Introduction to Claude Cowork

• QuestionWhat is "Plugin vs skill (Cowork)"?Tap to revealAnswerPlugins add capabilities (what the agent CAN do). Skills add instructions (HOW the agent should work). Both attach to a Cowork task.
• QuestionIn "Plugin vs skill (Cowork)", explain:Tap to revealAnswerPlugin = capability (what the agent can do).
• QuestionIn "Plugin vs skill (Cowork)", explain:Tap to revealAnswerSkill = instructions (how the agent works on a task).
• QuestionIn "Plugin vs skill (Cowork)", explain:Tap to revealAnswerWithout the plugin, the capability isn't present.
• QuestionIn "Plugin vs skill (Cowork)", explain:Tap to revealAnswerSkills steer existing capabilities; they don't add new ones.
• QuestionAnalogy for "Plugin vs skill (Cowork)":Tap to revealAnswerPlugins are tools in a workshop (saw, drill). Skills are blueprints (how to build a chair with the tools you have). You need both to build something.
• QuestionWhat is "Add appropriate human-checkpoint cadence"?Tap to revealAnswerLong Cowork tasks need scheduled human check-ins to catch drift. Cadence depends on length: hours → mid-task; days → daily; weeks → daily + weekly.
• QuestionIn "Add appropriate human-checkpoint cadence", explain:Tap to revealAnswerLong-running tasks accumulate drift without checkpoints.
• QuestionIn "Add appropriate human-checkpoint cadence", explain:Tap to revealAnswerCadence is task-shape-specific: hours → mid-task; days → daily; weeks → daily + weekly.
• QuestionIn "Add appropriate human-checkpoint cadence", explain:Tap to revealAnswerCheckpoint surfaces what's done, what's next, open assumptions, costly state.
• QuestionIn "Add appropriate human-checkpoint cadence", explain:Tap to revealAnswerGood checkpoints surface intermediate artefacts for concrete review.
• QuestionAnalogy for "Add appropriate human-checkpoint cadence":Tap to revealAnswerLike supervising a contractor on a long job. You don't show up only at the end — you walk the site daily. The check-ins catch problems while they're cheap to fix.
• QuestionWhat is "Detect set-and-forget antipattern"?Tap to revealAnswerSet-and-forget is dispatching a long-running Cowork task and not checking on it. It's an antipattern — the right shape is set-and-steer with checkpoints.
• QuestionIn "Detect set-and-forget antipattern", explain:Tap to revealAnswerSet-and-forget = dispatch + ignore until end. Antipattern by design.
• QuestionIn "Detect set-and-forget antipattern", explain:Tap to revealAnswerDetection: multi-day, zero mid-task interaction, no intermediate artefacts, 'autonomous' framing.
• QuestionIn "Detect set-and-forget antipattern", explain:Tap to revealAnswerFix: add human-checkpoint cadence (B9.2). Transform to 'set and steer'.
• QuestionIn "Detect set-and-forget antipattern", explain:Tap to revealAnswerAdjacent failure: cadence without artefacts to review = empty cadence.
• QuestionAnalogy for "Detect set-and-forget antipattern":Tap to revealAnswerIt's like giving a contractor a 6-month project and never visiting the site. Even with good intentions, drift compounds. Visit weekly; correct early.

1. 1Summarise the core idea

   Analyse~10 min

   In your own words, summarise the central idea of "Plugin vs skill (Cowork)". Aim for one paragraph, no jargon you haven't earned.

   Done when: A non-expert could read your paragraph and explain it back to you.

   Re-read the source concept

2. 2Apply it to a real situation

   Apply~15 min

   Find a real situation from your own work / life where "Detect set-and-forget antipattern" applies. Apply the idea — describe the situation, the move you'd make, and the alternative you considered first.

   Done when: You can name a specific situation (not a hypothetical), state your move, and explain the trade-off in one paragraph.

   Re-read the source concept

3. 3Teach it back

   Evaluate~5 min

   Pick someone (a colleague, a peer, a rubber duck) and explain the section to them in under 5 minutes. Use your own example, not the one from the lesson.

   Done when: Your listener can repeat the core idea + the trade-off back to you without prompting.

Why this matters. Reading + quizzing prove recall; applying it in a real situation is the only evidence of transfer. Treat at least one of these as non-negotiable before you move on.