The Claude in Chrome side panel is now Claude Cowork
02:00 · August 12, 2026 · Claude Blog

Summary
Anthropic has updated its Claude in Chrome extension so that the side panel now runs a full Claude Cowork session rather than an isolated browser conversation. Sessions remain tied to the user account, which means history, skills, and connectors carry over between the browser, desktop application, web interface, and mobile apps. A workflow begun in one tab can therefore continue on another device without loss of context.
The extension grants Claude direct access to the current web page, allowing it to click links, enter text, navigate, and complete forms while using the user’s existing credentials. This capability extends Claude’s reach to internal dashboards, legacy systems, and vendor portals that lack native connectors. A typical use case involves extracting invoice data from multiple portals to populate a budget spreadsheet, after which the same session can be resumed on the desktop app to incorporate local files.
To address prompt-injection risks inherent in browser-based agents, the update adds an action-verification step. When automatic approval is enabled, Claude proceeds through routine steps without interruption, yet any consequential operation such as form submission, message dispatch, or file download is checked against the original user request and blocked if it deviates. Irreversible actions continue to require explicit confirmation. Enterprise administrators can keep the extension disabled by default and restrict it to approved domains. The feature is currently available to Max and Team plan users, with rollout to Pro users underway; it remains limited to Chrome and does not yet support other Chromium browsers or mobile environments.
Why it matters
This update is highly relevant for product teams and builders as it introduces powerful browser-based AI agent capabilities for workflow automation. The inclusion of enterprise-grade security controls and prompt injection mitigations aligns well with the strict data and security standards of the Dutch and EU markets.




