Guide

Getting started with Foldermind

From the downloaded file to the first conversation with Claude, in about five minutes. Setup is done once, on a computer.

Requirements

  • A Windows or Mac computer: setup cannot be done from a phone.
  • The Claude desktop app, updated to the latest version, available at claude.com/download.
  • A paid Claude subscription, Pro or above: the free plan does not work on files on your computer.
  • The file downloaded from Foldermind after payment.

Steps

  1. 1Download to your computer

    The download starts by itself when you return from the payment page. For a payment made on a phone, the download link is in the confirmation email: open it on your computer; it stays valid for 7 days.

  2. 2Extract the Foldermind folder

    On Windows: right-click the downloaded file, choose "Extract All", then move the Foldermind folder to Documents. On a Mac: double-click the downloaded file, then move the Foldermind folder to Documents.

  3. 3Open the Claude app

    Start the Claude app on your computer and sign in. If the message box shows two tabs, choose the one for working on files on your computer, next to Chat.

  4. 4Connect the folder

    When Claude asks which folder to work in, or from the button to add a folder in the message box, choose Documents, then Foldermind. Claude only sees the folders you connect.

  5. 5First message

    Type this in the message box and send it to start the setup:

    read START-HERE and begin

  6. 6Answer the questions

    The assistant asks for your name, the people in your household and your priorities, and asks permission before creating files in the folder: allow the requests that concern the Foldermind folder. It is ready in about five minutes.

Everyday use

  • Every time: the Claude app on your computer, with the Foldermind folder connected, and requests written as usual. The summary with upcoming deadlines appears when you open it.
  • From your phone: a conversation started on the computer continues in the Claude app on your phone, including sending a photo of a bill. The app on the computer must stay open.
  • Additional packages and updates: copy the downloaded file into the Foldermind folder, without extracting it, then write "update" to Claude.

Common problems

Payment made on a phone

The folder is used on a computer. The download link is in the confirmation email sent to the address used for payment, or in the email you sent yourself from the confirmation page. On a computer the link downloads the folder and shows these steps; it stays valid for 7 days.

Download link expired

Ask for a new link by writing to foldermind.app@gmail.com with your order code, which starts with FM- and is in the confirmation email.

No tab for working on files

You need a paid subscription and the latest version of the Claude app, to update or download again from claude.com/download. Some versions do not show two tabs because the app brings everything into one message box: in that case, connecting the folder is enough.

Claude cannot find the Foldermind instructions

The connected folder must be the Foldermind folder itself, not the one containing it. If extracting created a Foldermind folder inside another folder, connect the innermost one.

The downloaded file does not open

On Windows, use "Extract All" from the right-click menu rather than opening it with a double-click. If the file is damaged, the download link downloads it again while it is valid.

Technical details

In the Claude app, the mode for working on files is called Cowork. The downloaded file is a zip archive containing the Foldermind folder. The first message makes Claude read the START-HERE.md file, which guides the setup and writes Foldermind's instructions into the folder's CLAUDE.md file.

For free help with setup: foldermind.app@gmail.com.