Claude is not one product. Treating it as a chatbot is how you stay in the 90%. Here is how I actually route work.
| Surface | Use it when | Don't use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Chat | Thinking, writing, analysis, long documents, meetings you already had | You need something to run unattended on a schedule |
| Claude Code | Building tools, editing a repo, multi-file work, agents that touch a filesystem | You just need a paragraph |
| Co-work / computer use | A task on your actual machine — files, browser, local apps | You haven't written guardrails yet |
| Claude Design / Artifacts | A thing people can click: a page, a quiz, a dashboard, a one-pager | You need production auth, payments, or a real backend |
Chat is for judgment
This is still where I spend most of my time. Strategy, narrative, hiring notes, rewriting a messy doc into something a human will read. Chat is a thinking partner with a long context window. If the output is a decision or a document, start here.
Code is for shipping
Claude Code is not "for engineers only." It is for anyone who can describe a tool and tolerate a terminal for twenty minutes. I use it to build internal apps our network actually clicks. The trick: give it a CLAUDE.md in the repo that explains the business, the stack, and what not to do. Without that file you are back to a chatbot that happens to write files.
# In CLAUDE.md This repo is an internal tool for [who]. Stack: [languages, hosting]. Never: commit secrets, change auth, delete data. Before coding: restate the task in 4 bullets and wait if anything is ambiguous.
Co-work is for the work already on your laptop
If the files are local — a folder of decks, a spreadsheet export, a messy downloads directory — co-work beats uploading. Treat it like a contractor in your house: they can see the kitchen. They should not mail letters unless you said so. Put "never send, publish, or delete without asking" in every task prompt.
Design / Artifacts is for making the thing visible
This is the version 90% of people never touch. You describe a page or a tool; you get something you can click and share. It is how this site started. Use it for prototypes, internal calculators, and one-pagers. When you need a real database, payments, or logins, graduate to Claude + Lovable or Claude Code. Don't force Artifacts to be a product team.
A simple routing rule
Ask: does this need to exist as a file, a clickable thing, or a decision? File → Code. Clickable → Design. Decision → Chat. Unattended on my computer → Co-work. If you cannot pick in five seconds, it is Chat until it isn't.