4. Create 'personalization-log.xlsx':
   - Prospect | Personalizations Applied | Word Count | Flagged Issues

5. Flag any prospects with:
   - Missing required fields
   - Unusual characters in name/company
   - Duplicate email addresses

Move flagged prospects to 'needs-attention.csv'

What Cowork Does

• →Parses CSV with prospect data
• →Applies template with personalization rules
• →Generates industry-specific hooks
• →Creates individual email files
• →Validates data quality

Time Saved

9. Video Content Repurposing

Scenario

You have a 45-minute webinar. You need 3 short clips for social media with captions.

Traditional Method (3-4 hours)

1. →Watch video to find highlights
2. →Note timestamps
3. →Extract clips in video editor
4. →Generate captions
5. →Burn captions into video
6. →Export for each platform

Cowork Prompt

From 'webinar-2026-01-15.mp4':

1. Analyze content and identify 3 most engaging 60-second segments:
   - Strong hooks or surprising statements
   - Key insights with standalone value
   - Quotable moments

2. Extract each segment as separate clip

3. Generate accurate captions from audio

4. Create versions for each platform:
   - Instagram: 1080x1080, burned-in captions, <10MB
   - LinkedIn: 1920x1080, burned-in captions, <5GB  
   - Twitter: 1280x720, burned-in captions, <512MB

5. Name files: webinar-clip-[1-3]-[platform].mp4

6. Create 'social-media-kit.txt':
   - Suggested caption for each clip
   - Relevant hashtags
   - Best posting times recommendation

What Cowork Does

• →Transcribes audio to identify content
• →Detects engaging segments (energy, key phrases)
• →Extracts and processes video clips
• →Generates and burns captions
• →Transcodes for platform requirements

Time Saved

10. Contract Review & Extraction

Scenario

You have 25 vendor contracts to review. You need to extract key terms into a comparison spreadsheet.

Traditional Method (5-6 hours)

1. →Read each contract
2. →Find key clauses
3. →Note terms, dates, amounts
4. →Enter into spreadsheet
5. →Identify concerning terms

Cowork Prompt

Analyze all contracts in 'vendor-contracts' folder:

1. Extract from each contract:
   - Vendor Name
   - Contract Date
   - Effective Date
   - Termination Date
   - Auto-Renewal (Yes/No/Terms)
   - Contract Value
   - Payment Terms
   - Liability Cap
   - Indemnification (summary)
   - Termination Notice Period
   - Governing Law/Jurisdiction

2. Create 'contract-register.xlsx':
   - Sheet 1: Overview (all contracts)
   - Sheet 2: Expiring Soon (within 90 days)
   - Sheet 3: Auto-Renewal Alerts
   - Sheet 4: High-Value Contracts (>$50,000)

3. Create 'contract-notes.docx':
   For each contract, summarize:
   - Key obligations
   - Unusual or concerning terms
   - Recommended actions

4. Flag any contract with:
   - Missing termination date
   - No liability cap
   - Unusual indemnification language

What Cowork Does

• →Parses contract documents (PDF, Word)
• →Identifies standard contract sections
• →Extracts dates, amounts, and terms
• →Flags unusual or missing clauses
• →Creates actionable summary

Time Saved

Disclaimer: Cowork provides extraction and summary, not legal advice. Always have contracts reviewed by qualified legal counsel.

Tips for Better Results

1. Be Specific About Output Format

❌ "Analyze these files"
✅ "Create 'analysis.xlsx' with columns: Name, Date, Category, Amount"

2. Define Edge Cases

❌ "Organize by client"
✅ "If client name is unclear, move to 'Needs-Review' folder"

3. Request Audit Trails

Always ask for a log file documenting actions taken. This helps verify work and troubleshoot issues.

4. Start Small

Test prompts on 5-10 files before running on your full dataset. Refine instructions based on results.

5. Use Folder Structure

Create input/output folders to keep Cowork's work organized:

/project/
  /input/    ← Source files go here
  /output/   ← Cowork creates files here
  /archive/  ← Move completed work here

FAQ

Q: Can I use these prompts exactly as written?
A: Adapt folder names, column names, and specific requirements to your situation. The structure and approach will work.

Q: What if Cowork makes mistakes?
A: Always review outputs. Use the "flag for review" pattern to catch uncertain items. Start with small batches.

Q: How do I handle sensitive data?
A: Review Anthropic's security documentation. Avoid granting access to folders with highly confidential data.

Q: Can Cowork handle my specific file format?
A: Cowork reads: PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images (with OCR), CSV, JSON, plain text, and most code files.

🚀 Ready to Automate?

These 10 use cases are just the beginning. Claude Cowork can handle any workflow involving file processing, data extraction, and document creation.

Start with Module 0 to learn effective prompt engineering for AI agents.

📚 Explore Training Modules | Start Module 0

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• →Claude Cowork: Pricing, Limits & Plans 2026
• →AI Agents 2026 Panorama: Claude, DeepSeek, Gemini
• →DeepSeek V3 vs GPT-4o: Enterprise Cost Analysis

Last Updated: January 28, 2026