Teach Claude a computer chore once by recording it, then reuse or schedule it

1. Workflow

1. Pick one chore you repeat at least weekly and plan a short recording: what to have open, a safe sample input, the steps in order, and one spoken line per step that explains why you do it.

   Tool

   Claude chat (ChatGPT or Grok also fine)

   Why

   Anthropic's help center says the best skills solve one specific, repeatable task and focus on one workflow. A recording can run about 10 minutes, and narration gives Claude context it can't get from the screen alone, like why you skip a step (Claude Help Center: How to create custom skills, updated Oct 15 2026).

   Cost

   $0 on Claude Free.

   Copy prompt Paste into ChatGPT, Claude or Grok.

   Preview prompt: Recording plan and narration script

   ROLE You are a workflow coach who helps people hand a repetitive computer chore to Claude by recording it once. GOAL Help me pick one chore and plan a short, narrated screen recording that Claude's "Record a skill" can turn into a reusable skill. WHAT THE NEXT STEP NEEDS A recording plan for Step 3: what to have open, the inputs to use, the clicks in order, and one narration line per step that says WHY I do it, all short enough to finish in well under 10 minutes. HOW TO WORK WITH ME Do not write the deliverable yet. Interview me first. - Ask your questions ONE AT A TIME and wait for my answer before asking the next. (If I ask for speed, you may ask a short numbered batch of at most 5 questions instead.) - With every question, offer 2-3 sensible example answers or a default, so I can reply "default" or pick one. - If an answer is vague, ask one follow-up. If I don't know, choose a sensible default and tell me what you chose. - Do not generate the deliverable until I have answered every question. When you have enough, give me a 3-5 line summary of what you understood and ask me to confirm. - Do not invent facts about me, my business or my work. If something is missing, ask. QUESTIONS TO COVER (in a sensible order, skip any I already answered above) 1. What chore do you do by hand at least weekly on your Mac? Examples: turn a CSV export into a formatted weekly report, rename and file this week's downloads into client folders, pull numbers from a dashboard into a spreadsheet. (Default: a weekly report from a spreadsheet export.) 2. Which apps, sites and files does it touch, and are you signed in to any of them? (Default: one spreadsheet app and one folder, no sign-ins.) 3. What does a finished result look like, and where does it go? Examples: a file in a named folder, a filled-in doc, a draft. (Default: a file saved in one working folder.) 4. Which parts change each time (dates, file names, clients) and which always stay the same? (Default: only the date range and input file change.) 5. Where do you make a judgment call, and how do you decide? Examples: which rows to skip, how to name things, what counts as an error. (Default: you suggest the likely decision points and I confirm.) 6. What is on screen that must not be recorded? Examples: passwords, client data, private chats, an open inbox. (Default: nothing sensitive; use a sample or dummy file.) THE DELIVERABLE (only after I confirm) 1. RECORDING PLAN: chore name, start state (apps, files and folders to have open; everything else closed), the sample input to use, and the expected finished result. 2. STEP SCRIPT: numbered steps, each with the action and one short narration line that says why (for example "I sort by date because the client wants newest first"). 3. DECISION RULES: each judgment call written as "If ... then ...". 4. CLOSE BEFORE RECORDING: a checklist of anything sensitive to close or hide. Keep the whole script doable in about 5 minutes; if it's longer, split it into two skills and tell me. Put everything I should copy inside one clearly delimited block that starts with a line "=== COPY START ===" and ends with a line "=== COPY END ===", with no commentary inside the block. Put any notes outside it. AFTER THE DELIVERABLE Ask me: "Anything to tweak?" If I ask for changes, revise and give me the full updated block again between the same markers. Repeat until I say it is good. FINISH When I'm happy, end with one line telling me what to do next: go to Step 2 to get your Mac and Claude ready, then record in Step 3 while reading this script.

2. Get ready: update Claude for Mac to the latest version, close every file, app and conversation you don't want captured, and be ready to grant the two macOS permissions Claude asks for the first time (Accessibility and Screen recording). macOS may ask you to restart Claude.

   Tool

   Claude for Mac

   Why

   These are Anthropic's "Before you record" steps. Everything on screen and everything you say is captured for the whole session, so the help center warns not to type passwords or show sensitive information or private conversations (Claude Help Center, updated Oct 15 2026).

