Glossary
All key terms and concepts related to Claude Cowork explained clearly.
A
Anthropic
The AI safety company that created Claude. Founded in 2021, Anthropic builds AI systems that are safe, beneficial and understandable.
API Key
A unique code that authenticates your application with the Claude API. Required for programmatic access to Claude's capabilities outside the web interface.
C
Claude
The AI assistant built by Anthropic. Claude can understand and generate text, analyze images, write code and perform complex reasoning tasks.
Claude API
The programmatic interface for accessing Claude's capabilities. Developers use the API to integrate Claude into their own applications and services.
Claude Code
Claude's integrated development environment (IDE) feature that allows writing, running and debugging code directly within conversations.
Claude Cowork
The advanced collaboration mode of Claude that enables Skills, Plugins, Connectors, Dispatch and Scheduled Tasks. Transforms Claude from a chatbot into an autonomous AI coworker.
Code Interpreter
A Plugin that allows Claude to write and execute Python code in a sandboxed environment. Useful for data analysis, calculations, chart generation and file processing.
Connectors
Integrations that link Claude to external apps and services like Google Drive, Notion and Slack. Connectors give Claude access to your data and context without manual copy-pasting.
Context Window
The maximum amount of text Claude can process in a single conversation. Larger context windows allow Claude to work with longer documents and maintain more conversation history.
Cron Expression
A scheduling syntax used to define when Scheduled Tasks should run. For example, '0 9 * * 1' means every Monday at 9:00 AM.
D
Dispatch
A feature that lets you send tasks to Claude from external channels like email, Slack or other platforms. Tasks are picked up and executed automatically without opening the Cowork interface.
G
Google Drive Connector
A Connector that links Claude to your Google Drive, allowing it to search, read and summarize documents stored in your Drive.
M
N
Notion Connector
A Connector that links Claude to your Notion workspace, allowing it to query pages, databases and your knowledge base.
P
Plugins
Extensions that add new capabilities to Claude, such as web search, image generation, code execution and more. Plugins connect Claude to external services and tools.
S
Scheduled Tasks
Automated workflows that Claude executes at set times or intervals. Can run daily, weekly or on custom schedules to perform recurring work autonomously.
Skills
Reusable instruction sets that define how Claude should perform specific tasks. Skills ensure consistent, repeatable AI workflows and can include variables for flexible inputs.
Slack Connector
A Connector that links Claude to Slack, allowing it to read messages, respond in channels and process information from your Slack workspace.
T
Token
The basic unit of text processing for Claude. Roughly 1 token equals 4 characters or 0.75 words. Token limits determine how much text Claude can process.
V
Variables
Placeholders in Skills (like {topic} or {language}) that get replaced with actual values when the Skill is used. Variables make Skills reusable across different contexts.
W
Web Search Plugin
A Plugin that enables Claude to search the internet for current information. Essential for tasks that require up-to-date data beyond Claude's training cutoff.