Setup Guide

You're 15 minutes away from your AI assistant

Follow these five steps and you'll have a Claude that knows Blaney Group and how you work.

1
Download Claude
2
Connect Chrome
3
Get your files
4
Open & select folder
5
Paste & go
1

Download Claude

~2 minutes

Download the Claude desktop app for your computer. This is free to install — your login uses the account you already have.

Download for Mac
Opens claude.ai — click the Download button on that page
  1. Open the downloaded .dmg file
  2. Drag Claude to your Applications folder
  3. Open Claude and sign in with your account
Download for Windows
Opens claude.ai — click the Download button on that page
  1. Open the downloaded .exe installer
  2. Follow the install prompts
  3. Open Claude and sign in with your account
2

Connect Claude to Chrome

~2 minutes

This extension lets Claude control your browser — so it can research things, open pages, and work alongside you on the web. You need to be logged into the same account as the Claude desktop app.

Open Chrome Web Store
Search for "Claude in Chrome" and install it
  1. Click the button above to open the Chrome Web Store
  2. Find "Claude in Chrome" and click Add to Chrome
  3. Click the puzzle piece icon in your Chrome toolbar, then click Claude in Chrome
  4. Sign in with the same account you use for the Claude desktop app
  5. You'll see a confirmation that Chrome is connected to Claude
💡 Must use Chrome. This extension only works in Google Chrome — not Safari, Edge, or Firefox. If Chrome isn't your default browser, you'll need to open Chrome for this step.
3

Download your Arlo OS folder

~1 minute

This is the starter kit that connects Claude to Blaney Group. It includes the company instructions and a template you'll fill in about your role.

Download Arlo OS Starter Kit
A .zip file — about 10KB
  1. Click the button above to download arlo-os.zip
  2. Find it in your Downloads folder
  3. Double-click to unzip it — you'll get a folder called "Arlo OS"
  4. Move that folder somewhere you'll remember — Desktop or Documents works fine
4

Open Cowork and select your folder

~2 minutes

Cowork is the mode in Claude that lets it read and save files on your computer. This is what makes it remember things between sessions.

  1. Open the Claude desktop app
  2. Look for the "Cowork" option in the sidebar or home screen and click it
  3. You'll be asked to select a folder — choose the "Arlo OS" folder you just unzipped
  4. Claude will confirm the folder is connected
💡 Not sure where Cowork is? Look for a briefcase icon or a "Workspace" option on the left side of the Claude app. If you can't find it, ask Justin — he can show you in under 30 seconds.
5

Paste this prompt to start

~5 minutes

Copy the prompt below and paste it into your Cowork chat. Claude will read your company files, run a short interactive tutorial, and get ready to work with you.

Your setup prompt — copy and paste this
Hi! I'm setting up Arlo OS for the first time. Please read CLAUDE-INSTRUCTIONS.md from my folder and follow it.
▶️ After you paste this, Claude will read your files and ask you a few questions. Just answer naturally — it'll take it from there.
🔌 Check before you paste

Not sure your folder is connected? Type this quick message first and check what Claude says:

List the files in my Cowork folder.
✅ Good response

Claude lists files including CLAUDE-INSTRUCTIONS.md and an _system folder. You're connected — paste the setup prompt.

❌ Problem

Claude says it doesn't have folder access or sees no files. Go back to Step 3 and re-select your folder in Cowork.

✅ That's it — you're set up

Once you've done these five steps, Claude knows who you are, how Blaney Group works, and can control your browser. Every session from here will pick up where the last one left off. Head to the Tutorial to learn what to do next.

Troubleshooting

Something not working? Find your situation below.

Claude says it can't find any files or doesn't have folder access ▾

This almost always means the folder isn't connected. Fix it in three steps:

  1. Go back to the Claude app home screen
  2. Click Cowork (or the briefcase icon)
  3. When it asks to select a folder, choose your Arlo OS folder — the one you unzipped in Step 2

Then try the connection check again: List the files in my Cowork folder.

Claude lists files, but they aren't Arlo OS files — they look like my own documents ▾

You've selected the wrong folder. Claude is reading a different folder on your computer. To fix:

  1. In Claude, look for the folder selector (usually shown near the top of the Cowork panel)
  2. Click it and re-select the correct Arlo OS folder
  3. The folder should contain CLAUDE-INSTRUCTIONS.md at the top level, not inside another folder

Common mistake: selecting the parent folder instead of the Arlo OS folder itself. Make sure you go inside the unzipped folder before hitting Select.

I downloaded the zip but I can't find the folder / it didn't unzip ▾

Check your Downloads folder — that's where it goes by default.

  • Mac: Double-click the .zip file to extract it. You'll see a new folder appear called "Arlo OS" right next to the zip.
  • Windows: Right-click the .zip and choose Extract All, then choose where to put it.

After extracting, move the Arlo OS folder somewhere easy to find — Desktop or Documents. Then go back to Step 3.

I pasted the setup prompt and Claude just responded normally — it didn't seem to set anything up ▾

This usually means the folder wasn't connected when you sent the prompt. Claude needs the files to be accessible to read them.

  1. Run the connection check: List the files in my Cowork folder.
  2. If Claude doesn't see your files, re-select the folder (Step 3)
  3. Once confirmed, paste the setup prompt again in a new chat

Starting a new chat is important — it clears any confusion from the previous attempt.

Claude filled in my context file, but next session it didn't remember me ▾

Memory between sessions comes from the files in your folder, not from Claude's chat history. Each new session, Claude re-reads _system/context.md to remember who you are.

If it didn't remember you, one of two things happened:

  • The context file wasn't saved — open your Arlo OS folder and check if _system/context.md has your name and role in it. If it's still blank, run the setup prompt again and confirm you see Claude writing to the file.
  • A different folder was selected — make sure you selected the same Arlo OS folder as last time. Selecting a different folder means Claude starts fresh.
Something seems stuck — I'm not sure what's happening ▾

The fastest way to get unstuck is to take a screenshot and show Claude what's on your screen. Claude can see exactly what you're seeing and tell you what to do next.

  • Mac: Press Cmd+Shift+4 to capture part of your screen, or Cmd+Shift+3 for the whole screen. It saves to your Desktop automatically.
  • Windows: Press Windows+Shift+S to open the snipping tool.

Then drop the screenshot into your Claude chat and describe what you were trying to do. Claude will walk you through it step by step.

Also check: Mac likes to hide dialog boxes behind other windows. If something feels like it's waiting for you, try clicking through your open windows — there may be a popup asking for your permission that got buried.

I don't see "Cowork" anywhere in the Claude app ▾

Cowork is a feature of the Claude desktop app — it's not available in the browser version at claude.ai.

  • Make sure you downloaded and installed the desktop app (Step 1), not just bookmarked the website
  • If you installed it, try quitting and reopening the app — Cowork sometimes appears after a full restart
  • If you still can't find it, ask Justin — it takes about 30 seconds to show someone where it is