Set up the Claude desktop app: Cowork, Claude in Chrome, and your team AI folder
A step by step guide to download Claude, turn on Cowork, add Claude in Chrome, and connect your team's AI folder so you're ready to run agents. Plan on about 15 minutes.
Claude is the AI assistant Thread uses to run agents and automate everyday work. This guide walks you through everything you need to get set up. Once you're done, you'll be ready to run your first agent.
Before you start
A couple of things to check first. You'll need a Claude plan that includes Cowork (Pro or Max). Cowork and computer use are in research preview on the Claude desktop app for macOS 13 or later and Windows 10 or 11. You'll also want Google Drive for desktop installed and synced, since that is where your team's AI folder lives.
Step 1 - Download and install Claude desktop
Go to claude.com/download and download the desktop app for your operating system. Install it the way you would any other app, then open it and sign in with your Thread Claude account. If you already have the app, open it and make sure you're on the latest version - some of the features below only appear after you update.
Step 2 - Turn on Cowork
Cowork is the mode that lets Claude work on tasks and use your computer. In the desktop app, go to New, then Cowork. Claude will automatically install the required components. That is what lets Claude open files, use your browser, and work in your desktop apps. When you later ask Claude to use an app, it asks your permission first, so you stay in control of what it can touch.
If you receive an error message, note it and contact Taylor Ellis for further assistance.
Step 3 - Add Claude in Chrome
Claude in Chrome lets Claude work inside your browser - clicking, typing, and moving through websites that don't have a direct connection. When you have access, you'll get an email with a Chrome Web Store link. Open that link, click Add extension to confirm, then click the Claude icon in Chrome to open the side panel and sign in with your Claude account. Only install the extension published by Anthropic, and start in "ask before acting" mode so Claude checks with you before it takes action.
Step 4 - Connect your team AI folder
This is the step that makes Claude useful for Thread work. Your team's agents, context, and templates live in a shared AI folder in Google Drive. Point Claude at that folder so it can read and write the right files.
In a Cowork task, choose the option to connect or select a folder, then browse to your team's AI folder in Google Drive (for example, the Internal AI or AI shared drive). Select the folder itself, not a single file, so Claude has access to everything inside it. Once connected, Claude reads that folder's instructions automatically and knows how Thread works.
A few safety basics
Cowork is powerful, so a few habits keep it safe. Claude asks permission before using each app, and you can stop it at any time. Don't give it access to sensitive apps like banking or healthcare. Close anything confidential you don't want on screen, since Claude takes screenshots to see what it is doing. And remember Thread's rule: any agent that can change a live system works read-first and asks for your approval before it writes, sends, or changes anything.
What's next
You're set up. Next, learn how to run your first agent in the companion article, "Run an agent in Cowork."