Guide
Skills in Claude Cowork: how to add and use them
Claude Cowork, the agentic workspace in the Claude desktop app, uses the skills, plugins and connectors turned on for your claude.ai account, synced when a session starts. It doesn't read Claude Code's ~/.claude folder on your machine, so a skill you only have there won't appear until you add it under Customize > Skills. Once a skill is on, describe the task and Claude loads it when the request matches; a plugin's commands run with /plugin-name:command. On Team and Enterprise you can share a skill with people or publish it to the organization, and an Owner can install a plugin for everyone, by default or as required.
Short answer
- Source: what's on in Customize, synced at session start.
- Not read: Claude Code's
~/.claudefolder. - Use: describe the task, or
/plugin-name:command. - Team-wide: share, publish to the organization, or a required plugin.
Where Cowork gets each piece
| What | Where you add it | How Cowork uses it |
|---|---|---|
| Your own skill | Customize > Skills (upload the folder as a ZIP) | Loaded when the task matches its description |
| A plugin | Customize > Plugins | Its skills, commands, agents and connectors load into your next task |
| Organization skills and plugins | Shared, published or required by an Owner | Already in your list; required ones can't be turned off |
A skill only in ~/.claude | Not read by Cowork | Add it in Customize first |
From Anthropic's Cowork, plugin and skill docs, read 5 November 2026.
A worked example
Illustration: a made-up business. Leo, an operations lead, wrote a weekly-ops-report skill in Claude Code: it reads the week's order export and writes a one-page report. He wanted Cowork to do it from the files on his laptop every Friday, but Cowork didn't use the skill, because it lived only in ~/.claude/skills.
- Packaged: he zipped the
weekly-ops-reportfolder itself and uploaded it under Customize > Skills. - Tested: in a new Cowork task he asked for "this week's ops report from the export in Downloads", and checked that the skill loaded.
- Shared: on the company's Team plan, he shared it with the two shift leads from Customize > Skills.
The same uploaded skill now works in chat and in Cowork for all three, from one copy on the account.
Set it up
- Turn on the skill under Customize > Skills, or upload it as a ZIP of the folder.
- Start a new Cowork task, since skills sync at session start.
- Describe the task in the words its description uses, and check it loads.
- Read a shared skill's files before turning it on; Anthropic doesn't review skills you upload or that others share.
- On Team and Enterprise, share it or ask an Owner to publish or require it.
Next step: one copy for everyone
Uploaded copies drift when each person keeps their own. The cheapest way to share AI prompts with a small team compares the options, and Claude's skill-creator covers testing a skill before you share it.
Skills for this
- AI practiceTurn a prompt into a skillTurns a prompt that works into a skill the whole team can reuse, with a valid name, a when-to-use description, steps, an output template, an example, and checks.
- Operations and adminWeekly 3P update (Progress, Plans, Problems)Writes a weekly Progress, Plans, Problems update a reader takes in within 60 seconds, with numbers and last week's plans accounted for.
- Operations and adminSOP from an explanation or recordingTurns an explanation or screen-recording transcript into an SOP with a trigger, roles, exact-label steps, decision points, checks, and an owner.
Questions
How do I use skills in Claude Cowork?
Turn the skill on under Customize > Skills in claude.ai or the desktop app. Cowork loads the skills, plugins and connectors enabled for your account when a session starts; describe the task and Claude loads the matching skill, or run a plugin's command with /plugin-name:command.
Does Cowork use my Claude Code skills?
Not from your machine. Anthropic's docs say Cowork doesn't read the Claude Code CLI's ~/.claude directory. To use a skill that exists only there, add it in Customize, for example by uploading it as a ZIP.
Can a team share skills for Cowork?
Yes, on Team and Enterprise. Share a skill with people or publish it to the organization from Customize > Skills, or have an Owner install a plugin for everyone, by default or as required.
AI skill
Have your AI turn a prompt that works into a skill your team can reuse
Put this skill in AI Skill Pod and everyone on your team gets it in their Claude, Cursor or ChatGPT (Pro, Business, Enterprise): one invite link, free to start. Turn a prompt into a skill has your AI turn a task you hand Cowork every week into a skill: a name, a "use when" description, the steps, a template and one example, ready to upload under Customize > Skills.
14 days free · No card needed
Sources
- Claude Docs: Cowork overview — agentic workspace in Claude Desktop; reads and writes local files; loads the connectors, skills and plugins enabled for your claude.ai account, synced at session start; doesn't read the Claude Code CLI's ~/.claude directory; add those in Customize (read 2026-11-05)
- Claude Docs: Plugins — a plugin packages skills, connectors, commands and agents; saved to your account and available in chat, Cowork and Claude Code; in Cowork run /plugin-name:command or describe the task; on Team and Enterprise owners can install plugins by default or as required (read 2026-11-05)
- Claude Docs: Install plugins in Cowork — from Customize > Plugins; a Git repository can serve as a marketplace; required plugins on Team and Enterprise (read 2026-11-05)
- Claude Docs: Create custom skills — upload a ZIP of the skill folder; Share and Publish to org on Team and Enterprise; skill-creator runs a baseline in Cowork (read 2026-11-05)