Set up your personal AI operating system

The more of your daily tools Claude can see and work with, the more useful it becomes. One of my favorite features of Cowork is the ability to ask Claude to manage other tools for me — drafting emails, summarizing project notes, creating documents — all within the Claude app. Start with the three tools you use most.

Calendar (Google Calendar or Outlook)

1. In the Claude desktop app, navigate to Customize > Connectors.
2. Find your calendar provider and click Connect.
3. Follow the authorization steps — Claude will ask permission to view and edit your calendar.

Once connected, Claude can tell you when you're free, create calendar events, and flag scheduling conflicts.

Notion

1. In Customize > Connectors, find Notion and click Connect.
2. Authorize Claude to access your workspace.

Once connected, Claude can read pages you share with it and create new pages directly in your Notion. You can also use Google Docs, but with limitations — more on that in Step 3.

Email

Gmail (Google Workspace)

1. In Customize > Connectors, find Google Workspace and click Connect.
2. Choose your Gmail account and follow the authorization prompts — Claude will ask permission to read your messages.

Once connected, Claude can read and summarize your inbox, draft replies, and surface emails that need action. Note: Claude creates email drafts — it can't send on your behalf. All sends go through you.

Outlook (Microsoft 365)

1. In Customize > Connectors, find Microsoft 365 and click Connect.
2. Sign in with your Microsoft work account — personal @outlook.com or @hotmail.com addresses aren't supported, so you'll need a Microsoft 365 business account. If you're unsure whether you have one, check with your IT team.
3. Follow the authorization prompts.

Once connected, Claude can search and read your Outlook inbox, Teams messages, and SharePoint or OneDrive files you have permission to view. Note: The M365 connector is read-only — Claude can surface content but can't send emails, create calendar invites, or create/edit documents.

When Claude creates documents, drafts, or notes for you, it needs somewhere to put them. You have three main options:

Option A: Your computer (local folder)
Claude can save files to a folder you designate on your laptop. Good if you prefer keeping files local and you're the only person who needs access. One thing to note: if you want to live-edit files Claude is writing, you'll need to close and re-open the file every time you ask Claude to make a change.
Set it up: In Cowork, click Select folder and point Claude to the folder you want to use. A folder called something like Claude/Projects in your Documents folder works well.

Option B: Notion
Claude can create pages directly in your Notion workspace. Good if you already live in Notion and want everything in one place. Personally, this is what I do.
Google Drive is also an option — Claude can search, read, and upload files, and save outputs directly to your Drive — but it's more setup-heavy than Notion for two-way work. Claude has also had persistent issues editing files in Google Drive, which is another reason I don't recommend it as often.
Set it up: Once Notion is connected, tell Claude: "By default, save any documents or notes you create to my Notion workspace under [folder name]." Claude will remember this going forward.

Option C: Both
Use your computer for working drafts and Notion for final outputs. This is what many people end up doing naturally.

This is the most important thing you'll do in this setup. Your identity document tells Claude who you are so it never has to ask again. Without it, Claude treats every conversation as if it's meeting you for the first time. With it, Claude already knows your role, your priorities, and key details about you — which makes every response more relevant and useful.

What to put in your identity document

• Who you are — your current role, what you do day-to-day, your industry
• Your goals — what you're trying to accomplish this year, professionally and personally
• Your work context — who you work with, what tools you use, how your day is structured
• Communication style — how you like to write and communicate (formal/informal, brief/detailed)
• Personal context — whatever helps Claude understand your life (family situation, location, time zone, commitments outside work)

How to create it

First, ask Claude to create a folder called "Operating Context" that will contain all identity and context documents it needs. Open a new conversation and paste this:

Next, let Claude interview you. Open a new Cowork task or chat and paste this:

Once Claude has finished, open your new identity document and check that everything looks correct. If you want to make changes, ask Claude to modify the document directly.

With your identity document done, give Claude the additional context it needs to work effectively with you. These are longer and more detailed than your identity document — the more specific, the more useful.

Potential context documents

• Your team and organization — Who you work with day-to-day: your manager, direct reports, key collaborators, and stakeholders. Include names, roles, and how often you interact with each person. "I have a weekly sync with my manager Sarah, VP of Marketing" is more useful to Claude than "I work with my manager."
• Your schedule and time management preferences — standing meetings, energy patterns, minimum time between meetings, lunch blocks, daily priorities, childcare and home schedule constraints
• Your tech stack and preferred software — every tool you use regularly: project management (Asana, Linear, Jira), communication (Slack, Teams, email), writing and docs (Notion, Google Docs, Confluence), and any industry-specific software. This helps Claude suggest the right tool for each task and avoid recommending ones you don't have access to.
• Company context — your company's mission, current strategic priorities, key products or services, your team's goals for the year, and how your role connects to the larger business. Useful background for anything company-facing — proposals, presentations, communications.
• Boundaries — things you don't want Claude to do without asking (e.g., never send emails without my approval, always confirm before booking meetings)

How to create it

The easiest approach is to let Claude interview you for each document. Open a new Cowork task or chat and paste a version of this:

Once Claude has finished, open your new documents, check that everything looks correct, and brainstorm any additional content that could be helpful. Make changes by asking Claude to modify the document directly.

The last step is making sure Claude can access these documents in every conversation, not just the current one. In the Claude desktop app, go to Settings → Cowork → Global instructions, click Edit, and add:

Now Claude will refer to these documents automatically. To get your Notion page link: open the document, click Share in the top right, and copy the page link.