Questions
- Is Claude Cowork safe to use with my files?
- Can Cowork see everything on my computer, or only what I choose?
- Will Claude delete or change my files without asking?
- What does it mean that my Cowork session runs remotely? Are my files uploaded somewhere?
- Is my Bowdoin work private, and is it used to train the AI?
- When does Cowork ask my permission before doing something?
- What is prompt injection, and should I worry about it?
- How do I stay in control if I am nervous about letting an AI touch my files?
Environment
This article is for Bowdoin community members using Claude Cowork on a Bowdoin-managed Claude account. It explains the safety model so you can decide how you want to use it. You do not need to be technical to follow it.
- Who: Students, faculty, and staff who have been granted access to the Claude tools.
- What: Claude Cowork in the Claude Desktop app on a current version of macOS or on Windows 11, on a Bowdoin Team or Enterprise plan.
- Not in scope: Claude Code safety, which is covered in Is Claude Code Safe? Security and Your Work Explained in the Related Articles section.
Resolution
The short version: Cowork can only touch the folders you choose to connect, it asks your permission before anything risky, and it always asks before deleting a file. Your Bowdoin work is private and is not used to train the AI. You stay in control the entire time.
What Cowork can and cannot see
Cowork does not roam around your computer. Cowork can only read or change files inside a folder that you have connected to it. Everything else on your machine, including your other documents, photos, email, and saved passwords, stays out of reach unless you deliberately connect a folder that contains it.
- You pick the folder. Cowork sees that folder and the items inside it, and nothing else.
- If you never connect a folder, Cowork cannot read any of your local files at all.
- You can disconnect a folder at any time.
Where your work actually happens
When you give Cowork a task, the work runs on Anthropic's servers in a temporary, private workspace that is created just for that one session and removed when the session ends. That temporary workspace cannot reach the Bowdoin network or your other computers. When a task needs a file from your computer, Claude reaches it through the Claude Desktop app, but only for the folders you connected, and only while the app is open. If you close the desktop app, Cowork can no longer see your local files.
Will it delete my files?
Deletion always requires your approval. No matter which mode you are using, Claude cannot permanently delete a file without showing you a prompt that you must select Allow on first. If you do not approve it, the deletion does not happen. Even so, keep a backup of anything important, for example by storing your Claude work folder in OneDrive.
How Claude checks with you: the three modes
Cowork has three modes that control how often it pauses to ask permission. You can switch modes at any time from the mode selector in the message box.
- Manual (Manually approve): Claude pauses and asks before each meaningful action. This is the most cautious mode and a good place to start.
- Auto (Automatically approve): Claude keeps working without stopping for every step, but still reviews each action for safety and blocks anything unsafe. Claude still stops to ask for sensitive actions such as connecting a new folder or deleting files.
- Skip (Skip all approvals): Claude does not pause and nothing checks its actions automatically. Use this only when you completely trust everything involved in the task.
What is prompt injection?
Because Claude can read web pages, emails, and documents, it can occasionally run into content written by someone else to try to trick it, for example a web page with hidden text that says "ignore your instructions and do something else." This trick is called prompt injection. Claude is trained to recognize and refuse it, and Cowork scans incoming content for it. You lower the risk further by only connecting folders and sites you trust, keeping sensitive files out of connected folders, and stopping a task if Claude starts doing something you did not ask for.
Is my Bowdoin work private?
Yes. On Bowdoin's managed (Work) plan, your prompts, files, and Claude's outputs are not used to train Claude's models. For the full picture of who manages the data and how long it is kept, see Data privacy on your Bowdoin-managed Claude account in the Related Articles section.
Additional Help
If you need further assistance, you have several options:
- Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
- Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
- In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
- Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.
Additional Resources
AI-assisted content: This article was drafted with the assistance of an AI writing tool and reviewed by Bowdoin IT staff for accuracy.