30 Things to Install in Claude

Claude gets more useful with each tool you add, but every addition also uses context and needs trust. Install what you will really use.

Fewer, well-chosen tools beat a crowded setup.

• 1 · Claude desktop app, for Mac and Windows, with Chat, Cowork, and Code
• 2 · Claude mobile app, for iPhone and Android, with voice
• 3 · Claude in Chrome, the browser extension that can read and act on web pages
• 4 · Claude for Excel, for working inside spreadsheets, on paid plans
• 5 · Claude for PowerPoint and Word, for slides and documents, on paid plans
• 6 · Claude in Slack, to ask Claude inside your workspace

• 7 · Claude Code in the terminal, for building with AI
• 8 · The VS Code or JetBrains extension, to use Claude Code in your editor
• 9 · The Claude GitHub app, so Claude can help with pull requests and issues

• 10 · Gmail, to search and draft email
• 11 · Google Calendar, to plan and find times
• 12 · Google Drive, to read your documents
• 13 · Microsoft 365, for Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams
• 14 · Notion, for notes and wikis
• 15 · Slack, to search and summarize conversations

• 16 · GitHub, for code and issues
• 17 · Figma, for design files
• 18 · Canva, to create and edit designs
• 19 · Asana or Linear, for projects and tasks
• 20 · A database or analytics connector, for real numbers in reports

Find connectors in Claude’s settings or the Claude directory. Many are built on MCP, the open standard for connecting AI to tools.

• 21 · Document skills for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files
• 22 · A skill creator, to turn your own process into a skill
• 23 · Your brand voice skill, with tone and examples
• 24 · Your report or proposal template skill

Skills are saved instructions Claude uses only when a task needs them, so they cost little context until used.

• 25 · Plugins from the Claude directory, which bundle skills, commands, agents, and MCP servers
• 26 · A documentation MCP server, so Claude reads current docs for your tools
• 27 · A browser testing MCP server, so Claude Code can check web pages it builds

• 28 · The built-in You Should Know mod, which flags things you might miss on longer tasks. Turn it on in /plugin
• 29 · A context meter mod, such as Anthropic’s Token Weather sample
• 30 · A risky command guard mod, such as Anthropic’s Blast Radius sample

• Start with the desktop app and two or three connectors
• Add skills for tasks you repeat every week
• Add plugins and MCP servers only for real needs
• Remove what you have not used in a month

• Install only from Anthropic, the Claude directory, or developers you trust
• Read what access each connector or plugin asks for
• Mods and plugins run with your permissions, so read their code
• Never paste passwords or API keys into chat
• Disconnect accounts you no longer need

Every connector and tool adds instructions Claude must read. Turn off the ones a task does not need.