Set Up Cowork and Run Your First Task — Install, configure, and produce your first real output

I have two CSV files in my workspace folder: sample-settlements-bank.csv and sample-settlements-internal.csv. The first has Settlement_Amount, the second has Recorded_Amount. They should match but some don't. Create an Excel workbook with 3 sheets: Sheet 1 - Matched transactions where amounts are equal. Sheet 2 - Variances where amounts differ, with a Difference column and conditional formatting (RED for >$500 difference, YELLOW for $100-500). Sheet 3 - Summary statistics with formulas for total count, matched count, variance count, total amounts, and net variance. Sort variances by largest difference first.

List all files in my workspace folder. For each file, show: filename, file type, size, and number of rows (if CSV). Give me a summary at the end.

Look at all the files in my workspace folder. Rename each file with a descriptive name based on its content (e.g., "Q3-settlement-report.xlsx" instead of "Document1.xlsx"). Create subfolders by file type (spreadsheets, documents, presentations, data). Move each file into the right subfolder. When you're done, create an index.md file listing every file, its new name, which folder it's in, and a one-line description of what it contains.

I'm pasting notes from a team meeting below. Extract: (1) every decision that was made and who made it, (2) every action item with the owner's name and deadline if mentioned, (3) open questions that weren't resolved, (4) a draft follow-up email summarising the meeting in 5 bullet points — ready to send to attendees. Format as a clean markdown document. Save as meeting-summary.md.

[Paste your meeting notes here]

I'm pasting messages from my inbox (emails, Slack messages, or both). For each message, categorise it as: (1) RESPOND NOW — needs a reply today, (2) SCHEDULE — needs action but not today, (3) DELEGATE — someone else should handle this, (4) ARCHIVE — informational only, no action needed. For each RESPOND NOW item, draft a 2-3 sentence reply. For each SCHEDULE item, suggest a deadline. Output as a clean action list sorted by priority.

[Paste your messages here]

I'm going on leave. Here are my current open tasks, projects, and responsibilities:

[Paste your task list, open tickets, ongoing projects, and any context]

Create a handoff document with: (1) each item's current status and next step, (2) who to contact if something comes up (suggest based on context), (3) items that can wait vs. items that need coverage, (4) any deadlines that fall during my absence. Format it so a colleague can scan it in 2 minutes and know exactly what's going on.

I've drafted an email but it's too long / too blunt / too vague. Here it is:

[Paste your draft email here]

Rewrite it to be: (1) half the length, (2) professional but warm, (3) with a clear ask in the first sentence, (4) no more than 3 paragraphs. If there are multiple asks buried in the email, break them into a numbered list. Keep my meaning — just make it clearer.

I'm pasting a Slack thread that got long and messy. Summarise it in this format:

(1) **Decision** — what was actually agreed (if anything). If no decision, say "No decision reached."
(2) **Key points** — the 3-5 most important things said, with who said them.
(3) **Action items** — who committed to doing what, with deadlines if mentioned.
(4) **Open questions** — anything unresolved that still needs an answer.
(5) **One-line TL;DR** — the whole thread in one sentence.

[Paste the Slack thread here]

I'm pasting a Jira/helpdesk ticket export (or a list of tickets with subject, status, priority, and created date). Triage them for me:

(1) **Act now** — tickets that are high priority, overdue, or have been open more than 3 days with no response.
(2) **Today** — medium priority tickets that need attention but aren't urgent.
(3) **This week** — lower priority items that can wait.
(4) **Needs info** — tickets where the description is too vague to act on. Draft a quick follow-up question for each.
(5) For each "Act now" ticket, suggest a next step based on the subject line.

Sort by urgency. Save as a triage-plan-[date].md.

[Paste your ticket export here]

I have a list of Jira tickets that need status update comments. For each ticket I'll provide: ticket ID, current status, and what happened this week.

For each ticket, draft a professional Jira comment that: (1) states the current status clearly, (2) explains what was done since the last update, (3) lists next steps or blockers, (4) tags anyone who needs to act (I'll fill in the @mentions). Keep each comment under 5 sentences. No corporate fluff.

[Paste your ticket list: ID, status, what happened]