The Tool Desk
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The exact controls depend on the artifact’s generation, your plan, device, organization settings, and whether the artifact uses Claude, connected apps, or stored data. A legacy chat artifact follows a different Publish or Share & copy link process, so identify which kind you have before sending anything.
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What Claude calls an artifact
Claude describes an artifact as substantial, self-contained content that is suitable to edit, iterate on, reuse, or refer to later. It is more than a short answer in a chat: the output has its own canvas or viewer and can function as a deliverable.
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- Documents: reports, briefs, plans, and other formatted writing.
- Code and interactive tools: small utilities, calculators, forms, and prototypes.
- Visual work: diagrams, dashboards, images, and single-page sites.
The Help Center defines legacy artifacts as artifacts created in a chat before September 16, 2026. Those older artifacts continue to work, but Claude no longer creates new ones in that legacy format. New work uses the current artifact experience and its Share controls.
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| Artifact generation | How it is created | Primary sharing control | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Chat or supported template | Share | Starts private; most shared versions require the viewer to sign in |
| Legacy chat artifact | Created before September 16, 2026 | Publish for Free, Pro, and Max, or Share & copy link for Team and Enterprise | A published link can be opened without an account for basic use |
Check requirements before you create one
Artifacts need Claude’s code execution and file-creation capabilities. On Free, Pro, or Max, turn them on at Settings > Capabilities. On Team or Enterprise, an administrator may need to enable them under Organization settings > Capabilities. The Help Center states that artifacts require both capabilities to be enabled.
Use Claude on the web or Desktop for the full creation and sharing workflow. Mobile apps can display some work, but sharing settings cannot currently be changed in the iOS or Android apps.
Templates are an alternative to starting with a blank chat. Depending on your account, you may see templates for Docs, Slides, or Design. Some template offerings are beta features limited to particular plans, so a missing template does not necessarily indicate an error.
Create an artifact from a clear outcome
1. Describe the result and its user
Begin in a Claude chat with the outcome you need, who will use it, and the constraints that matter. “Make a project brief for a two-person engineering team, with risks, milestones, and an editable decision log” gives Claude a useful target; “write something about projects” does not.
If important requirements are unknown, ask Claude to interview you first. The official Claude Academy tutorial recommends using a short question-and-answer phase to clarify the audience, inputs, outputs, visual style, and success criteria before building the prototype.
2. Start in chat or choose a template
Ask Claude to create the artifact in the conversation, or select a template and fill in its purpose. Templates can provide a structured canvas for documents, slide decks, or designs, while chat is more flexible for a custom tool, diagram, or web page.
For an interactive artifact, specify the actions a user must be able to perform, the data it should accept, and what should happen after each action. For a document or visual, specify the intended format, length, hierarchy, and export destination. Concrete requirements reduce the amount of rework later.
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When Claude produces a qualifying output, it opens in the artifact interface rather than remaining only as a chat message. Keep the originating conversation available: it contains the instructions and any files that may be relevant to the artifact’s behavior or sharing permissions.
Refine the result with prompts or direct edits
Prompt Claude for targeted changes
Iterate in small, testable requests. Ask for one change at a time—such as “add keyboard navigation,” “replace the example data with three fictional records,” or “reduce the introduction to 120 words”—and then inspect the result. State what must not change when preserving an existing section is important.
For a tool, test the main path after each functional change. Check empty inputs, invalid values, mobile-sized windows, and any calculation or navigation that matters to the user. An artifact can look complete while still containing a broken interaction.
Edit the canvas directly
Current templates and supported artifacts can be edited on their canvas. In Markdown and Docs, select text and choose Edit with Claude to request a focused rewrite. Direct editing is useful for correcting names, labels, formatting, and small factual changes without regenerating the whole artifact.
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Explore alternatives without losing the original
You can edit earlier chat messages to explore another branch or approach. This is useful when you want a simpler layout, a different tone, or a second implementation while retaining the prior direction in the conversation history.
Export when a link is not the right handoff
Export formats depend on the template type. Choose an export option from the artifact interface when you need a file that can be stored, reviewed, or opened in another application.
| Artifact type | Documented export choices |
|---|---|
| Documents | Word, PDF, Markdown, or Google Docs |
| Slide decks | PowerPoint, PDF, or Google Slides |
| Designs | ZIP, PDF, PowerPoint, standalone HTML, or another tool |
| Motion animations | MP4 |
| Legacy chat artifacts | View code, copy content, or download |
An export is a snapshot, not automatically a live connection to the Claude artifact. If you continue editing the artifact after exporting, create a new export when recipients need the latest version.
Share a current artifact
Current artifacts start private to you. On Claude’s web or Desktop interface, use this sequence:
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- Click Share.
- Select the audience offered for that artifact and plan.
- Choose the available access level, such as viewing, commenting, or editing where those controls are provided.
- Review the resulting permissions and click the option to copy the link.
- Send the copied link through your normal channel.
Do not assume that every artifact has the same menu. An artifact that uses Claude, a connected app, or restricted team data may not be eligible for external link sharing. The Share panel is the authoritative list of choices for that specific item.
