Coworking spaces have unique challenges — shared Wi-Fi, public screens, noise, and shared terminals. Here's how to make Claude work for you in a shared environment.
Coworking spaces are designed for focus, but they introduce constraints you don't face at home or in a private office:
Claude and CLAUDE.md handle all of these. Here's the setup.
Your CLAUDE.md file travels with your project — it's the same whether you're at a WeWork, a local coffee shop, or a private studio. But there are coworking-specific prompts worth adding.
If you work in spaces where shoulder-surfing is a concern, add this to your CLAUDE.md:
## Privacy in shared spaces
- Never output sensitive values (API keys, tokens, internal IDs) in responses
- Mask or abbreviate any content that contains personal or company data
- When reviewing code, suppress stack traces or verbose error output in shared terminals
## Context switching in noisy environments
- When I ask a vague question, ask for clarification before assuming
- Keep output focused — short first, expand on request
- If I mention "meeting room" or "phone call" I need a quick answer, not a thorough analysis
These adjustments keep Claude useful without demanding silence or a private room.
If you're logging into a shared machine or a cloud workspace, use --no-input flags and environment isolation to prevent state leakage between sessions:
# Start a session with no persistence between restarts (fresh start every time)
claude --no-persist
# Or use CLAUDE.md project folder for project-specific state
cd ~/projects/my-project
claude # picks up CLAUDE.md in that directory
Key tip: Use CLAUDE.md at the project root, not in a dotfile. It travels with the project and is picked up automatically.
Coworking Wi-Fi is unreliable. Here's how to stay productive:
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key_here
CLAUDE.md template — you can paste it in if Claude starts freshIf you lose connectivity mid-session, Claude Code buffers your conversation and resumes when you're back online. Don't restart — wait for the connection to restore.
Coworking spaces are full of interruption. Add this to your CLAUDE.md to help Claude stay on track:
## Focus mode
- Wait for complete instructions before starting work
- If I say "quick", give the shortest useful answer
- If I reference a ticket number or doc URL, treat it as complete context — don't ask what it is
- Ask "ready?" if you've been idle for more than 30 seconds without input
This prevents Claude from going deep on research when you only needed a one-liner — which matters when you're on a noisy call and need a fast answer.
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| Presenting your screen | Type /clear to wipe conversation history from the visible terminal |
| Shared machine | Use claude --no-persist to avoid conversation persistence |
| VPN required | Set up VPN before starting a session; CLAUDE.md stays local regardless |
| Code review on screen | Use /preview to render to a browser tab instead of showing raw code |
For a productive coworking day with Claude, follow this sequence:
claude in your project directory; CLAUDE.md loads automatically/clear before looking away from your screenYes — CLAUDE.md is a file in your project directory. As long as you have read access to that directory, Claude picks it up automatically. No installation required.
Only if they can see your screen. Claude Code conversations are stored locally, not in the cloud (unless you use an online session). Use /clear when stepping away, and avoid leaving terminals unattended with long conversation history.
Set up your VPN before starting a Claude Code session. If you're using the API directly, check that your ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable is set. CLAUDE.md works regardless of network configuration — it's just a file.
Use claude --no-persist to prevent conversation history from being stored between sessions. Start fresh each time you log in.
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