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Lesson 5 of 5 · 10 minutes · Module 2: Put Claude to work

Make a small tool with an artifact

An artifact is something Claude makes that you could put in front of someone. In this lesson you’ll ask for a small tool that does one job, try it with real numbers, and work out what to do when it goes wrong.

You need

  • A Claude account
  • A calculator or pen and paper to check the maths
  • About ten minutes

A narrated walkthrough of this lesson is coming. The steps below cover everything in it.

Written by Jack Stovell · Updated 9 October 2026

  1. Step 1 of 5

    See what an artifact is

    Claude’s help page describes an artifact as anything Claude makes for you that you’d put in front of someone: a design, a deck, a document, a dashboard or a small interactive tool. It opens beside your conversation, and you can edit it, come back to it, and share it. Claude decides when something counts, and it should be significant and self-contained, usually over 15 lines, and something you’d want to reuse. The page says creating artifacts in a chat is available on the Free plan.

    Screenshot captured 9 October 2026.
    1. An artifact is something Claude makes that you would show someone
    2. Free plans can create artifacts in a chat

    Step 1: See what an artifact is

    Anthropic’s help page “What are artifacts and how do I use them?”, with the definition of an artifact and the line saying artifacts are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans.

    CheckpointYou can say what an artifact is.

  2. Step 2 of 5

    Check the setting

    Anthropic’s page says artifacts need “Cloud code execution and file creation” turned on in Settings, then Capabilities. If artifacts don’t appear, look there first.

    Screenshot captured 9 October 2026.
    1. This setting must be on (Settings, then Capabilities)

    Step 2: Check the setting

    Anthropic’s help page showing the note that artifacts require Cloud code execution and file creation to be turned on in Settings, then Capabilities.

    CheckpointThe setting is on.

  3. Step 3 of 5

    Ask for a tool that does one job

    Ask for one job, and say who’ll use it, and what to do when it’s used wrongly. We asked for a page that splits the cost of a shared compost order, and we got a complete page of about 200 lines. If Claude shows you code instead of opening something beside the chat, Anthropic’s page says you can ask for one in any conversation.

    The prompt · works in Claude
    Make me a small web page, in one single HTML file with the style and script inside it, that splits the cost of a shared compost order. I type the total cost in pounds and the number of plot holders sharing it, and it shows what each person pays, rounded up to the nearest penny. Show a clear message if I leave a box empty or type zero people. Keep the design plain and easy to read on a phone. Reply with only the code.

    The reply we got on 2026-10-09, unedited. It is the full page, as code. Read our reply.

    Screenshot to come

    We haven’t captured this step yet. We’d rather show nothing than an old or made-up screen.

    CheckpointYou’ve got a small tool open beside your chat.

  4. Step 4 of 5

    Try it with numbers you can check

    Don’t trust it until you’ve done the sum yourself. We opened the page Claude wrote on our own computer, typed £85.50 for 7 people, and it showed £12.22 each. So check it: £85.50 divided by 7 is £12.214, which rounds up to £12.22, and 7 shares of £12.22 make £85.54, 4p over. That’s what the page said. Then try an empty box and zero people, and read the messages.

    Screenshot captured 9 October 2026.
    1. Total cost, in pounds
    2. Number of plot holders
    3. Each share, rounded up to the penny

    Step 4: Try it with numbers you can check

    The compost cost-splitter page Claude wrote, showing 85.50 pounds and 7 plot holders, and the result: each person pays 12.22 pounds, with a note that rounding up collects 85.54 pounds in total, 4p over.

    CheckpointYou’ve checked the answer yourself, and tried an empty box.

  5. Step 5 of 5

    Change it, and fix it when it breaks

    To change an artifact, ask Claude in the same chat, or edit it directly if it was made from a template. If an artifact shows an error, look for the “Try fixing with Claude” button near the message. It copies the error into a new message for you to send, and Claude will try to fix it, but Anthropic says success isn’t guaranteed.

    CheckpointYou know how to ask for a change, and what to do if there’s an error.

Common problems

The finished page

Claude wrote this page from the prompt in step 3. We opened it locally and tried it; the code is in outputs/artifact-tool.response.md. The society is made up.

The finished page, Maple Street Allotment Society

The finished compost cost-splitter: two boxes, a button, and a result of 12.22 pounds each for 7 people sharing 85.50 pounds.

When you have finished

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Previous: lesson 4Keep your instructions in one placeThat was the last lessonBack to the course

Steps 1 and 2 are Anthropic’s public help page. Step 4 is the page Claude wrote, opened and used on our own computer, so the screenshot is real but is not claude.ai itself. The chat screens are behind a login, so step 3 has no screenshot yet.

Sources, checked 9 October 2026