Anthropic rolls out interactive Claude apps for workplace tools, including Slack, Canva

Anthropic has launched a new feature that allows Claude users to access interactive apps directly within the chatbot interface, the company stated in a blog post. The update enables users to call up third-party applications inside Claude, reflecting Anthropic’s continued focus on enterprise and workplace use cases.

At launch, the available apps are largely professional tools, including Slack, Canva, Figma, Box and Clay, with a Salesforce integration expected soon. In each case, the app connects a logged-in instance of the service to Claude, allowing the chatbot to interact with it on the user’s behalf. Depending on which apps are enabled, users can send Slack messages, generate charts, design content or access cloud-based files without leaving the Claude interface.

Anthropic said the combination of a dedicated visual interface and Claude’s AI capabilities is intended to help users analyse data, design content and manage projects more efficiently than either approach alone. The company informed users that the new feature is available only to Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise subscribers, and not to those on the free tier. Eligible users can activate the tools through the directory at claude.ai/directory.

The system closely mirrors OpenAI’s Apps platform, which launched in October and also supports interactive third-party tools. Both Anthropic’s and OpenAI’s app integrations are built on the Model Context Protocol, or MCP, an open standard introduced by Anthropic in 2024. Support for apps under MCP launched in November, drawing on work from both companies.

Anthropic added that the new apps will become more powerful when combined with Claude Cowork, an all-purpose agent tool launched by the company last week. Cowork is built on top of Claude Code and allows users to assign multi-stage tasks that draw on large and open-ended datasets, tasks that would previously have required terminal-based commands. When paired with app integrations, Cowork could be given access to cloud files or ongoing work projects, enabling it to carry out actions such as updating a marketing graphic in Figma or using new data from a company’s Box account.

Apps are not available inside Cowork at launch, but Anthropic said the integration is coming soon. The company also cautioned that agentic systems can be unpredictable, noting in its safety documentation for Cowork that users should closely monitor the agent and avoid granting unnecessary permissions. Anthropic recommended being cautious when giving access to sensitive information such as financial documents, credentials or personal records, and advised users to consider creating a dedicated working folder for Claude rather than providing broad access.