   Cost

   Record a skill needs Pro ($20/month billed monthly), Max or Team; it isn't on Free or Enterprise.

3. Record it: open Cowork in Claude for Mac, click + in the composer and choose Record a skill (or go to Customize > Skills > Add > Record your screen). Click Start recording, leave the mic on, do the chore once while reading your Step 1 script, then click Done (or Discard to throw it away).

   Tool

   Claude Cowork (Mac)

   Why

   This is the recording flow in Anthropic's help center. The capture bar counts the steps it has captured; a countdown appears with about a minute left, and at zero everything so far is sent to Claude as if you clicked Done (Claude Help Center, updated Oct 15 2026). Anthropic announced the feature on July 21, 2026 (@claudeai on X).

   Cost

   Included in Pro, Max and Team; uses your plan's usage limits.

4. Review what Claude proposes: expand Content on the proposal card, then Save a NEW skill (or Update, if Claude matched an existing skill) or Dismiss. Then tighten it so it works on new inputs, and paste the improved version into the skill in Customize > Skills.

   Tool

   Claude Cowork (Mac)

   Why

   After Done, Claude starts a Cowork task, reviews the recording and proposes a new skill or an update to an existing one. Saved skills appear in Customize > Skills and can be edited like any other. Skill names are capped at 64 characters and descriptions at 200, and Claude uses the description to decide when to use the skill (Claude Help Center, updated Oct 15 2026).

   Cost

   Included in your plan; uses your plan's usage limits.

   Copy prompt Paste into a new Cowork task in Claude for Mac.

   Preview prompt: Skill tune-up

   ROLE You are Claude, reviewing a skill I just saved from a screen recording. You are a careful process writer. GOAL Turn the skill you drafted from my recording into one that works on new inputs, not just the example I showed you. WHAT THE NEXT STEP NEEDS A cleaned-up skill (name, description and instructions) that I can paste into the skill in Customize > Skills, ready for a test run in Step 5. HOW TO WORK WITH ME Do not write the deliverable yet. Interview me first. - Ask your questions ONE AT A TIME and wait for my answer before asking the next. (If I ask for speed, you may ask a short numbered batch of at most 5 questions instead.) - With every question, offer 2-3 sensible example answers or a default, so I can reply "default" or pick one. - If an answer is vague, ask one follow-up. If I don't know, choose a sensible default and tell me what you chose. - Do not generate the deliverable until I have answered every question. When you have enough, give me a 3-5 line summary of what you understood and ask me to confirm. - Do not invent facts about me, my business or my work. If something is missing, ask. QUESTIONS TO COVER (in a sensible order, skip any I already answered above) 1. Which skill are we reviewing? Paste its name, or paste its full content from Customize > Skills. 2. What changes between runs that the recording showed only once? Examples: the date range, the input file, the client name. (Default: you list what looked variable and I confirm.) 3. Hidden preferences the recording might have missed? Examples: naming conventions, number formats, which columns to drop, where to save. (Default: you propose 3 and I confirm.) 4. What should happen if an input is missing, empty or looks wrong? (Default: stop and tell me what's missing instead of guessing.) 5. What must the skill never do without asking me? Examples: send or post anything, delete or overwrite files, submit a form, buy anything. (Default: it may read and create files in the working folder; it asks before anything else.) THE DELIVERABLE (only after I confirm) 1. NAME: 64 characters or fewer. 2. DESCRIPTION: 200 characters or fewer, saying what the skill does AND when to use it, since Claude reads this to decide when to load the skill. 3. INSTRUCTIONS: sections WHEN TO USE, INPUTS (what I must give each time), STEPS (numbered), DECISION RULES (If ... then ...), CHECK THE RESULT, RETURN (exact output and where it is saved), ASK FIRST (every action that sends, posts, deletes, overwrites, submits or buys) and IF SOMETHING IS MISSING. 4. CHANGES: a short list of what you changed from the recorded version and why. Put everything I should copy inside one clearly delimited block that starts with a line "=== COPY START ===" and ends with a line "=== COPY END ===", with no commentary inside the block. Put any notes outside it. AFTER THE DELIVERABLE Ask me: "Anything to tweak?" If I ask for changes, revise and give me the full updated block again between the same markers. Repeat until I say it is good. FINISH When I'm happy, end with one line telling me what to do next: update the skill in Customize > Skills with this version, then go to Step 5 and test it on a fresh example.

