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Connect Claude (Desktop App)

Connect your Claude plan to the Algrow desktop app: one click in the app, or step by step on Mac and Windows, with fixes for common errors.

Connect Claude to the Algrow App

The Agent and Ideas in the Algrow desktop app run on your own Claude plan. To use them, the app needs Claude Code on your computer, signed in to your Claude account. Claude Code is Anthropic's free tool for your Claude plan. The Claude chat app on its own is not enough.

Nothing is sent through Algrow. Claude Code runs on your computer and talks to Claude directly, and Algrow never sees your Claude password.

What You Need

The Algrow desktop app. Free for Mac and Windows.
A paid Claude plan, such as Pro or Max. The Agent and Ideas use your Claude usage, which is why Algrow does not charge extra for them.
A recent computer. macOS 13 or newer, or Windows 10 (version 1809) or newer, with 4 GB of memory or more.

The Quick Way: One Click in the App

Open the Algrow app and press Agent at the top right. You see the Connect Claude card.
Press Install Claude Code. The button shows the download as it goes. It takes about a minute.
Your browser opens on Claude's sign-in page. Sign in with your Claude account and press Authorize.
Go back to the Algrow app. The card goes away by itself and the Agent is ready.

No Install button? Your app is an older version. In the app menu, press Check for Updates, then restart Algrow. You can also follow the steps below.

If the sign-in page shows a code instead of sending you back, copy it and paste it into the Code box on the card, then press Send.

By Hand on a Mac

Press Command and Space, type Terminal and open it.
Paste the install command below and press Return. It shows no progress while it downloads, so leave the window open until you see Claude Code successfully installed!
Close Terminal and open a new one. Paste the sign-in command below and press Return. Your browser opens to sign in to Claude.
Go back to the Algrow app. It checks by itself, or press Check again.

Install (Mac)

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

Sign in (Mac and Windows)

claude auth login

By Hand on Windows

Press Start, type PowerShell and open it. Use PowerShell, not Command Prompt. In PowerShell the line starts with PS C:\.
Paste the install command below and press Enter. It shows no progress while it downloads, so leave the window open until you see Claude Code successfully installed!
Close PowerShell and open a new one. Paste claude auth login and press Enter. Your browser opens to sign in to Claude.
Go back to the Algrow app. It checks by itself, or press Check again.

Install (Windows PowerShell)

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Check That It Worked

Open a new Terminal or PowerShell window and run the command below. A working install prints a version number.

claude --version

If Something Goes Wrong

What you see	What it means	What to do
`claude` is not found, or is not recognized	The window was open before the install finished, so it does not know about Claude Code yet.	Close the window and open a new one. If it still fails, restart the computer and try again.
`The token '&&' is not a valid statement separator`	You pasted a Command Prompt command into PowerShell.	Use the PowerShell install command on this page.
`'irm' is not recognized`	You are in Command Prompt, not PowerShell.	Press Start, type PowerShell, open it and paste the command there.
The install ends with a `403`, or says the download service is unreachable	Claude's download server could not be reached. Claude Code is only offered in some countries.	Check your connection and try again. Turn off a VPN if you use one.
The app still shows Connect Claude after installing	The app has not looked again yet.	Press Check again. If nothing changes, quit Algrow and open it again.
The app shows Sign in to Claude again	Claude Code signed itself out, or Claude turned the login down. The card shows Claude's own words.	Press Sign in to Claude, or run `claude auth login` again.
The app shows Update Claude Code	Your Claude Code is too old. Ideas needs version 2.1.280 or newer.	Run the update command the card shows, usually `claude update`. Then press Check again.
A run stops and says you hit a limit	Your Claude plan's usage for this period is used up. This is Claude's limit, not Algrow's.	Wait for the time Claude gives, or use another Claude account in the app.

Other Ways to Install

These also work with the Algrow app. Unlike the normal install, they do not update themselves, so run the upgrade command from time to time.

Tool	Install	Update
Homebrew (Mac)	`brew install --cask claude-code`	`brew upgrade claude-code`
WinGet (Windows)	`winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode`	`winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode`

More Than One Claude Account

You can add a second Claude login, such as a work plan and a personal plan. On the sign-in card, press Add another Claude account, give it a name, and sign it in. You can switch between them in the Agent at any time.

Still stuck? Open a ticket on Discord and say which step you are on and what the screen shows. Anthropic's own install guide is at code.claude.com/docs/en/setup.

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