Welcome to Claude

How to use this guide

This guide is not a course on AI. It is a hands-on workshop. Each chapter has you complete a real action in your own Claude account.

The method, in every chapter:

I understand I read why it matters
I copy the prompt Into a new conversation
I answer Claude With concrete examples
I set it up Instructions, Project, Skill, connector
I move on With a concrete result in hand

What you need:

A Claude account (claude.ai). The free plan covers chapters 1 to 6. A paid plan (Pro or higher) is required for chapter 8 and for some connectors.
20 to 30 minutes per chapter.
To work with files on your computer: the Claude Desktop app (Mac or Windows).

Badge key:

ALL PLANS: available for free.
PAID PLANS: Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise.
TO CHECK: the feature exists, but its location or limits depend on your account.

One rule for the whole guide

If Claude does not have a piece of information, it must not make it up. Every prompt in this guide tells it so explicitly.

Good to know

Features checked on 15 October 2026. Claude evolves quickly: if a button does not have exactly the same name, look for the feature in Settings.

Your starting point: the Claude home screen, with the sidebar (Projects, Customize) and the input box

What you will get

a clear view of Claude's 5 building blocks, and the order in which to set them up.

Without any setup, Claude starts from scratch in every conversation. Once set up, it knows your context, follows your rules and works with your documents.

CH. 02–04 · You · Profile, goals, instructions
CH. 05 · Projects · One workspace and one role per area of life
CH. 06 · Skills · Your methods, reused automatically
CH. 07 · Connectors · Your tools: Drive, Gmail, Notion…
CH. 08 · Tasks · Work done, end to end

The Claude ecosystem: each building block rests on the one before.

Building blockWhat it isWhen to use it

ConversationA question-and-answer exchangeA one-off question, a quick draft

ProjectA workspace with its own instructions, documents and a role for ClaudeA major area of your life: your job, your side hustle, your career, your health, your finances

SkillA saved method, applied automaticallyA recurring task you always want done the same way

ConnectorSecure access to your tools (Drive, Gmail, Notion…)When Claude needs to read your actual documents

Delegated taskMulti-step work completed end to endA complete deliverable: a report, a tidied folder, a briefing

Note

Since September 2026, Anthropic has been merging chat and Cowork into a single Claude, starting with the Pro and Max plans. If your account still shows a separate "Cowork" mode, chapter 8 works there too.

The setup order

Your profile (chapter 2): who you are.
Your goals (chapter 3): what you want to achieve.
Your instructions (chapter 4): how Claude should work with you.
Your Projects (chapter 5): one workspace and one role per area of your life.
Your Skills (chapter 6): your recurring methods.
Your connectors (chapter 7): your tools.
A first delegated task (chapter 8).

Your turn

open claude.ai and find the sidebar, the Projects entry, the Customize entry, and your name at the bottom left, which opens Settings.