Claude Co-work Setup Guide for a Subscription Box Business

This guide is only about setting up Claude Co-work so it has a safe, narrow workspace for a subscription-box business. It does not try to describe a full monthly operating rhythm. Get the project, folder, instructions, files, and permissions right first. Then use Co-work inside that workspace.

Setup checklist

Use Claude Desktop with Co-work open.
Create one Co-work project named Subscription Box Ops.
Connect one private folder named subscription-box-ops.
Put durable business context in files, not in chat history.
Add global instructions and project-specific CLAUDE.md instructions.
Keep file changes on Ask before acting until the owner trusts the workflow.
Create a short tracking note for scheduled tasks and live artifacts before enabling either.
Treat direct computer use as a last resort that needs explicit app, site, and task approval.

The setup rule

Do not treat chat history as business memory.

Chat is where work happens. The durable business memory should live in workspace files that Co-work can read and, with approval, update. If a fact, decision, vendor rule, customer-support policy, or deadline matters next week, put it in the workspace files.

Step 1: Confirm the Co-work surface

Use Claude Co-work from Claude Desktop on a paid Claude plan. Keep the desktop app open, the computer awake, and internet access on while Co-work is running tasks.

Before adding business files:

Open Claude Desktop.
Open Co-work.
Create or open a Co-work project named Subscription Box Ops.
Confirm the project will use one connected business folder, not broad computer access.
Start with Ask before acting for file changes and any external tools.
Use Act without asking only later, only for low-risk edits to trusted files, and only while supervised.

Do not grant access to the whole computer just because it is convenient. A narrow folder is easier to inspect, back up, and trust.

Step 2: Create the workspace folder

Create one private folder named:

subscription-box-ops

Start with this structure:

subscription-box-ops/
  CLAUDE.md
  Business Operating Manual.md
  Current Month Box Plan.md
  Vendor and Product Notes.md
  Brand Voice.md
  Customer Support Playbook.md
  Decision Log.md
  Scheduled Task Notes.md
  Live Artifact Notes.md

This folder is the business binder. Co-work should read it before giving advice and update it when durable facts change.

If Co-work cannot edit files in the setup you are using, keep these as shared docs and ask Co-work for exact copy-paste updates at the end of each session.

Step 3: Add global instructions

In Claude Desktop, add a short global instruction under Settings > Cowork > Global instructions.

Use this as the starting point:

For business operations, read the connected workspace files before giving advice. Keep facts, ideas, decisions, and tasks separate. Ask before changing files, sending messages, spending money, placing orders, issuing refunds, changing subscriptions, using direct computer control, or posting publicly. Prefer concise checklists and exact copy I can reuse.

Keep global instructions general. Business-specific instructions belong in CLAUDE.md inside the connected folder.

Step 4: Add project instructions in CLAUDE.md

Create subscription-box-ops/CLAUDE.md with this content:

# Subscription Box Ops agent instructions

You help operate this monthly subscription-box business in Claude Co-work.

## Source of truth

Before advice or edits, read the relevant workspace files:
- Business Operating Manual.md
- Current Month Box Plan.md
- Vendor and Product Notes.md
- Brand Voice.md
- Customer Support Playbook.md
- Decision Log.md
- Scheduled Task Notes.md
- Live Artifact Notes.md

If a fact is not in these files or the current conversation, say it is unknown. Do not invent vendor terms, costs, customer policies, product details, shipping dates, business history, or customer preferences.

## Memory rules

Keep these categories separate:
- Facts: known business information.
- Ideas: possibilities not yet approved.
- Decisions: confirmed choices.
- Tasks: actions to do.

Do not treat brainstorms as commitments.

When a durable decision is made, update Current Month Box Plan.md and Decision Log.md.
When vendor information changes, update Vendor and Product Notes.md.
When customer-facing tone or copy rules change, update Brand Voice.md.
When support policy changes, update Customer Support Playbook.md.
When a recurring check is created, changed, paused, or removed, update Scheduled Task Notes.md.
When a dashboard or live artifact is created or changed, update Live Artifact Notes.md.

