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Set up with the Practical AI plugin

practical-ai-plugin is the setup we use across sessions. It interviews you, then builds the folder, the context files, and a first set of skills. You answer by voice. It does the filing.

It replaces the old routine of copying a starter folder and filling the files by hand. That folder is still the fallback if you can't run the plugin.

How to access it​

You need the Claude desktop app (claude.ai/download) and a paid plan. Pro is enough for one person. A company should be on Team. Working in a folder is not locked to Max, and it is the same app as chat. Check the current price at claude.com/pricing.

The switch people miss: when it asks for permission, choose Allow. Don't choose Always allow. You want a chance to look before it does something you can't undo.

We install the plugin with you in the session. If you're setting up afterwards and you don't have it, email ollie@aytonlabs.io and we'll send it. There isn't a public download on this page.

Steps​

  1. Sign in to the Claude account you will actually work in. For a company, that's the Team account, not a personal login on the side.

  2. Create a folder in your personal OneDrive or Google Drive, so it backs up and is there on another machine. Name it so you'll spot it in the dropdown. The example is 00-Ollie's-Claude. Don't start in a shared company drive. about-me.md is yours.

  1. In the desktop app, under the chat box, open Project or folder. Select that folder and set it as the default. Have it selected for most things, even a basic question. With it selected, Claude is in Cowork. With nothing selected, you're in plain chat.
  1. Install practical-ai-plugin. In the room we do this together.

  1. Start the interview. Answer out loud. Use Wispr Flow if you have it, or the microphone in Claude if you don't. One question at a time. If your answer is vague, let it push back.

  2. On each permission prompt, choose Allow, not Always allow.

  1. Allow 45 to 90 minutes. Not 20. The interview is the setup.

What it creates​

  • claude.md. Master instructions, including what it must not invent, send, or delete. If you've explained it twice, it belongs here.
  • about-me.md. Who you are, and what you're focused on.
  • about-business.md. The business: what it does, who its customers are, the products and services, the team, and the priorities.
  • tone-of-voice.md. How you write. From your sent emails, split by audience. Run this pass on Opus. Spell out how you sign off. Don't let it invent a brand voice.
  • working-style.md. How you like Claude to work. Plan first or get on with it. Short or long. When it should ask.
  • projects/, network/, writing/, meetings/, outputs/. One folder per active thing. Key people and deals. Examples of your voice. Transcripts. The files Cowork makes.

The shape is on Context is king. On a team, facts everyone shares still live in a separate folder, with one owner. See Rolling it out to your team.

Tone of voice, from your own mail​

Read my sent emails and draft a tone of voice file.
Split it by audience: clients, team, board, suppliers.
Quote how I actually sign off. Don't smooth it into a generic brand voice.
Ask before you treat a public post the same way as a private email.

Run that on Opus. Everyday drafting can stay on Sonnet. See Models, effort and limits.

Worked example. A founder at a jewellery brand had this run across a few hundred sent emails. The first draft sounded like the website. They sent it back: "Use the emails to stockists, not the emails to the board." The second draft was usable. They still wrote the lines that carry their name in public. The file is for the first draft, not for the posts they want to be known for.

Be careful about handing over a public voice. If a sentence would embarrass you with your name on it, it isn't finished.

Global instructions​

The folder is not selected on your phone. In Claude settings, add a short global instruction so it still knows who you are:

You are helping me, as described in my about-me.md. Write in my tone of voice.
Ask before you guess on anything a client will see.
If no folder is attached, say so before you draft.

Keep it short. The full story lives in the files.

Pro tips​

  • Set the personal folder as the default, not the shared one. If only the company folder is selected, about-me.md isn't in view and the writing goes generic.
  • Do the tone pass on Opus, once. Don't rerun it every Monday.
  • If you get stuck on a step, say: "Explain in ASD STE 100." That means plain, simplified wording. When a step is actually finished: "Consider it done. What else?"

Limits​

The plugin can't invent a business you didn't describe. A thin interview gives you a thin folder.

Creating a Team on an email that already has a Claude account can pull that account in and drop Pro or Max. Skills and connectors do not come with you. If you still want the personal account, tick the option to keep it separate, and read the screen before you confirm.

The plugin does not replace connectors. You'll connect email and calendar yourself. See Connectors and permissions.

No plugin?​

Two fallbacks.

Built-in setup. Select the folder, then run /setup-cowork. Answer as you go. Same rule: Allow, not Always allow.

Starter folder. Make your own copy of the Cowork starter folder. Claude can only use a folder you own, so copy it into your Drive or download it. Then use the interview prompt on Your folder and context files.

Where to start in 30 minutes​

You will not finish. That's fine.

  1. Create 00-Ollie's-Claude (or your own equally obvious name) in your personal OneDrive or Drive.
  2. Select it under the chat box and set it as the default.
  3. Install the plugin, or run /setup-cowork.
  4. Answer the about-me questions only. Out loud.
  5. Stop. Do Tone of Voice on Opus tomorrow, when you can sit with your sent mail.