Intro to Claude – Chat, Cowork & Code Explained

At a Glance

1.Three modes, one tool – Chat for quick questions, Cowork for multi-step tasks with file access, Code for developers.
2.Desktop app for Cowork – Cowork, Plugins and Scheduled Tasks only run via the Claude Desktop app (macOS/Windows). The web version offers Chat, Connectors and Skills.
3.Skills turn Claude into a specialist – Reusable workflows that Claude activates automatically or that you invoke via slash commands.
4.Plugins bundle everything – A plugin combines Skills, Connectors and commands into a complete package for a role or department.
5.50+ Connectors – Gmail, Slack, Google Drive, Notion, Jira, Figma and many more – operate them directly from within Claude.
6.Scheduled Tasks – Automate recurring tasks: daily reports, weekly summaries, inbox triage.

Our tip: Start with Cowork – it’s the mode that delivers the most value for finance teams. Code is designed for developers. We’ll publish a separate guide on using Code for finance tasks soon.

Why the Desktop App?

Claude is available as a web version at claude.ai, as a mobile app and as a Desktop app for macOS and Windows. The web version now offers Chat, Connectors and Skills. However, the autonomous features – Cowork, local file access, Plugins and Scheduled Tasks – run exclusively through the Desktop app.

Requirements

•Claude Desktop app – Download at claude.com/download (macOS or Windows)
•Paid subscription – Cowork is available from the Pro plan ($20/month)
•App must stay open – Cowork tasks stop when you close the app or your computer goes to sleep

The Three Modes: Chat, Cowork & Code

Claude offers three working modes, each optimized for different tasks. You switch between them using the tabs in the Desktop app.

Mode 1

Chat

The classic conversation mode. Ask questions, have texts written, upload individual files. Ideal for quick tasks: email drafts, brainstorming, explanations. Also works on the web and mobile.

Top Tip

Cowork

The autonomous working mode. Claude accesses local folders directly, reads and creates files, coordinates sub-agents for parallel work and delivers finished results – Excel with formulas, PowerPoint presentations, formatted reports. You describe the desired outcome, Claude plans and executes. Runs in an isolated virtual machine on your computer.

Mode 3

Code

The developer mode. Claude Code works directly in your codebase: reading files, editing, running tests, creating Git commits. Available as a tab in the Desktop app, as a command-line tool, and as a VS Code and JetBrains extension. If you’re not a developer, Cowork is the right starting point.

Projects – Persistent Context for Recurring Tasks

Projects are Claude’s memory. In a project you store:

Project instructions – Permanent instructions that Claude follows in every conversation within this project (e.g. your writing style, your terminology, your processes)
Knowledge base – Documents that Claude uses as reference (chart of accounts, policies, process manuals, templates)
Conversation history – All chats within the project are retained and searchable

Pro Tip: Create one project per recurring work area – e.g. “Month-End Close,” “Vendor Communication” or “Board Reporting.” Upload your reference documents and describe in the project instructions how Claude should work with those documents.

In Cowork, you set persistent instructions directly through the interface: under Settings > Cowork, describe your role, your working style and your preferences – these apply to all Cowork sessions.

Skills – Claude Learns Your Workflows

Skills are reusable workflow instructions that teach Claude how to handle specific tasks. Think of a Skill as a standard operating procedure (SOP) that Claude automatically follows whenever the task becomes relevant.

Built-in Skills from Anthropic

These are activated automatically when relevant:

•Create and edit Excel spreadsheets (with formulas, multiple sheets)
•Generate Word documents with formatting
•Create PowerPoint presentations
•Process, merge and convert PDFs

Create Your Own Skills

You don’t need to write skills yourself. Simply describe to Claude what the skill should do – e.g. “Create a skill that checks incoming invoices for early payment discount deadlines and warns me when deadlines are under 10 days.” – and Claude creates the skill for you. Test the result, give feedback and let Claude improve the skill step by step. You’ll find the finished skill under Customize > Skills, where you can enable, disable or delete it at any time.

Invoke a Skill

Claude loads relevant Skills automatically. You can also invoke a Skill manually: click the + icon next to the input field and select the desired Skill from the list.

Plugins – Complete Packages for Roles and Departments

Plugins are the next level after Skills. A Plugin bundles multiple Skills, commands and Connectors into a ready-made package for a specific role or department.

Official Plugins from Anthropic

In January 2026, Anthropic launched 11 open-source plugins. In February, 12 more followed. Here is a selection:

•Productivity – Task & calendar management
•Enterprise Search – Cross-platform document search
•Sales – Prospect research & deal preparation
•Finance – Financial analysis & modeling
•Data – Data queries & dashboard creation
•Legal – Contract review & compliance
•Marketing – Content & campaign management
•Customer Support – Ticket triage & responses
•Product Management – Specs, roadmaps, research
•HR – Onboarding, policies, employee support

You install Plugins via the Cowork tab → Plugins sidebar. For Team and Enterprise plans there is an internal Plugin marketplace where admins can provide department-specific Plugins.

Skill vs. Plugin – What’s the Difference? A Skill is a single instruction – e.g. “Check incoming invoices for early payment discount deadlines.” A Plugin for the finance department bundles several such Skills together with the matching Connectors to Gmail, Google Drive and your accounting tool – a complete, ready-to-use package.

What Is MCP?

