The problem
How it works
Cowork runs inside Claude Desktop on the same agent architecture as Claude Code. It reads and writes local files, can work with Claude in Chrome, splits large jobs across sub-agents and can produce spreadsheets with working formulas, slide decks and formatted documents. Dispatch sits on top of it: you describe the result you want in one conversation, and the Dispatch agent breaks it into child tasks. Coding tasks go to a Claude Code workspace you have already set up, and knowledge work goes to a Cowork project. Each child task appears in the sidebar with a status such as running, awaiting input, completed or error, and you can open its transcript and files. With Claude Desktop left open, you can also start Dispatch work from the Claude mobile app.
Results and limitations
This is product documentation, not a reported result. The docs give a sample brief but no success rates, timings or examples of finished work.
Before you try it
Dispatch needs a Pro, Max or Ultra plan and the latest Claude Desktop on macOS or Windows, and phone hand-offs only work while your computer stays open, awake and online. A permission request you do not answer within ten minutes is denied and the task carries on without that step, so read the transcript for skipped actions. Child tasks cannot start further children of their own. Cowork uses the connectors, skills and plugins enabled on your claude.ai account, not the ones in a local Claude Code setup. Results depend on your setup and were not independently reproduced by Top 200 Repos.
Tools and repositories
No ranked repository is involved. This use case still stands on its own source.
- Tools
- Claude Desktop with Cowork · Cowork projects · Claude mobile app (optional)
- Prerequisites
- A Claude Pro, Max or Ultra plan and the latest Claude Desktop app on macOS or Windows.
Try it yourself: Brief a background task with a clear finish line
Fill the fields to adapt the prompt. Empty fields stay as visible [placeholders].
Using the [Cowork project] project, research [Research question] and write [What to produce] in that project’s folder. Before you start, list the child tasks you plan to run and the sources or files each will use. Cite every source you rely on and flag anything you could not verify. Do not send messages, delete files or change anything outside the project folder; if a step needs that, stop and ask me. When you finish, tell me what you produced, what is missing and where the files are.Answer permission prompts promptly, because unanswered requests are denied after ten minutes.
Sources
- Run tasks in the background with Dispatch (opens in a new tab)
Project documentation · claude.com · Undated · Source checked 12 Nov 2026, 07:57 UTC
What this source supports
- Dispatch breaks a described outcome into child tasks that run as separate Cowork or Code sessions
- Coding work runs in an existing Code workspace and knowledge work runs in a Cowork project
- Child tasks show states such as running, awaiting input, completed and error, and cannot start further children
- Permission prompts are forwarded to the user and denied automatically after ten minutes
- Requires a Pro, Max or Ultra plan and the latest Claude Desktop on macOS or Windows
- Tasks can be started from the Claude mobile app while the desktop stays open, awake and online
- Overview (Cowork) (opens in a new tab)
Project documentation · claude.com · Undated · Source checked 12 Nov 2026, 07:54 UTC
What this source supports
- Cowork uses the same agent architecture as Claude Code inside Claude Desktop
- Reads and writes local files without manual uploads or downloads
- Splits complex work into parallel sub-agent workstreams
- Creates Excel files with working formulas, PowerPoint decks and formatted documents
- Loads the connectors, skills and plugins enabled for the claude.ai account, not the local ~/.claude directory