How to Use Claude Code Cowork Mode (2026)

Claude Code's cowork mode lets you run multiple Claude Code instances simultaneously on the same project. Instead of one agent doing everything sequentially, you can spin up parallel agents that coordinate work, tackle different parts of a feature, or handle separate concerns -- all at the same time.

This guide covers how to set up cowork mode, practical workflows, and tips to avoid the common pitfalls.

What Is Cowork Mode?

Cowork mode is Claude Code's built-in multi-agent collaboration feature. When you launch Claude Code with cowork enabled, you can:

Run multiple Claude instances in separate terminal panes
Have each instance work on different files or tasks simultaneously
Let instances communicate context through shared project files
Coordinate complex features that span frontend, backend, and tests

Think of it like pair programming, except you have multiple AI partners working in parallel while you orchestrate.

Prerequisites

Before using cowork mode, ensure you have:

Claude Code installed globally: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
A valid Anthropic API key or Claude Max subscription
A well-structured CLAUDE.md file in your project (critical for multi-agent consistency)
A terminal multiplexer (tmux, iTerm2 split panes, or VS Code terminals)

Setting Up Cowork Mode

Step 1: Prepare Your CLAUDE.md

When multiple agents work on the same codebase, shared conventions are essential. Your CLAUDE.md should explicitly define:

# CLAUDE.md

## Project Structure
- /src/app - Next.js pages and layouts
- /src/components - Shared UI components
- /src/lib - Business logic and utilities
- /src/db - Database schema and queries

## Coding Conventions
- TypeScript strict mode is enabled
- Use named exports, not default exports
- Components use interface Props, not inline types
- All database queries go through the repository pattern

## File Ownership (for parallel work)
- Agent A: src/app/api/**, src/db/**
- Agent B: src/components/**, src/app/(marketing)/**
- Agent C: src/lib/**, tests/**

The file ownership section is optional but helps prevent merge conflicts when agents work simultaneously.

Step 2: Launch Multiple Instances

Open separate terminal panes and launch Claude Code in each one:

Terminal 1 -- Backend Agent:

claude "You are working on the backend. Implement the new /api/orders
endpoint with CRUD operations. Use the existing repository pattern
in src/db/repositories/. Do not modify any frontend files."

Terminal 2 -- Frontend Agent:

claude "You are working on the frontend. Build the orders management
page at src/app/(dashboard)/orders/page.tsx. Use the existing
DataTable component pattern. The API endpoint will be at /api/orders.
Do not modify any backend files."

Terminal 3 -- Test Agent:

claude "You are writing tests. Watch the src/app/api/orders/ and
src/app/(dashboard)/orders/ directories. As files appear or change,
write comprehensive tests. Use the existing test patterns in tests/."

Step 3: Coordinate Through Files

The agents share the filesystem, which means they can coordinate through actual code. The backend agent creates the API types, and the frontend agent imports them:

// src/types/orders.ts (created by backend agent)
export interface Order {
  id: string;
  customerId: string;
  items: OrderItem[];
  total: number;
  status: "pending" | "confirmed" | "shipped" | "delivered";
  createdAt: Date;
}

export interface CreateOrderInput {
  customerId: string;
  items: { productId: string; quantity: number }[];
}

The frontend agent will pick this up when it reads the project structure and use the same types, ensuring type safety across the full stack.

Practical Cowork Workflows

Workflow 1: Feature Development (Frontend + Backend + Tests)

This is the most common pattern. Three agents work on a single feature from different angles.

Agent	Responsibility	Scope
Backend	API routes, database queries, business logic	`src/app/api/`, `src/db/`, `src/lib/`
Frontend	UI components, pages, client state	`src/components/`, `src/app/(routes)/`
Tests	Unit tests, integration tests	`tests/`, `__tests__/`

Launch order matters. Start the backend agent first so it creates the types and API contracts. Then launch the frontend agent. The test agent can run last or concurrently.

Workflow 2: Large Refactoring

Split a large refactor into independent chunks:

# Terminal 1: Refactor authentication
claude "Migrate all auth logic from next-auth v4 to v5. Only touch
files in src/lib/auth/ and src/app/api/auth/. Update the session
type definitions."