Behind the Connectors is the Model Context Protocol (MCP) – an open standard by Anthropic that defines how AI models access external tools. The 50+ Connectors in the catalog use MCP behind the scenes, without you having to worry about it.

If you need a Connector that doesn’t exist yet – e.g. for an internal tool or a specialized data source – your technical team can build a custom MCP Connector. This requires programming knowledge.

Connectors – Linking Claude with Your Tools

Connectors link Claude with your work tools. Instead of manually copying information into Claude, the AI accesses your tools directly – on the web and in the Desktop app.

Available Connectors (Selection, as of March 2026)

Productivity

Google Drive, Notion, Asana, Jira, Linear

Communication

Gmail, Google Calendar, Slack

Design

Figma, Canva

Development

GitHub, GitLab, Stripe

Business & Finance

DocuSign, FactSet, MSCI, Similarweb

CMS & Content

WordPress

The full list is available in the Connectors directory.

Setting Up a Connector

Click the + icon next to the input field → Connectors
Select the desired tool from the catalog
Sign in to the service and grant the required permissions
Test with a simple request, e.g. “Show my latest emails”

Once connected, Claude can operate your tools directly from Chat and Cowork: read calendars, send Slack messages, create Jira tickets, update Notion pages. For example: you ask Claude to read your Asana tasks, summarize the relevant Notion documents and create a Slack message with the status update – all in one conversation, without switching tabs.

Scheduled Tasks – Tasks on Autopilot

Scheduled Tasks are recurring Cowork tasks that Claude executes automatically on a schedule. Think of it as a personal assistant who summarizes your inbox every morning or creates a weekly report every Friday.

How to Set Up a Scheduled Task

Click “Scheduled” in the left sidebar of the Desktop app
Describe the task and choose the frequency (hourly, daily, weekly, on weekdays)
Claude executes the task automatically at the scheduled time

Important: Scheduled Tasks are a new feature – make sure your Desktop app is up to date. Tasks only run when your computer is on and the Claude app remains open. Missed tasks are automatically caught up the next time you start the app.

Ideas for finance team Scheduled Tasks:

Daily inbox triage – Claude reads new emails and categorizes them by priority and action required
Weekly status report – Summary of open tasks, due dates and KPIs from your connected tools
Monthly deadline check – Automatic review of upcoming contract renewals, notice periods and payment terms

Pricing and Plans

Claude offers different plans depending on usage intensity:

Plan	Price	Cowork	Practical Limit
Free	$0	No	Chat only, heavily limited
Pro	$20/month	Yes	3–5 Cowork tasks/day
Max 5x	$100/month	Yes	∼225 messages / 5 hrs
Max 20x	$200/month	Yes	∼900 messages / 5 hrs
Team	from $25/user/month	Yes	Admin controls, SSO
Enterprise	Custom	Yes	SCIM, audit logs, HIPAA

Usage limits: Each plan has a rolling 5-hour window and a weekly limit. You can see how much you’ve used at any time under Settings. Cowork uses significantly more tokens than Chat because Claude plans, executes and validates.

Our recommendation: Start with the Pro plan ($20/month) to try out Cowork. If you use Cowork regularly, consider upgrading to Max 5x.

Prices and limits are subject to change. The current overview is available on Anthropic’s pricing page.

Get Started in 5 Minutes

Download the Desktop app

Download the Claude Desktop app from claude.com/download and sign in with your Claude account.

Open the Cowork tab

Switch from the Chat tab to the Cowork tab. Select “Work in a folder” and grant Claude access to a test folder.

Set global instructions

Under Settings > Cowork, describe your role, your working style and your preferences. These apply to all Cowork sessions.

Connect your tools

Connect your most important tools (Gmail, Slack, Google Drive) via the + icon → Connectors.

Start your first task

Describe a desired outcome (“Organize all PDFs in this folder by date and create a summary table”). Review Claude’s plan before approving it.

Security Tip: Start with non-critical folders and read-only access. Never give Claude delete permissions for irreplaceable files.

Final Tips

1. Just Ask Claude

If you’re stuck or don’t know how something works – just ask Claude directly. For example: “How can I analyze an Excel file in Cowork?” or “Which plugins are there for accounting?” Claude will explain step by step what to do.

2. Regular Review – Every 2–3 Weeks

Ask Claude regularly to review your collaboration and suggest improvements. This helps you discover new possibilities and automate recurring tasks. You can also create a Scheduled Task for this – e.g. as a weekly or biweekly audit of the past weeks. Simply copy and paste this prompt:

Please go through our entire conversation history and analyze:

1. Which tasks have you helped me with the most?
2. Which tasks come up regularly and could we automate as a Skill?
3. Where have I struggled and how could we solve this with a better workflow?
4. Which Skills or Plugins would you recommend?

Create a list with concrete suggestions.

Further Resources

The best current guides to Claude (as of March 2026):

Get started with Cowork – Claude Help Center

Official guide from Anthropic for getting started with Cowork.

Use Skills in Claude – Claude Help Center

Official documentation on Skills: built-in, custom and project Skills.

Claude Cowork: Complete Guide, Pricing & Setup (2026) – Fello AI

Comprehensive guide with pricing comparison, setup instructions and practical tips.

Claude Cowork Guide: Skills, Files & Tasks – FindSkill.ai

Practical guide focused on Skills, file access and task automation.

Claude AI Connectors: One-Click Tool Integrations (2026)

Detailed guide to all available Connectors and the MCP protocol.