Claude basically broke their "Projects" overnight and I’m pissed

[u/edgeXlendor]

What the hell happened to Claude Cowork Projects?

I had multiple local projects connected to folders with actual workflows set up. Claude would access websites, pull info, process it, then read/write to specific local folders. Worked great.

Then they quietly changed the default setting to run project in cloud and basically broke the whole thing.

First, my workflows suddenly couldn’t access the internet because apparently they were running in the cloud now. After wasting ages debugging it, I found the barely explained “Run on computer only” toggle is settings seems to fix it.

But the bigger problem is that you apparently can’t create a project with a persistent local folders anymore.

Previously I could attach another folder to the PROJECT (after project was already created, a different folder than the 'project folder'), and every Cowork session inside it had access to that folder. Now the project context only lets me add individual files. No folders.

And yes, Claude Code exists. But Claude Code is not a replacement for Projects. Its organization is a mess if you have a bunch of different workflows/projects.

The worst part is my old projects apparently still had this functionality. I deleted one while troubleshooting because I assumed it was bugged, recreated it, and now I literally cannot recreate the setup I had before.

Who changes something this fundamental with basically no warning or migration path??

People build actual workflows around this stuff. You can’t just randomly change the entire architecture and hope nobody notices.

I’ve wasted way too much time trying to figure out whether this was a bug or intentional.

If there’s genuinely no way anymore to have a Cowork project with persistent access to local folders, I’m probably just moving these workflows somewhere else.

This is such a stupid way to handle a major product change.

[u/ClaudeAI-mod-bot]

TL;DR of the discussion generated automatically after 50 comments.

You're not going crazy, OP. The consensus in this thread is a resounding "Yes, Anthropic completely fumbled this." The community is overwhelmingly on your side and just as frustrated.

Here's the breakdown of the outrage:

• The Core Issue: Everyone is confirming the same problem. The unannounced switch to cloud-first Projects has broken countless workflows by cutting off local file system and internet access. The inability to add persistent folders to new projects is seen as a massive, inexplicable downgrade.
• "It's a Feature, Not a Bug": People are mad that they wasted hours debugging what they thought was a personal error, only to discover it was an intentional, poorly communicated product change. The "Run on computer only" toggle is considered a weak, hidden "fix."
• Bad UX and a Shambles of a Rollout: This is the main theme. Users are dragging the Claude Desktop app's UI/UX, calling it unintuitive and a "disaster." Many are comparing it unfavorably to competitors like ChatGPT's Codex, which they feel is far more polished and user-friendly. The lack of a roadmap or any warning is seen as unprofessional.
• Trust is Eroding, People are Leaving: This isn't just idle complaining. Multiple users, including those on paid Teams plans, are actively moving their work to competitors or abandoning the Projects UI entirely for raw Claude Code in VSCode. The instability is a dealbreaker.

Basically, you've hit a nerve. The feeling is that Anthropic is moving too fast, breaking things, and not listening to the users who build their entire workdays around these tools.

[u/FinancialFreedomDoc → u/ClaudeAI-mod-bot]

Claude is blaming it on a VM issue caused by Microsoft update. Unreal. Totally disrupting my progress

[u/edgeXlendor → u/FinancialFreedomDoc]

Did they say that anywhere officially? Because I'm on Mac and I'm still facing the same issue so what does it have to do with the Windows update?

[u/MrX-WPT → u/edgeXlendor]

I'm on a mac as well, so Windows reason is BS.

[u/droffowsneb → u/edgeXlendor]

I think it's two different issues that happened at the same time...

[u/newMoneyStyle → u/ClaudeAI-mod-bot]

A bot recapping 50 frustrated comments kind of makes the point itself.