The idea

A work app is a custom app you build for your own job. It keeps one set of data about your work, puts a structured screen on top of it, and Claude keeps that data current. You own it, run it, build it and use it.

This section explains the idea. It answers "what is this, and why would I want one?" before the Learn course shows you how to build it.

The three parts

Part	What it is	In your app
One set of data	Everything the app knows, kept in files on your laptop	One data file per module, such as `tasks.json` and `people.json`; Markdoc pages for About and the wiki
A structured screen	Pages you open in your browser to read and change that data	The sidebar, the tables, the task list, the wiki
Kept current by Claude	Claude reads and writes the files when you ask	You say "Add Maya Okafor to People", Claude writes the row, the page reloads

Most tools give you one of these. A spreadsheet gives you data with a weak screen. A chat with Claude gives you help with no data that lasts. A work app joins the three, for one person and one job.

What you start with

Your app starts with up to five modules in the sidebar. You pick them on Create; About is always in:

Module	What it holds
Tasks	What you have to do, as a list you tick off
People	Who you work with, as a table
Goals	What you are aiming for this year, and whether each is on track
Wiki	This explainer, the course, and what you learn about your work
About	Your role, written by Claude after it interviews you

None of them needs a connector, so they all work in your first hour with data you type or paste.

A worked example

Sam is a customer success manager at Brightlane, a software company. They are new in the role. In their first hour they:

paste the setup prompt from starta.dev/create into the Code tab, and Claude makes their work app and opens it in their browser;
answer Claude's questions about their role, and Claude writes their About page;
add the goals they are measured on, such as renewals closed and healthy accounts;
add the people they work with at Tallow & Co and Harbourline Logistics;
list this week's follow-ups in Tasks;
design their own module, Accounts, with the columns they want.

Sam does not write code. They describe what they want in the Code tab of the Claude desktop app, Claude changes the files, and they check the result in the browser. By the end of the hour they have something they will open tomorrow.

In this section

Page	Read it to
Why build your own	See what a work app keeps you on top of: numbers and tasks
Four roles	Understand why you are owner, operator, builder and end user
How you build	Learn the loop: describe, build, test, steer, fix, save, repeat, ship
Principles	Know the rules every change is checked against
How it differs	Compare a work app with a personal OS, a company brain, Excel, Notion and Power BI

When you are ready to build, go to How it works for the pieces, or straight to Learn to start.