Claude Co-work Setup Guide for a Subscription Box Business

Claude Co-work can help run a subscription-box business, but it will not reliably remember the business just because something was mentioned in a past chat. The useful way to think about Co-work is not as a person with perfect memory. Think of it as a capable assistant who needs the same business binder every time it sits down to work.

If the business facts live only in conversations, Co-work may not know what is still true, what was only an idea, what became a decision, or what changed since the last session. That is usually why it feels like Co-work is forgetting things.

The fix is to give Co-work a simple, durable business memory: a small set of workspace files it can read before helping and update when decisions change.

How to think about memory in Co-work

Use this mental model:

• Chat is the workbench.
• Workspace files are the memory.
• Co-work is the assistant that reads and updates the memory.

A chat is good for discussing this week’s problems, drafting customer copy, comparing vendor options, or planning the next box. But if something should matter next week, next month, or for the next customer issue, it should be written into the workspace files.

For a subscription-box business, durable memory usually means:

• what the business sells
• who the customers are
• the current box theme, products, vendors, costs, and deadlines
• brand voice and customer-support rules
• vendor constraints and product notes
• decisions that have already been made
• open questions and tasks
• recurring workflows for planning, ordering, packing, shipping, and follow-up

Do not make Co-work guess from old chats. Give it a place to look.

Why memory was not working as expected

Co-work can feel forgetful when the business is being managed mostly through conversation. That creates several common problems:

• Important facts get buried in old chats.
• Brainstormed ideas can look like approved decisions.
• A changed vendor rule may not replace the old one.
• The current month’s plan may be unclear.
• Customer-support policies may be scattered across conversations.
• Co-work may answer from partial context instead of the latest operating state.

That does not mean Co-work is useless for business operations. It means the memory needs to be organized outside the chat.

The goal of this setup is to create a plain-language business binder that Co-work can use every time.

The basic rule

If a fact, decision, vendor rule, customer-support policy, deadline, or recurring task should survive the current conversation, put it in the workspace files.

Keep these categories separate:

• Facts: things known to be true.
• Ideas: possibilities not approved yet.
• Decisions: choices the owner has confirmed.
• Open questions: things still unresolved.
• Tasks: actions someone needs to take.
• Retrospective notes: what worked or failed after a box ships.

This keeps Co-work from treating a brainstorm as policy and keeps the business owner from having to re-explain the business every session.

What this setup creates

• One Claude Co-work project named Subscription Box Ops.
• One private folder named subscription-box-ops.
• A small set of business memory files Co-work can read before helping.
• Global instructions and project-specific CLAUDE.md instructions.
• Permission defaults that keep file changes, scheduled tasks, direct computer use, customer messages, orders, refunds, subscriptions, and public posts under owner approval.

Step 1: Confirm the Co-work workspace

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:

1. Open Claude Desktop.
2. Open Co-work.
3. Create or open a Co-work project named Subscription Box Ops.
4. Confirm the project will use one connected business folder, not broad computer access.
5. Start with Ask before acting for file changes and any external tools.
6. 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:

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.

References

• Anthropic support: Claude Co-work collection.
• Anthropic support: Get started with Claude Cowork.
• Anthropic support: Use Claude Cowork safely.
• Anthropic support: Schedule recurring tasks in Claude Cowork.
• Anthropic support: Assign tasks from anywhere in Claude Cowork.
• Anthropic support: Use live artifacts in Claude Cowork.
• Anthropic support: Let Claude use your computer in Cowork.
• Anthropic support: Organize your tasks with projects in Claude Cowork.