How to use Claude as a personal agent
There is no agent mode to turn on: on Pro and Max, Claude decides for itself whether a message needs a quick answer or a longer task. Your setup work is choosing connectors and saving skills.
What you need
- Claude Pro at $20 a month, or Max at $100 or $200 a month
- Claude on the web, desktop or mobile
- A country where Claude is offered
Step by step
-
Check for the merged experience
If your message box no longer offers separate Chat and Cowork options, your account has been switched over. The rollout takes a few weeks, so it may not have reached you yet.
-
Add connectors
Connect the tools where your work lives, such as Google Drive, Notion, Slack or GitHub. Claude asks for permission before it acts inside them.
-
Save skills for repeat work
Store instructions for jobs you do often, such as your report layout or brand style. Skills apply in every conversation.
-
Hand over a real task
Describe the result you want and when you need it, for example a competitor summary as slides by noon. You can close your laptop while Claude keeps working.
-
Edit the files it returns
Claude delivers editable documents and decks. Docs and Slides are in beta and export to PowerPoint or PDF.
First things to do after setup
- Tell Claude which sources it may use for each task, since every connector widens what it can read.
- Check Settings, Usage after your first long tasks, because usage may be measured a little differently during the rollout.
- Turn your most common deliverable into a skill so the format stays consistent.
Common mistakes
- Expecting Claude to shop, book or message strangers, which it is not built for.
- Assuming a colleague on the same plan sees the same screens while the rollout is still in progress.
- Looking for the merged experience on Team or Free plans, which get it later.