Set up Claude

Claude Desktop is Anthropic's free app for macOS and Windows. You'll use it to run every skill in this Playbook. The app is free to install; running skills requires a paid subscription on top (see Step 2).

Before you start

You'll need:

• A computer running macOS 11 (Big Sur) or newer, or Windows 10 or newer.
• A work email address. Don't use a personal account — your skills, history, and any uploaded data should live on something your company can audit.

Step 1 — Download and install the app

1. Go to claude.ai/download.
2. Click macOS or Windows. The right installer downloads automatically.
3. Open the file you just downloaded.
   • macOS: a window opens with the Claude icon on the left and your Applications folder on the right. Drag the icon into Applications.
   • Windows: an installer wizard runs. Click through the prompts (Next → Install → Finish).
4. Open the app.
   • macOS: Applications folder, double-click Claude.
   • Windows: Start menu, search "Claude", press Enter.

Step 2 — Pick a subscription and sign in

When the app opens, it asks you to sign in. Use your work email. If your company already has a Claude account on that email, sign in with it. Otherwise the app will walk you through creating one.

Pricing as of May 2026:

Plan	Cost	Use it if…
Free	$0	You only want to read along — Free hits message limits within a few back-and-forths and won't get through a skill.
Pro	$20/mo	One person running these skills. This is the right starting point for most readers of this Playbook.
Max (5×)	$100/mo	One person who runs skills heavily and hits Pro limits.
Team Standard	$25/seat/mo (5+ seats)	More than one person on your team needs to run the same skills, or you want shared Projects.
Enterprise	Contact sales	Large org, SSO required, procurement involved.

Upgrading later is one click in the app — start on Pro, move up if you outgrow it.

If your company uses single sign-on, click Continue with SSO on the sign-in screen and follow the prompts.

Step 3 — Send your first message

After signing in, you'll land on a blank conversation. The text box at the bottom is where you type. Try this:

Hello. I just installed Claude. Reply with one sentence so I know the app is working.

Press Enter. Claude responds within a few seconds. That's it — the install is verified.

Step 4 — Try attaching a file

Most skills in this Playbook give Claude a file to read (a CSV export, a PDF, a spreadsheet). Practice once now so you don't have to think about it later:

1. Find any spreadsheet or PDF on your computer.
2. Drag it into the Claude chat window. (You can also click the paperclip icon at the bottom-left of the message box.)
3. After it uploads, type: Describe this file's structure in three sentences. Press Enter.

Claude reads PDFs, CSVs, XLSX, DOCX, plain text, code, and images directly. No conversion needed.

Step 5 — Create your first Project (this is where skills live)

A Project is a saved workspace. It holds two things every skill needs: a set of standing instructions (the skill's prompt body) and any background files Claude should always have available (the "Project knowledge" panel).

1. In the left sidebar, click Projects.
2. Click + New Project in the upper right.
3. Name it after the first skill you want to run — e.g., Monthly distributor scorecard.
4. Click Create Project.

You're now inside the new Project. There are two important panels:

• Set project instructions (a button or link near the top of the Project page) — this is where the skill's prompt body goes.
• Project knowledge (right sidebar) — this is where you upload files Claude should treat as permanent background context (e.g., your company's product catalog).

Free tier limit: Free accounts can only have 5 Projects. Pro and above are effectively unlimited for this Playbook's use.

Step 6 — Load your first skill

1. Open any skill page in this Playbook (left sidebar → Skills).
2. Find the section called The prompt and click the Copy button.
3. Switch to Claude Desktop. Open the Project you just created.
4. Click Set project instructions, paste the prompt body into the field, and save.
5. Start a new chat inside that Project. Attach the files the skill's Inputs to attach list names. Type Run the skill. and press Enter.

That's the loop for every skill in this Playbook: copy the prompt → paste into a Project's instructions → attach the inputs → run the chat.

When something goes wrong

• "Projects isn't in my sidebar." You're on the Free tier and have hit the 5-project limit, or you're signed into a personal account that hasn't been upgraded. Check Settings → Billing.
• "Claude can't read my Excel file." Open it in Excel and save a copy as CSV (File → Save As → CSV UTF-8). Claude reads CSVs more reliably than XLSX files with merged cells, pivot tables, or macros.
• "The output is generic." The skill's prompt expects specific files. Re-check the Inputs to attach list on the skill page — every file there needs to be in the chat before you say "Run the skill."
• "I get rate-limited mid-skill." You're on Free or have burned through Pro's 5-hour usage window. Wait it out (the limit resets within a few hours) or upgrade a tier.
• "Sign-in keeps failing with SSO." Your company's IT may not have provisioned your account yet. Email IT and ask them to add you to the Claude workspace.

Where to go next

• AI terminology — what "skill," "prompt," "context window," and "agent task" mean in this Playbook.
• Using skills — the four-step pattern every skill in this Playbook follows.
• Scheduled tasks — how to make a skill run automatically on a cadence.