5. Test it on a fresh, real example in a new Cowork task. Use Manually approve for this first run, check that Claude says it's using the skill, and compare the result with what you'd have made by hand.

   Tool

   Claude Cowork

   Why

   Anthropic's skill checklist says to try prompts that should trigger the skill, review Claude's thinking to confirm it loaded it, and adjust the description if Claude doesn't use it when expected. Its safety guide recommends Manually approve when you're using a new tool for the first time or a mistake would be hard to undo (Claude Help Center, updated Oct 15 2026; Use Claude Cowork safely).

   Cost

   Included in your plan; uses your plan's usage limits.

   Copy prompt Paste into a new Cowork task in Claude.

   Preview prompt: First test run with a report

   ROLE You are Claude, running one of my saved skills for the first time on a new example while I watch. GOAL Test my recorded skill on a fresh real input and report exactly where it held up and where it didn't. WHAT THE NEXT STEP NEEDS A finished result plus a short test report, so I can decide whether the skill is ready to schedule in Step 6 or needs another fix in Step 4. HOW TO WORK WITH ME Do not write the deliverable yet. Interview me first. - Ask your questions ONE AT A TIME and wait for my answer before asking the next. (If I ask for speed, you may ask a short numbered batch of at most 5 questions instead.) - With every question, offer 2-3 sensible example answers or a default, so I can reply "default" or pick one. - If an answer is vague, ask one follow-up. If I don't know, choose a sensible default and tell me what you chose. - Do not generate the deliverable until I have answered every question. When you have enough, give me a 3-5 line summary of what you understood and ask me to confirm. - Do not invent facts about me, my business or my work. If something is missing, ask. QUESTIONS TO COVER (in a sensible order, skip any I already answered above) 1. Which skill should you use? (Give me its exact name; tell me if you can't find it in my skills.) 2. What are this run's inputs? Examples: this week's export file, a date range, a folder. (Default: the newest file in my working folder.) 3. Where should the result be saved? (Default: the same working folder, with today's date in the file name.) 4. Should you stop and ask me before anything outside creating files in that folder? (Default: yes, ask first for every other action.) THE DELIVERABLE (only after I confirm) 1. Tell me in one line that you are using the skill, by name, before you start. If you are not using it, say so. 2. Run the skill on the inputs I gave you. 3. THE RESULT: where you saved it, plus a 3-line summary of what's in it. 4. TEST REPORT: each skill step marked done, changed or skipped, anything you had to guess, anything that looked wrong, and up to 3 fixes to the skill's description or instructions. AFTER THE DELIVERABLE Ask me: "Anything to tweak?" If I ask for changes, revise and show the full updated version again. Repeat until I say it is good. FINISH When I'm happy, end with one line telling me what to do next: if the report shows guesses or skipped steps, go back to Step 4 with it; if it's clean, go to Step 6 to schedule it.

6. Optional: put it on a schedule. Type /schedule in any Cowork task, or click Scheduled in the left sidebar > New task > Create with Claude. Pick the cadence and approval mode, click Schedule, and check the first runs on the Scheduled page.

   Tool

   Claude Cowork scheduled tasks

   Why

   Scheduled tasks can use your skills and connectors, run hourly, daily, weekly, on weekdays or manually, and run remotely even when your Mac is asleep. A task that needs local files or apps only runs locally. Anthropic advises starting with low-risk tasks, not scheduling sends or purchases, reviewing every run and pausing tasks you don't use (Claude Help Center: Schedule recurring tasks, updated Oct 14 2026; Use Claude Cowork safely).

   Cost

   Scheduled tasks are on all paid plans; each run uses your plan's usage limits.

   Copy prompt Paste into any Cowork task in Claude.

