Automate a Price Tracker with Cowork

Use Claude Cowork to scrape and track chocolate prices from Action.com.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

Everyone loves finding a good deal on their favorite snacks. But checking prices manually every week gets old fast.

In this project, you will build an automated price tracker that scrapes chocolate prices from Action.com Netherlands using Claude Cowork and saves structured data to your local machine on a recurring schedule.

What You'll Build

A fully automated price tracking system that uses Claude Cowork with the Claude in Chrome browser connector to navigate Action.com, extract product pricing data, and save it to Excel spreadsheets on your PC.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

A Cowork project with custom instructions for repeatable chocolate price extraction from Action.com Netherlands.
A scheduled task that automatically collects prices on a weekly basis without any manual effort.
A growing price history dataset saved as dated Excel spreadsheets in a dedicated folder on your local machine.
Secret Mission: Analyze your collected price data to identify trends, find the best deals, and generate a price summary report.

Are there any prerequisites?

You need an active Claude Pro subscription ($20/month), the Claude Desktop app installed on Windows, and Google Chrome. Your Pro plan already includes access to Cowork and the Claude in Chrome extension at no extra cost.

Install and Configure Claude in Chrome

For Claude to browse websites and extract data on your behalf, it needs access to your browser. Claude in Chrome is a browser extension that lets Claude read pages, click buttons, navigate between tabs, and pull information from any site you give it permission to visit.

In this step, you will install the extension, connect it to Claude Desktop, and verify everything is linked up so Claude can control the browser from inside Cowork.

In this step, get ready to:

Install the Claude in Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store.
Enable Claude in Chrome as a connector inside Claude Desktop.
Verify that the connection works in a new Cowork task.

Install the Claude in Chrome extension

Claude in Chrome is Anthropic's official extension that gives Claude the ability to see and interact with web pages. You need it installed in Google Chrome before Claude Desktop can send browser tasks through it.

Press the Windows key to open your search bar.
Type Google Chrome and press Enter to open it.
In the Chrome address bar, navigate to the Chrome Web Store.
Search for Claude and find the extension published by Anthropic.
Click Add to Chrome to install the extension.
Sign in with your Claude account credentials when prompted.
Pin the extension by clicking the puzzle piece icon in the Chrome toolbar.
Click the thumbtack next to Claude so the icon stays visible in your toolbar.

What is Claude in Chrome?

Claude in Chrome is a beta browser extension included with all paid Claude plans. It adds a side panel to Chrome that lets Claude read page content, click links, fill forms, and navigate between tabs.

When connected to Claude Desktop, it allows Cowork tasks to control the browser without you switching windows. This is what makes automated data extraction possible.

Extension won't install or sign in?

Verify you have an active paid plan subscription (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise). Claude in Chrome is not available on the free plan.

If sign-in fails, try clearing your browser cache and cookies for claude.ai, then sign out and back into your Claude account.

Claude in Chrome is only supported on Google Chrome. It does not work on other Chromium-based browsers like Edge or Brave.

Help me troubleshoot the Claude in Chrome extension installation.

Enable Claude in Chrome as a connector in Claude Desktop

The extension is installed in Chrome, but Claude Desktop does not know about it yet. You need to enable it as a connector so Cowork can send browser tasks through the extension.

Press the Windows key to open your search bar.
Type Claude and press Enter to open Claude Desktop.
Click your initials in the lower left corner of the app.
Select Settings.
Navigate to Connectors.
Find Claude in Chrome in the list and click Configure.
Toggle the connector on.

Why do I need to enable this separately?

Claude Desktop and Chrome are separate applications. The connector is what bridges them together, allowing Cowork to send instructions to the Chrome extension.

Even after toggling it on here, the connector is disabled by default in each new conversation. You will enable it per-conversation when you start a Cowork task.

Don't see Claude in Chrome in the connector list?

Make sure the Claude in Chrome extension is installed and you are signed into it with the same account you use in Claude Desktop.

Try restarting Claude Desktop if the connector does not appear. Updates sometimes require a restart to detect newly installed extensions.

Help me get Claude in Chrome showing up in my Claude Desktop connectors.

Verify the connection

With both sides configured, you can now confirm that Cowork sees the Chrome connector and can use it for browser tasks.

In Claude Desktop, click the Cowork tab at the top of the app.
Click + New task to start a new Cowork task.
In the chat bar, look for the connectors dropdown (the + button).
Click it and verify that Claude in Chrome appears as an available connector.

What should I see?

You should see Claude in Chrome listed in the connectors dropdown with a toggle to enable it. You do not need to enable it right now. Seeing it in the list confirms that Claude Desktop and the Chrome extension are linked.