# Terminal 2: Refactor database
claude "Migrate all database queries from raw SQL to Drizzle ORM.
Only touch files in src/db/ and src/lib/repositories/. Keep the
same function signatures."

# Terminal 3: Update imports and types
claude "Watch for type errors across the project. As the auth and
database refactors progress, update any broken imports or type
mismatches in the remaining files."

Workflow 3: Code Review + Fix

One agent reviews while another fixes:

# Terminal 1: Reviewer
claude "Review all files changed in the last 3 commits. Create a
file at .claude/review-findings.md with issues found, categorized
by severity (critical, warning, suggestion)."

# Terminal 2: Fixer (start after reviewer finds issues)
claude "Read .claude/review-findings.md and fix all critical and
warning issues. Mark each one as resolved in the file."

Best Practices

1. Define Clear Boundaries

The most common failure mode is two agents editing the same file simultaneously. Prevent this by:

Specifying which directories each agent owns
Using explicit instructions like "do not modify files in src/components/"
Keeping shared types in a dedicated /types directory that one agent owns

2. Use Plan Mode for Coordination

When agents need to coordinate on shared interfaces, run the first agent in plan mode:

claude --permission-mode plan "Design the API contract for the orders
feature. Create type definitions and document the endpoints. Do not
implement anything yet."

Review and approve the plan, then launch implementation agents that follow the established contract.

3. Stagger Agent Launches

Do not launch all agents simultaneously. Give the foundational agent (usually backend or types) a 2-3 minute head start:

Minute 0: Launch the types/contracts agent
Minute 2: Launch the backend implementation agent
Minute 3: Launch the frontend implementation agent
Minute 4: Launch the test agent

4. Monitor with Git

Use git to track what each agent is doing:

# Watch for file changes in real-time
watch -n 5 'git status --short'

# See what changed since agents started
git diff --stat

# Create checkpoints
git add -A && git commit -m "checkpoint: agents mid-progress"

5. Handle Conflicts

If two agents modify the same file, you will see conflicts. Handle them by:

# Check for conflicts
git diff --check

# Let Claude resolve them
claude "There are merge conflicts in src/types/orders.ts. Resolve
them by keeping both agents' contributions and ensuring type safety."

Cost Considerations

Running multiple agents in parallel multiplies your API costs. Here is a rough cost breakdown:

Setup	Agents	Estimated Cost/Hour
Single agent (Sonnet)	1	$2-5
Cowork (Sonnet x3)	3	$6-15
Cowork (Opus + Sonnet x2)	3	$15-30

To optimize costs in cowork mode:

Use Sonnet for implementation agents and reserve Opus for the planning/architecture agent
Run /compact in each agent after completing sub-tasks
Set --max-turns to prevent runaway agents
Shut down agents as soon as their task is complete

# Cost-optimized cowork setup
claude -m opus "Design the architecture for..."  # Planning agent
claude -m sonnet "Implement the backend..."       # Implementation
claude -m sonnet "Implement the frontend..."      # Implementation
claude -m haiku "Write tests for..."              # Testing (simple)

Common Issues and Solutions

Agents overwriting each other's work: Set explicit file boundaries in your instructions and CLAUDE.md. Use git commits as checkpoints.

Context window filling up: Run /compact in each agent regularly. Long-running agents accumulate context quickly.

Agents duplicating work: Be specific about scope. "Implement the order creation endpoint" is better than "work on orders."

Inconsistent code style: Ensure your CLAUDE.md has detailed style conventions. Both agents read it and follow the same rules.

Conclusion

Cowork mode turns Claude Code from a single assistant into a coordinated development team. The key to success is clear boundaries, staggered launches, and good project documentation in your CLAUDE.md.

Start with the simple two-agent pattern (backend + frontend) before scaling to three or four agents. As you build intuition for how agents coordinate, you can tackle increasingly complex parallel workflows.

If you are building AI-powered applications that need media generation capabilities -- images, video, speech, or avatars -- Hypereal AI offers a unified API with access to the latest models. It pairs naturally with Claude Code for building AI-driven products.