Understand the audience choices
| Audience or setting | Who can use it | Sign-in and availability notes |
|---|---|---|
| Only you | The owner | Useful while drafting; no recipient access |
| Invited people | People selected by email | Supported in some beta flows and on Team or Enterprise; recipients generally authenticate |
| Organization | Members of your organization | Team and Enterprise administrators can control whether this option is available |
| Anyone with the link | Anyone who obtains the URL, subject to the artifact’s restrictions | Pro and Max support this option; Team and Enterprise require external sharing to be enabled by the owner or administrator |
For current shared artifacts, recipients generally need to sign in to Claude. Their own plan limits apply when they use Claude-powered features, and the creator is not charged for the viewer’s usage. This is different from a legacy published artifact, which can provide basic access without an account.
Share with a team or organization
Team and Enterprise workspaces can offer invited-person or organization-level sharing, but administrators may restrict external links. If an option is missing, ask the workspace administrator whether external sharing or that artifact category is allowed; changing the artifact itself may not restore a disabled control.
Keep access as narrow as the task permits. Named invitations or organization-only access are preferable for internal material because a forwarded link is less likely to expose it outside the intended group.
Handle legacy chat artifacts correctly
If the artifact was created in a chat before September 16, 2026, its interface may show legacy controls rather than the current Share menu.
Free, Pro, and Max
- Open the legacy artifact in its chat.
- Choose Publish.
- Review the publication state and copy the generated link.
- Send the link only after checking the artifact and its originating chat for sensitive material.
Publishing adds the legacy artifact to the account’s Artifacts area. Anyone with the link can open it without a Claude account for basic functionality, although Claude-powered features require sign-in.
Team and Enterprise
These accounts may show Share & copy link instead of Publish. Follow the workspace’s displayed audience and permission controls rather than assuming the Free, Pro, or Max menu applies.
Unpublish carefully
Unpublishing revokes access, but the Help Center says the same legacy artifact cannot be republished. Unpublishing also permanently deletes the stored data for that legacy artifact. If it must be shared again, create a new artifact and review its content before publishing.
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Check privacy and security before sending the URL
Sharing an artifact can expose more than the visible canvas. Complete this review:
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- Audience: Confirm whether the setting is private, named people, organization-only, or anyone with the link.
- Originating chat: Inspect attachments and uploaded files. Viewers may gain access to materials associated with the artifact’s source conversation.
- Stored data: Determine whether the artifact uses personal or shared storage. Shared storage can be visible to other users of that artifact.
- Secrets: Remove API keys, passwords, private customer data, and internal identifiers before sharing.
- Unknown artifacts: Treat an artifact from an unfamiliar creator like code or a file from an unknown sender. Do not enter credentials or confidential data until you understand what it does.
Know how Claude features and connected apps affect viewers
Claude-powered interactions
An interactive artifact may ask each viewer for permission the first time it uses Claude. Viewers sign in with their own Claude account and consume their own plan allowance. The creator’s account is not billed for that usage.
Connected apps
Connected-app access requires approval and uses each viewer’s own connections, not the creator’s credentials. A viewer who has not connected the required service may see a permission request or a limited experience. Do not share an artifact expecting it to inherit your private integrations.
Persistent storage
Storage can be personal or shared, depending on the artifact and plan. The current product information specifies a limit of 20 MB per artifact for text-only storage. Confirm who can see stored records before using an artifact as a tracker, form backend, or collaborative database. Avoid putting sensitive information in shared storage unless that visibility is intentional.
Troubleshoot a missing button or inaccessible link
You cannot create an artifact
- Check that cloud code execution and file creation are enabled in Settings > Capabilities, or ask an administrator to check Organization settings > Capabilities.
- Confirm that you are using the web or Desktop interface for the full workflow.
- If you expected a template, verify whether it is a beta feature restricted to your plan.
You cannot find Share
- Confirm whether the item is a legacy chat artifact. Older items may show Publish or Share & copy link instead.
- Check whether the artifact uses Claude, a connected app, or restricted workspace data; those features can block external links.
- On Team or Enterprise, ask whether an administrator has disabled external sharing.
The recipient cannot open the link
- Have the recipient sign in to Claude; current shared artifacts generally require an account.
- Verify that the link was copied after the intended audience was selected and that the artifact has not been unpublished.
- For organization-only sharing, confirm that the recipient belongs to the correct workspace.
A legacy link works for viewing but not for an interactive feature
Basic access to a published legacy artifact can be anonymous, but Claude-powered features require the viewer to sign in. Ask the viewer to authenticate rather than republishing the item.
When an artifact is a prototype, not a production application
Claude Academy presents artifacts as a fast way to build, test, iterate, and share prototypes. That makes them useful for validating an idea with real users before investing in a full application.
The same tutorial advises moving to more robust infrastructure and implementing proper API-key management when an app approaches production. Treat that as guidance, not a guarantee that an artifact is production-ready. Before relying on one for critical work, evaluate authentication, authorization, data retention, backups, monitoring, accessibility, performance, and regulatory obligations in a system designed for those requirements.
Quick Recap
A practical pre-send checklist
- Confirm that the artifact contains the intended version and no test data or secrets.
- Identify whether it is current or legacy.
- Open Share, Publish, or Share & copy link as appropriate.
- Set the narrowest audience that supports the task.
- Check whether viewers need Claude accounts or specific workspace membership.
- Review originating-chat attachments, connected apps, and storage visibility.
- Open the copied link in a separate browser session or ask a test recipient to verify the expected experience.
- Keep an editable source or export if the artifact is important, especially before changing or unpublishing a legacy item.
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