​Part of the Build Your Genealogy Assistant with Claude series

​Chat is a conversation. Cowork is delegation.

​Cowork lets Claude work on files on your computer — organizing, processing, drafting — while you step away and do something else. Point it at a folder of scanned documents and ask it to organize by surname. Give it your research notes and ask it to draft a chapter. Hand it a stack of transcriptions and ask it to build a source list.

​This is a high-level session. Cowork is powerful enough for an entire course on its own. We'll cover what it does, how to set it up safely, and you'll run your first real task — so you understand the capability and can explore further on your own.

​What you'll walk away with:

​The Claude Desktop app installed, Cowork configured, and at least one completed task — a folder organized, a document created, or a draft produced from your research files.

​What you'll need for this session (in addition to standard requirements):

• ​Download the Claude Desktop app before class (free at claude.ai/download)

• ​A folder with 10-15 genealogy files (copies, not originals — always back up first)

​What we'll cover:

• ​The difference between Chat and Cowork — when to use which

• ​Setting up Cowork: the Desktop app, selecting folders, permissions

• ​What to back up first (non-negotiable safety step)

• ​Running your first task: organizing a folder of research files

• ​Watching what Claude does and redirecting mid-task

• ​What's possible beyond today: book assembly, batch processing, multi-file analysis

​Your turn moments:

• ​Install and configure Cowork

• ​Run your first Cowork task on a folder: (you choose) rename files, pull information, run analysis, draft a biography

​What you'll need for this session:

• ​​A Claude Pro subscription ($20/month at claude.ai)

• ​​A computer (not a phone)

• ​​Your own genealogy research files — we work with your real data, not hypotheticals

• ​About Denyse:

​I help family historians finish their research and write chronicles their families will actually read. I teach AI as a research partner — not a replacement — and my students have a 90% completion rate in the Chronicle Writing Sprint. I'll show you exactly how I use AI in my own research.

​Can't attend live? Register anyway — you'll receive the recording after the event.