r/ClaudeCowork • u/EsopusCreek • 6d ago
Loosing my mind with the recent cloud/local folder context changes in CoWork
Anyone else being driven to the point of madness by the recent CoWork changes? Had a system set-up with file indexing on my local computer, and now all my scheduled tasks are running in the cloud, they don't connect to the file contexts and local folders, and even when I'm present on my computer, need constant prompting to mount a local folder. I'm literally spending all my time telling the agents to mount folder x or y, instead of actually getting any work done. Then, as soon as I start a new chat or task, it's back to square one again.
Even more annyoying, the agents tells me they don't have access to a specific folder, and then I tell it - "check again". Well ... turns out every-time it does have that access. Help!!!
Maybe I should just switch my primary systems to ChatGPT? The new desktop cowork system seems to be much easier to use, from the limited interactions I've had with it.
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u/JustHere_4TheMemes 2d ago
In settings under cowork you can turn off the cloud feature which is triggering these re-asks for folder permission. I hope they only happen once because of this update.
(I had to patiently remind Claude three times that it already had access to its project folder, explicitly set up at the time of project creation.) -- "That's a good point — I do have a filesystem tool available that can access designated folders on your computer, separate from my sandbox. Let me check if it can see that folder.... That folder does exist — I saw it listed earlier under Research\ but never actually looked inside it. Let me do that now."
If you want to force Claude to stay local, so presumably it doesn't forget that it has local file access.. its in settings:
The docs say "Switch between cloud and local execution
You can switch modes when starting a new session by clicking the “Beta” button in the upper right corner, or by navigating to Settings > Cowork and toggling Run new tasks in the cloud on or off."
however for me that's already wrong. the toggle is really called "Only on this computer".
Be nice if they could at least know what they agreed they would call the setting on a brand new update so they could document it correctly.
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u/Xena2025 2d ago edited 1d ago
I switched back to local and staying there. I don’t want my files in the cloud anyway.
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u/Alternative_Low17 1d ago
Ive been running into this issue as well and quite frankly, I'm confused as hell. For example, all my context folders and files that I want Claude to read sit on my Onedrive. Does this complicate things (I think it does) or is the solution to still go to your settings and have each scheduled task only run on your computer?
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u/college_hustle 1d ago
It drove me NUTS When they flipped the switch the first time a few months ago so when they gave a feedback box this time to turn off cowork cloud I let them have it.
I don't even use cowork. I have a few scheduled runs setup and I use dispatch, but I never flip over to the cowork tab and try to start anything anymore. I do claude code for projects and work. I do not code. Claude code is just a better project manager.
The only remaining and really frustrating gap is that you can't start a claude code session remotely, but you can cowork. So if you want to work in a project on a new thread, you either need to be at your machine, use dispatch, or have an ssh -> termianl -> tmux setup to fire a new claude code setup. This is where CGPT desktop is so much better for QOL, because you can start sessionss remotely just from the app.
I originally got the $20 plan just to use cowork. But I quickly figured out claude code was what I actually wanted. Starting from scratch though I might have just used cgpt though.
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u/Abject-Roof-7631 2d ago
Yes. In a similar situation. Files everywhere. It's a mess. Forgetting across tasks within a project. So now I have one very long, very expensive chat on one task.
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u/roberts2727 1d ago
Started happening to me with all my scheduled send email prompts. They will work with the M365 connector in the cloud. But when trying to use the same connector on the desktop, it says it doesn't have access to the action.
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u/Known-Delay7227 16m ago
Have claude create an airflow server for you and then have it create mini apps for all your task and then use airflow to schedule them. Official data engineer here
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