Anthropic’s Chrome extension is now a Cowork session

Anthropic has rolled out a significant update to its Chrome extension, transforming Claude in Chrome from a somewhat isolated experience into a comprehensive Claude Cowork client within the browser. The updated extension is now accessible to all Max and Team plan subscribers, with plans to extend it to Pro users in the near future. Prior to this update, Claude in Chrome functioned independently from other Claude applications, leading to complaints about its disjointed nature in review sections of the Chrome Web Store.

With the new update, all conversations are now recorded in the user's history, allowing for seamless transitions between desktop, mobile app, and browser usage. Additionally, skills and connectors previously exclusive to other Claude platforms are now available in the Claude sidebar on Chrome.

The primary advantage of this extension lies in its ability to interact with the user's browser, utilizing it to access tools that would otherwise be inaccessible, such as internal dashboards, legacy systems, and vendor portals. This functionality was likely a prerequisite for bringing Cowork to the web and mobile platforms.

Anthropic has also implemented safety measures to mitigate potential risks associated with AI agents operating in a browser environment, including prompt injection attacks. These measures, which automatically monitor the agent for any unusual behavior, are designed to reduce the risk while still prompting user approval for sensitive actions like making purchases or sharing personal data. However, Anthropic clarifies that these safety measures cannot completely eliminate the inherent risks.

The extension is currently being rolled out to Max and Team plan users, with Pro users expected to see it in the coming weeks. Enterprise plan users currently have the feature disabled by default, though administrators have the option to enable it and restrict its use to specific domains. It's important to note that the extension is not compatible with Chromium-based browsers other than Chrome, nor does it support mobile platforms.