[FEATURE] Expose configurable memory and CLAUDE.md paths in Cowork mode

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

Cowork mode inherits Claude Code's auto-memory system and CLAUDE.md loading, but neither path is user-configurable within Cowork's UI.

Memory path: Auto-memory writes to a hardcoded local VM path. Users working from multiple devices (desktop and laptop) cannot share memory state between them, and the built-in persistence layer is opaque — users can't browse, manage, or co-locate memory files alongside their other project documents.

CLAUDE.md path: Users can work around this today by mounting a cloud drive and adding a read instruction to a local CLAUDE.md that points to the cloud-hosted copy. But this is a workaround, not a supported configuration. The local CLAUDE.md becomes a bootstrapping shim rather than the actual instructions file.

Context: Claude Code (CLI) already has infrastructure for configurable memory paths — CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_MEMORY_PATH (v2.1.64) and autoMemoryDirectory (v2.1.74). These address the same need but are not exposed to Cowork users. Cowork's sandboxed VM environment doesn't surface environment variables or a settings.json for user configuration. Existing feature requests (#28276, #1292, #25739) cover the CLI side — this request is specifically about the Cowork product surface.

Use case: I run multi-project design work through Cowork with all structural documents (project briefs, design files, backlogs) hosted on Google Drive. The startup protocol mounts the drive and loads project files from it every session. This works reliably for CLAUDE.md (via a local shim) and all project documents — but memory files are the one piece of session continuity that can't be co-located with everything else. Making both paths configurable would deliver cross-device access, a single source of truth, and user visibility over memory files.

Proposed Solution

Expose the existing autoMemoryDirectory setting and an equivalent CLAUDE.md location setting within Cowork's configuration surface — whether that's a settings panel in the Claude desktop app, a project-level config option, or a property within the CLAUDE.md file itself.

The underlying infrastructure already exists in Claude Code (CLI). The ask is specifically about surfacing these options in Cowork mode, where users don't have access to environment variables, settings.json, or CLI flags.

Related CLI-side issues: #28276 (configurable memory), #1292 (configurable CLAUDE.md), #25739 (portable memory across machines). This request covers the same need from the Cowork product surface, which has no current mechanism to set these paths.

Alternative Solutions

_No response_

Priority

Medium - Would be very helpful

Feature Category

Configuration and settings

Use Case Example

I would like a persistent experience whilst toggling between using my PC version and Laptop versions of Claude CoWork.
Whilst I may use either as a VM environment for discussion and instruction, I would like a consistent location for Claude instructions to exist without having to rely on Global instruction dialogues which Claude Cowork has managed to self-rationalize itself around.
This solution would effectively allow me (and potentially others) to maintain a persistent working document repository without synching issues.

Additional Context

_No response_