   Preview prompt: Scheduled task setup

   ROLE You are Claude, helping me put a tested skill on a schedule safely. GOAL Create one scheduled task that runs my tested skill on a regular cadence, with safe approval settings. WHAT THE NEXT STEP NEEDS A scheduled task with a clear name, a cadence, an approval mode and instructions that name the skill, its inputs, where results go and what to do if an input is missing. HOW TO WORK WITH ME Do not write the deliverable yet. Interview me first. - Ask your questions ONE AT A TIME and wait for my answer before asking the next. (If I ask for speed, you may ask a short numbered batch of at most 5 questions instead.) - With every question, offer 2-3 sensible example answers or a default, so I can reply "default" or pick one. - If an answer is vague, ask one follow-up. If I don't know, choose a sensible default and tell me what you chose. - Do not generate the deliverable until I have answered every question. When you have enough, give me a 3-5 line summary of what you understood and ask me to confirm. - Do not invent facts about me, my business or my work. If something is missing, ask. QUESTIONS TO COVER (in a sensible order, skip any I already answered above) 1. Which skill should run? (Give me its exact name.) 2. How often? The options are hourly, daily, weekly, on weekdays, or manually. (Default: weekly, Monday morning, my time zone.) 3. Where do the inputs come from each time, and does the task need files or apps that are only on my computer? (Default: files saved to my Claude account or a connected tool, so it can run while my Mac is off.) 4. Where should results go, and how should I hear about them? (Default: saved as a file; I review it on the Scheduled page.) 5. Which approval mode? (Default: Manually approve for the first few runs, so anything beyond reading and drafting waits for me.) 6. What if the input is missing or unchanged since last run? (Default: report that and stop, don't reuse old data.) THE DELIVERABLE (only after I confirm) 1. TASK NAME, CADENCE and APPROVAL MODE. 2. TASK INSTRUCTIONS: "Use the [skill name] skill on [inputs]. Save the result to [place]. If an input is missing or unchanged, report it and stop. Never send, post, delete, submit or buy anything without asking me." 3. After I confirm, create the scheduled task and show me its name, schedule and what it does so I can click Schedule. AFTER THE DELIVERABLE Ask me: "Anything to tweak?" If I ask for changes, revise and show the full updated version again. Repeat until I say it is good. FINISH When I'm happy, end with one line telling me what to do next: check the first run's result on the Scheduled page in the left sidebar, and pause the task if you stop needing it.

2. Recommended tool chain

1. Claude chat (ChatGPT or Grok also fine)
2. Claude for Mac
3. Claude Cowork (Mac)
4. Claude Cowork (Mac)
5. Claude Cowork
6. Claude Cowork scheduled tasks

3. Total cost

Unpriced items are left out of the total (marked “cost not sourced”), so the real total is higher. All totals are our arithmetic from sourced unit prices.

4. Current promos

• Claude Pro annual billing: $17/month vs $20 monthly

  Anthropic's pricing page lists Pro at $17/month with an annual subscription ($200 billed up front) versus $20/month billed monthly. This is a standing discount, not a limited-time sale.

  Applies to: Claude Pro on the cheapest route ($17/month billed annually vs $20 monthly)

  Standing, no end date. Only worth it if you'll keep Pro for a year.

  Source: Anthropic: Claude pricing, checked Oct 19, 2026

5. Learn it

Last verified Oct 19, 2026. Items older than 30 days are marked.

6. Caveats and assumptions

• Record a skill is Mac-only and needs Pro, Max or Team. ChatGPT and Codex's Record & Replay is also Mac-only. Grok Bot's Teach a task records a browser workflow in the Bot's own computer view, with no microphone, and xAI says it may be enabled gradually (see our Grok Bot playbook).
• Everything on your screen and everything you say is captured while recording. Use sample files and close inboxes, client data and private chats first. Never type passwords during a recording.
• Anthropic says the video and audio aren't kept; what's saved is a set of screenshots inside the Cowork task, and deleting that task removes them.
• One recording shows one example. Check the drafted skill for variable inputs, naming rules and decision points before trusting it on new data.
• If your message box no longer shows Chat and Cowork options, you have Anthropic's new unified Claude experience, which is rolling out gradually; some steps may look different.
• Scheduled tasks run while you're away. Don't schedule anything that sends messages, makes purchases or touches sensitive files, and review each run on the Scheduled page.
• Anthropic doesn't publish how much usage a recording or a scheduled run takes. Check Settings > Usage after the first week.
• Plan features and prices are from Anthropic's pages on the verified date and can change; costs are our arithmetic, one month unless stated.

Last verified Oct 19, 2026.