30 Things to Install in Claude

Claude becomes more useful with each tool you add, but every addition also takes up context and requires trust. Install only what you will actually use.

A few well-chosen tools beat a crowded setup.

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

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

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

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

Find connectors in Claude’s settings or in the Claude directory. Many run 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 reusable skill
• 23 · Your brand voice skill, with tone rules and examples
• 24 · Your own report or proposal template skill

Skills are saved instructions that Claude loads only when a task calls for them, so they use little context until then.

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

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

• Begin with the desktop app and two or three connectors
• Add skills for tasks you repeat each week
• Add plugins and MCP servers only for genuine needs
• Remove anything you have not used in a month

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

Each connector and tool adds instructions Claude has to read. Switch off the ones a task does not need.