At the end of every session, list:
- Files changed
- Decisions made
- Open questions
- Tasks
- Anything the owner needs to approve

## Safety rules

Do not store full customer payment data, passwords, API keys, private credentials, or unnecessary customer personal information in these notes.

Do not email vendors or customers, place orders, issue refunds, change subscriptions, post publicly, use computer control on business accounts, or spend money unless I explicitly approve the exact action.

Prefer connected files and connectors before direct computer control. Use direct computer control only when I approve the exact app or site and the exact task.

## Working style

Be practical and concise.
Ask clarifying questions only when the answer changes the next action.
Prefer checklists, tables, and exact copy I can reuse.
If a document needs updating and you cannot edit it directly, give me exact replacement text to paste.

Step 5: Create the starter files

Create the files below. Empty sections are fine. The point is to give Co-work a known place to look.

Business Operating Manual.md

# Business Operating Manual

## Business summary
- Business name:
- What we sell:
- Who we serve:
- What makes the box different:

## Current priorities
- This month's box:
- Biggest deadline:
- Biggest blocker:
- Current growth focus:

## Non-negotiables
- Customer promises:
- Product quality rules:
- Shipping rules:
- Budget limits:
- Things Co-work must never do without approval:

## Recurring workflows
- Monthly planning:
- Vendor outreach:
- Ordering:
- Packing:
- Shipping:
- Customer support:
- Retrospective:

Current Month Box Plan.md

# Current Month Box Plan

## Box month

## Theme

## Status
Planning / sourcing / ordered / packing / shipped / retrospective

## Target ship date

## Products
| Item | Vendor | Unit cost | Quantity | Status | Notes |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | --- | --- |

## Budget
- Target cost per box:
- Current estimated cost per box:
- Shipping estimate:
- Packaging estimate:

## Open questions
- [ ]

## Decisions made
| Date | Decision | Reason | Still active? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |

Vendor and Product Notes.md

# Vendor and Product Notes

## Vendor list
| Vendor | Products | Contact | Lead time | Minimum order | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

## Product constraints
- Fragile items:
- Allergens or safety concerns:
- Expiration dates:
- Heavy items:
- Items that increase shipping cost:

Brand Voice.md

# Brand Voice

## Voice summary
Example: warm, practical, lightly playful, never pushy.

## Approved examples
Paste emails, product descriptions, social posts, and support replies that sound right.

## Avoid
- Overpromising
- Fake urgency
- Words we dislike:

## Customer-facing copy rules
- Keep paragraphs short.
- Explain why each item belongs in the box.
- Make shipping or delay messages clear and calm.

Customer Support Playbook.md

# Customer Support Playbook

## Support principles
- Be kind and clear.
- Do not blame the customer.
- Do not promise refunds, replacements, discounts, or exceptions unless policy allows it.

## Common issues
| Issue | Standard response | Approval needed? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Damaged item | | |
| Missing item | | |
| Late shipment | | |
| Cancellation request | | |

Decision Log.md

# Decision Log

Use this for decisions that should survive the current chat.

| Date | Area | Decision | Reason | Revisit date | Still active? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

Scheduled Task Notes.md

# Scheduled Task Notes

Use this to track recurring Co-work tasks so nothing mysterious runs in the background.

| Task | Cadence | Purpose | Allowed files | Approval needed? | Status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly workspace review | Weekly | Find stale decisions, missing vendor details, and open tasks | Business workspace only | Yes, before edits | Draft |

Live Artifact Notes.md

# Live Artifact Notes

Use this to track Co-work live artifacts or dashboards.

| Artifact | Data sources | Refresh cadence | Purpose | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Box Dashboard | Current Month Box Plan.md, Vendor and Product Notes.md | On demand | Show box status, blockers, budget, vendor tasks, and approvals | Draft idea |

Step 6: Set permission defaults

Use these defaults until the owner has tested the setup:

Capability	Setup default	Why
Read connected files	Allowed for `subscription-box-ops`	Co-work needs context.
Edit connected files	Ask before acting	The owner should review changes first.
Scheduled tasks	Draft only until approved	Recurring work can surprise people.
Live artifacts	Allowed as dashboards only	Dashboards are views, not source of truth.
Mobile dispatch	Allowed for simple review tasks	The desktop workspace still needs to be running.
Direct computer use	Off unless explicitly approved	It is powerful and easy to over-scope.
Emails, orders, refunds, subscriptions, public posts, money movement	Explicit approval for the exact action	These affect customers, vendors, money, or public reputation.

