Set up Claude and Codex for private work

When you hand Claude or Codex a piece of work, such as a weekly client report, it needs the right material to do the job and nothing it has no reason to touch. Settings decide how that help works: the background the assistant remembers, the instructions it follows, and the files and tools it can use. With the client’s notes and your report template, it can prepare a draft that fits the job.

Settings help most on recurring work. The assistant can remember how you like things explained, follow the same report format each week, and save drafts to the right folder. Saved background and instructions carry over from week to week, while each new report takes its facts from that week’s notes.

This course follows one weekly client report through every setting. You will check which account may receive the notes, choose what to save for later, test file access with harmless sample files, compare model settings, and check a finished draft. For private work, the account’s data rules and the permissions you choose decide which material and actions are appropriate. An approved extract, meaning a copy of just this client’s figures that you are allowed to share, supplies the evidence and keeps other clients’ records private.