Infrastructure Setup — Quick Start

You're about to set up your working environment. Here's how it works.

What You Need

• Your computer — Mac or Windows. Instructions for both are below.
• A Claude account — Pro, Team, or Enterprise.
• Your cloud storage credentials — M365 credentials for OneDrive, or whatever cloud backup you have.

Why Claude Desktop?

This skill creates folders, places files, and verifies that things are working on your computer. Claude Chat (the web version) can't do that — it can only talk. Claude Desktop is the app that runs on your machine and can touch your file system, which is exactly what an infrastructure setup needs.

You work from the files on your computer. Those are your real, working files — the source of truth. Claude Desktop works directly with those same files. No cloud version of your work to worry about, no syncing between tools.

Setup

Three things to set up, in order: Claude Desktop, cloud backup, and then the skill.

Step 1: Install Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop is the app that runs on your computer and works directly with your local files.

Download and install:

1. Go to claude.ai/download.
2. Download the version for your computer (Mac or Windows).
3. Run the installer. Follow the prompts — the defaults are fine.
4. Open Claude Desktop. Sign in with your Claude account.

That's it. Claude Desktop is ready.

Step 2: Set Up Cloud Backup

Your files on your computer are the real, working versions — the source of truth. You work from them, you edit them, you send them to clients. Cloud backup silently mirrors them to the cloud in the background. You never open the cloud version to work from it. It's a failsafe. If your laptop dies, you sign in on a new machine and everything is there.

If you have M365 (OneDrive):

OneDrive may already be on your computer. Check first.

• Mac: Press Cmd + Space, type OneDrive, press Enter. If it opens, skip to "Sign in."
• Windows: OneDrive is usually pre-installed. Click the cloud icon in your taskbar (bottom right). If it's there, skip to "Sign in."

Install OneDrive if needed:

• Mac: Open the App Store, search Microsoft OneDrive, click Get, then Install.
• Windows: Download from onedrive.com or the Microsoft Store.

Sign in:

1. Open OneDrive.
2. Enter your M365 work email address. Click Sign In.
3. Enter your password. Complete any multi-factor authentication if prompted.

Choose what to sync:

1. After signing in, OneDrive asks which folders to sync.
2. Select the folders that contain your work files — or sync everything. You can change this later.
3. OneDrive creates a synced folder on your computer:

• Mac: Usually ~/OneDrive or ~/OneDrive - [Company Name]. Shows up in Finder's sidebar.
• Windows: Usually C:\Users\[You]\OneDrive - [Company Name]. Shows up in File Explorer's sidebar.

Confirm it is working:

1. Open the OneDrive folder on your computer.
2. Create a new text file (or drag any file into the folder).
3. Open a browser. Go to onedrive.com and sign in.
4. Check that your test file appears. If it does, backup is working.

If you use a different cloud service (Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox) — the same pattern applies: install the app, sign in, make sure your work folder syncs, verify with a test file.

Step 3: Run the Skill

1. Open Claude Desktop.
2. Start a new conversation.
3. Upload infrastructure-setup-skill.md to the conversation (or paste its contents).
4. Say: "Set up my infrastructure"

That's it. The skill starts a guided conversation — and actually builds the infrastructure as you go.

What Happens Next

The skill walks you through four checkpoints — one at a time. At each one, it asks questions about your setup, tells you exactly what to do, and confirms it's working before moving on.

Checkpoint 1: Backup

Make sure your work files are backed up automatically. If your laptop dies tomorrow, nothing is lost.

Checkpoint 2: File Structure

Build a simple, flat folder structure that you (and Claude) can navigate. No deep folder hierarchies. Descriptive file names instead.

Checkpoint 3: Collaboration

If you work with someone else — a team member, assistant, or partner — set up how files move between you. If you work solo, this checkpoint is skipped entirely.

Checkpoint 4: Tool Orientation

Figure out which Claude tool to use for what. You'll map your actual tasks to the right tool.

At the end, you get a setup report — a one-page reference document with everything that was configured: where your files are, how backup works, how to share files (if applicable), and which tool to use for what.

Tips

You don't need to prepare anything. Just show up with your laptop and your cloud storage password. The skill figures out what you have and builds from there.

Nothing gets reorganized. Your existing files stay where they are. The skill sets up a new structure and you start using it going forward. Old files migrate naturally as you touch them.

If you work solo, say so. The collaboration checkpoint takes 30 seconds: "I work alone." Done. No unnecessary setup.

This adapts to you. Mac or Windows. OneDrive or Google Drive. Solo or team. Three clients or thirty. The skill asks, then builds to fit.

What You'll Walk Away With

• Cloud backup running and verified
• A clean folder structure you'll actually use
• A collaboration workflow (if you need one)
• A personalized guide: "When I need to do X, I use this tool"
• A setup report you can reference anytime

After You're Done

Your infrastructure is ready. The next step is Practice Brain — a guided conversation that builds six reference documents about your practice. Those documents are the foundation for every skill you install after that.

If you're doing both in the same session: infrastructure first, then Practice Brain. The documents Practice Brain produces will be saved directly into the file structure you just built.

Built by Kathryn Brown — Practice Builders