Your browser is now connected to Claude Desktop. Next up, you will create a dedicated Cowork project with custom instructions for scraping chocolate prices from Action.com.

Create Your Price Tracker Project

Your Chrome connector is live and ready to browse the web on your behalf. Now it's time to give Claude a home base for the price tracking work.

In this step, you'll create a dedicated folder on your PC where Claude saves all scraped data, then wrap it in a Cowork project with custom instructions. The instructions act as a standing brief that tells Claude exactly what to scrape, which fields to capture, and how to name the output files.

In this step, get ready to:

Create a local folder to store price data.
Create a Cowork project linked to that folder.
Add project instructions that define the scraping rules.

Create a dedicated folder for price data

Claude Cowork saves finished work directly to a local folder on your machine. You need to create this folder first so the project has somewhere to write spreadsheets.

Open File Explorer by pressing the Windows key and typing File Explorer, then pressing Enter.
Navigate to your Documents folder in the left sidebar.
Right-click in the empty space, select New, then Folder.
Name the folder Action-Prijzen and press Enter.

Your folder path is now C:\Users\your Windows username\Documents\Action-Prijzen.

Why this specific folder?

Cowork reads and writes files directly to whatever folder you link to a project. By placing it inside Documents, the folder is easy to find and won't interfere with any other work on your Desktop.

Create a new Cowork project

A Cowork project groups related tasks into a persistent workspace with its own instructions, memory, and scheduled tasks. You'll link your new folder to a project so Claude always knows where to save output.

Switch back to Claude Desktop.
Click the Cowork tab at the top of the window.
In the left sidebar, find Projects and click the + button.
Select Use an existing folder.
In the file picker, navigate to Documents and select the Action-Prijzen folder you just created.
In the Name field, type Action Chocolade Prijzen.
Click Create.

Your new project appears in the left sidebar. It's linked to your local folder, so any file Claude generates lands in Action-Prijzen automatically.

What is a Cowork project?

Think of it as a workspace with a long-term memory. Each project stores its own instructions, context, and scheduled tasks. Claude remembers what you've done in a project and applies that knowledge to future tasks within it.

Projects are stored locally on your PC. There's no cloud sync, so your price data stays on your machine.

Don't see the Projects section?

Make sure you're on the Cowork tab (not the regular Chat tab). Projects only appear in Cowork. If the section still doesn't show, update Claude Desktop to the latest version.

help me find Projects in Claude Desktop Cowork

Add project instructions

Project instructions act as a standing brief for every task in this workspace. When you run a scrape later, Claude already knows the target site, the data fields, and the output format without you repeating yourself each time.

Inside your new Action Chocolade Prijzen project, find the Instructions section.
Click to edit the instructions, then paste the following text:

# Action.com Chocolate Price Scraper

## Target
- Website: action.com/nl-nl
- Category: Chocolade (chocolate)

## Data fields to extract for each product
- Product name
- Current price (EUR)
- Price per unit
- Deal/sale flag (yes or no)
- Stock status (in stock or out of stock)
- Image URL

## Output format
- File type: Excel spreadsheet (.xlsx)
- Include a "Date" column with today's date on every row
- File naming: chocolade-prijzen-YYYY-MM-DD.xlsx (use the actual date)
- Save to the project folder

## Process
1. Navigate to action.com/nl-nl
2. Find and open the chocolate/chocolade category
3. Extract ALL product listings, paginating through every page of results
4. Compile all data into a single Excel spreadsheet
5. Save the file with today's date in the filename

What do these instructions do?

These instructions tell Claude the exact website to visit, which product category to scrape, and what data to pull from each listing. The output section ensures every spreadsheet uses the same format and naming convention.

Because they live at the project level, Claude applies them automatically to every task you start in this project. You won't need to re-explain the rules each time you run a scrape.

After pasting, click Save to confirm your instructions.
Verify the instructions appear in the project by clicking back into the Instructions section. You should see the full text you just pasted.

Instructions not saving?

Make sure you clicked Save after pasting the text. If the text disappears when you navigate away, try pasting again and confirming with the save button before switching views.

help me save instructions in my Cowork project

Your project is configured and ready to scrape. Next up, you'll run your first live extraction and watch Claude navigate Action.com to collect chocolate prices.

Run Your First Chocolate Price Scrape

Your project is configured with instructions, a linked folder, and a browser connector. Now it's time to put Claude to work on the actual Action.com website.

In this step, you'll launch your first scraping task inside Cowork. Claude will navigate Action.com Netherlands through Chrome, browse the chocolate category, and save all product data into a structured Excel spreadsheet in your local folder.

In this step, get ready to:

Start a new Cowork task with Claude in Chrome enabled.
Run your first chocolate price scrape on Action.com NL.
Verify the output spreadsheet contains correct product data.

