Claude Cowork one-time setup: a 3-stage guide to stop wasting time and tokens
alex_verem · x · 2026-10-12
A one-time, three-stage setup guide for Claude Cowork aimed at avoiding wasted time and tokens on defaults:
Setup: Get the Claude desktop app (Pro, $20/mo), open the Cowork tab, delete default folders/files and the About Me file (let a Skill hold that info), turn everything off in settings, keep Global Instructions empty, keep only connectors on, enable interactive charts/artifacts, and set Opus 4.8 (High) as default.
Build: Turn past Cowork sessions into Skills via a "make it a skill" prompt, or use Record Skill in the desktop app's plus menu to record yourself doing a task and have Claude convert the recording into a skill. Save and call it anytime with a /command, trim skills under 2,000 tokens, build more with /skill-creator (anti-AI-writing skill, my-company skill), ban disliked words, cap paragraphs at 3 sentences, encode your goals, and feed skills real data.
Work: End every prompt with "ask me questions", use free Wispr Flow for voice input, push back on mistakes, export outputs to Google Drive, avoid follow-ups, start a fresh session every 20 messages, batch tasks into one message, and use Sonnet/Haiku for quick tasks.
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