Step 7: Add optional Co-work features carefully

Only add these after the workspace files exist.

Scheduled tasks

Use scheduled tasks for low-risk reviews and reports. Do not schedule tasks that send messages, spend money, modify customer records, change subscriptions, place orders, or make public posts.

Example draft:

Create a weekly scheduled task called Weekly workspace review.
Each week, read only the Subscription Box Ops workspace files. Find contradictions, stale decisions, missing vendor details, and open tasks. Do not edit files until I approve the cleanup plan.

Record every scheduled task in Scheduled Task Notes.md.

Live artifacts

Use live artifacts as dashboards, not as memory.

Example draft:

Build a live artifact called Monthly Box Dashboard from Current Month Box Plan.md and Vendor and Product Notes.md. Show product status, vendor blockers, budget risk, customer messaging still needed, and next approvals. Do not change source files from the artifact unless I explicitly ask.

Record every artifact in Live Artifact Notes.md.

Mobile dispatch

Treat mobile dispatch as remote assignment to the desktop workspace. Use it for small tasks:

In the Subscription Box Ops project, review Current Month Box Plan.md and list today's blockers. Do not change files until I approve.

The desktop app still needs to be open and awake.

Direct computer use

Use direct computer use last. Approve only the exact app or site and the exact task. Close sensitive files and apps first. Do not use computer control for admin portals, customer accounts, ecommerce settings, email sending, refunds, subscriptions, purchasing, or public posting without step-by-step approval.

First setup prompt

Use this on day one in Co-work:

Help me set up durable memory for my monthly subscription-box business in Claude Co-work.

First, confirm that I am in the Subscription Box Ops Co-work project and that the connected folder is subscription-box-ops.

Then create or review these workspace files:
1. CLAUDE.md
2. Business Operating Manual.md
3. Current Month Box Plan.md
4. Vendor and Product Notes.md
5. Brand Voice.md
6. Customer Support Playbook.md
7. Decision Log.md
8. Scheduled Task Notes.md
9. Live Artifact Notes.md

Ask me only for the minimum information needed to create useful first drafts. Keep unknowns marked as Unknown. Do not invent facts.

Keep file edits on Ask before acting. Before making any edit, show me the proposed change and which file it affects.

After the drafts are created, suggest one low-risk scheduled task and one optional live artifact dashboard, but do not create either until I approve.

Setup acceptance test

The setup is ready when Co-work can answer these questions from the workspace files without guessing:

What business is this?
What is the current box month, theme, status, and target ship date?
Which vendors or products are known, unknown, or still under review?
What tone should customer-facing copy use?
What customer actions require owner approval?
Where should decisions, tasks, scheduled tasks, and live artifacts be recorded?

If Co-work cannot answer one of those, update the workspace files instead of trying to fix it in chat.

Public-safety note

This guide is intentionally generic. Do not publish a real operator's customer data, vendor pricing, contact information, credentials, private URLs, or internal business notes. Keep those in the private Co-work business workspace.

Claude Co-work Setup Guide for a Subscription Box Business

Claude Co-work Setup Guide for a Subscription Box Business

Setup checklist

The setup rule

Step 1: Confirm the Co-work surface

Step 2: Create the workspace folder

Step 3: Add global instructions

Step 4: Add project instructions in CLAUDE.md

Step 5: Create the starter files

Business Operating Manual.md

Current Month Box Plan.md

Vendor and Product Notes.md

Brand Voice.md

Customer Support Playbook.md

Decision Log.md

Scheduled Task Notes.md

Live Artifact Notes.md

Step 6: Set permission defaults

Step 7: Add optional Co-work features carefully

Scheduled tasks

Live artifacts

Mobile dispatch

Direct computer use

First setup prompt

Setup acceptance test

Public-safety note

References