Start a new task

Each scraping run lives in its own task inside your Cowork project. The task needs Claude in Chrome enabled so Claude can control your browser.

In your Action Chocolade Prijzen project, click + New task.
In the chat bar, click the connectors dropdown.
Confirm that Claude in Chrome appears and is enabled for this conversation.

Why do I need to check the connector each time?

Claude in Chrome is disabled by default for each new conversation. You need to manually enable it in the connectors dropdown every time you start a new task that requires browser access.

Don't see Claude in Chrome in the dropdown?

Make sure Google Chrome is open and the Claude extension icon is visible in your Chrome toolbar. If the connector still doesn't appear, return to Claude Desktop settings and verify the toggle is on under Connectors.

Help me troubleshoot why Claude in Chrome isn't showing up in my Cowork connectors dropdown.

Give Claude the scraping instruction

Your project instructions already tell Claude what to extract and how to format it. Now you just need to tell Claude to begin the scrape.

In the chat input, tell Claude to navigate to Action.com Netherlands, find all chocolate products, and extract their pricing data into a spreadsheet.
Claude will show you a plan of which websites it intends to access. Review the plan to confirm it targets action.com/nl-nl.
Click Approve to let Claude proceed.

What happens after you approve?

Claude opens Chrome, navigates to action.com/nl-nl, browses the chocolate category, paginates through all results, and extracts each product's data. You'll see Chrome moving between pages automatically.

This process may take a few minutes depending on how many chocolate products are listed. Let Claude work through all the pages without interrupting.

Use Ask before acting mode

If this is your first time using Claude in Chrome, the default permission mode is Ask before acting. This means Claude shows you a plan before each browser action. You can review what it intends to do and approve or reject each step.

Claude can't find the chocolate category?

Action.com updates its site layout periodically. If Claude has trouble locating the chocolate section, try telling it to search for "chocolade" using the site's search function instead of browsing by category.

Help me guide Claude to find chocolate products on Action.com Netherlands.

Review the output

Once Claude finishes the extraction, it saves the spreadsheet directly to your linked folder. Time to verify the data looks correct.

Open your Action-Prijzen folder in File Explorer.
Look for a file named chocolade-prijzen-YYYY-MM-DD.xlsx where the date matches today.
Double-click the file to open it in Excel or your default spreadsheet app.

Verify the following in your spreadsheet:

Product names are in Dutch (e.g., "Melkchocolade" instead of "Milk chocolate").
Prices are in EUR with correct decimal formatting.
The date column reflects today's date.
Columns exist for: product name, current price, price per unit, deal/sale flag, stock status, and image URL.

What if some fields are missing or incorrect?

Go back to your Cowork task and tell Claude what needs fixing. For example, "The price per unit column is empty for some rows. Please re-check those products." Claude can re-run the extraction or fix specific issues without starting from scratch.

No spreadsheet in your folder?

Check that your Cowork project is linked to the correct folder. Open your project settings and verify the folder path matches C:\Users\[YourName]\Documents\Action-Prijzen. If the path is wrong, update it and ask Claude to save the file again.

Help me figure out why Claude didn't save the spreadsheet to my folder.

Your first scrape is complete and you have real price data sitting in your folder. Next up, you'll set this to run automatically so you never have to trigger it manually again.

Schedule Automatic Price Collection

Your first scrape proved that Claude can navigate Action.com and extract chocolate prices into a structured spreadsheet. One snapshot is useful, but price tracking only becomes valuable when you collect data over time.

Cowork's scheduled tasks let you automate any task on a recurring cadence. You'll set up a weekly schedule so Claude scrapes prices every Monday morning without you lifting a finger.

In this step, get ready to:

Create a scheduled task using the /schedule command.
Configure the task to save a new dated file on each run.
Verify the schedule and test it with an immediate run.

Set up the scheduled task

Right now, you'd have to open a new task and type your scraping instructions every time you want fresh price data. A scheduled task removes that manual step entirely.

Switch back to your Action Chocolade Prijzen project in the Cowork tab.
Click in the chat input at the bottom of the screen.
Type /schedule and press Enter.
Claude will ask you what task you'd like to schedule. Tell it you want a weekly chocolate price scrape that runs every Monday at 9:00 AM.

What does /schedule do?

The /schedule command opens Cowork's task scheduling flow directly from any conversation. It's a shortcut to creating recurring tasks without navigating through the sidebar.

You can also create scheduled tasks by clicking Scheduled in the left sidebar and then clicking + New task.

Configure the task details

Claude will walk you through a series of questions about your scheduled task. The key detail here is that each run should create a brand new file instead of overwriting the previous one.

When Claude asks for the cadence, select weekly and set the day to Monday at 9:00 AM.
When Claude asks what the task should do, specify that it should navigate to Action.com NL, extract all chocolate prices, and save a new spreadsheet to your Action-Prijzen folder.
Specify that each run must create a new file with the date in the filename (chocolade-prijzen-YYYY-MM-DD.xlsx) so previous data is never overwritten.
Confirm and save the scheduled task when Claude presents the final summary.

Why a new file each time?

Saving a separate file per run builds your price history. If Claude overwrote the same file each week, you'd only ever have the latest prices with no way to compare over time.

The date in the filename (chocolade-prijzen-2026-05-26.xlsx) makes it easy to sort files chronologically and identify which scrape each file belongs to.

Verify the scheduled task

Before you walk away and wait a week, confirm the schedule is configured correctly and test it with an immediate run.

Click Scheduled in the left sidebar.
Confirm your chocolate price scrape task appears in the list with a weekly cadence and the correct next run time (next Monday at 9:00 AM).
Click Run now to test the task immediately.
Wait for Claude to complete the scrape. Once finished, open your Action-Prijzen folder and confirm a second spreadsheet now exists alongside your first one.

Task not appearing in the Scheduled sidebar?

Make sure you completed the scheduling flow and confirmed the final summary. If you closed the conversation before Claude finished setting up the task, it may not have saved.

Try again by clicking + New task directly from the Scheduled sidebar page. Fill in the name, description, prompt, cadence, and folder, then click Save.

Still stuck? Help me set up a scheduled task in Claude Cowork.

When do scheduled tasks actually run?

Scheduled tasks only run while your computer is awake and Claude Desktop is open. If your PC is asleep at the scheduled time, Cowork skips that run and executes it automatically once your computer wakes up and the app reopens.

To get the most reliable results, keep Claude Desktop open and configure your Windows power settings to prevent sleep on Monday mornings (or whichever day you chose).

Your price tracker now runs on autopilot. Every Monday morning, Claude will scrape fresh chocolate prices and add a new spreadsheet to your folder. After a few weeks, you'll have enough data to spot pricing trends and deals.

Secret mission

Analyze Your Price Trends

You've been collecting chocolate prices for weeks. Now put that data to work. Use Claude Cowork to cross-reference your spreadsheets and uncover which products have the most volatile pricing, the best deals, and the optimal time to buy.

Clean Up Your Resources

Decide whether to keep your resources running, pause them to come back later, or delete them entirely. This project runs on your existing Claude Pro subscription with no additional ongoing costs.

Resources you used:

Claude in Chrome extension (free, included with your Pro plan).
Local Action-Prijzen folder with price data spreadsheets (no cost, local storage only).
A scheduled Cowork task in the "Action Chocolade Prijzen" project (uses your Pro plan usage allocation).

What about Pro plan usage?

Scheduled tasks consume your plan's usage allocation just like regular Cowork tasks. A weekly price scrape of one category is lightweight. Monitor your usage in Settings > Usage if you add more scheduled tasks.

Keep everything running

No action needed. Choose this if you are still actively building your price history.

Leave Claude Desktop open and your PC awake on schedule days.
Your scheduled task continues to run every Monday at 9:00 AM.
New spreadsheets accumulate in your Action-Prijzen folder automatically.
No ongoing costs beyond your existing Pro subscription ($20/month).

Pause - I'll come back to this later

Pause the scheduled task to stop automatic runs while keeping everything intact. Resume any time you want to start collecting again.

Click Scheduled in the left sidebar of Claude Desktop.
Find your chocolate price task in the list.
Click Pause to stop automatic runs.
Your collected spreadsheets and project remain untouched.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Remove the scheduled task, extension, and local files entirely.

Delete the scheduled task: click Scheduled in the left sidebar of Claude Desktop.
Find your chocolate price task and delete it.
Remove the Claude in Chrome extension: in Chrome, right-click the Claude extension icon next to the address bar.
Select Remove from Chrome and confirm by clicking Remove.
Delete local spreadsheets: open File Explorer and navigate to your Action-Prijzen folder in Documents.
Delete the entire folder to remove all price data and reports.

That's a Wrap!

Nice work! You just built an automated price intelligence system for Action.com Netherlands without writing a single line of code.

You've learned how to:

Connected Claude in Chrome as a browser connector so Claude Cowork can navigate and extract data from real websites autonomously.
Created a dedicated Cowork project with custom instructions that guided Claude to scrape structured product data from Action.com NL and save it locally as an Excel spreadsheet.
Set up a scheduled task for hands-off recurring price collection, building a growing price history dataset week by week.
Analyzed your collected price trend data to identify the most volatile chocolate products and generated best-time-to-buy recommendations.

Ready to quiz yourself?