Install Arcade in Claude Desktop
Claude Desktop Chat does not install agent plugins, so it gets Arcade tools through a connector instead. You still authorize each app in the browser, and you still need no . You just do not get the plugin’s skills, commands, or arcade-operator subagent.
Outcomes
Connect Claude Desktop to Arcade and run a task against one of your apps.
Prerequisites
- Claude Desktop, updated to a version that supports custom connectors
- An Arcade , which you can create when Claude first asks you to authenticate
Using Cowork or Claude Code inside the Claude desktop app? Those do load plugins. Install the full plugin with one command instead.
Add Arcade as a custom connector
- Open Settings → Connectors
- Click Add custom connector
- Paste the Arcade gateway URL:
TEXT
https://api.bosslevel.dev/mcp/all-optimized- Save, then start a new conversation
Sign in to your apps
The first time Claude reaches for an app, it returns a browser link. Following it signs you in to Arcade, creating your if you do not have one yet, and asks you to authorize the app Claude wants to use. Approve it and Arcade holds the token from then on, so you only do this once per app.
Try it
- “What’s on my calendar tomorrow?”
- “What apps can Arcade use?”
- “Summarize the unread email from this week.”
Next steps
- Install the agent plugin: the full experience in Cursor, Claude Code, VS Code, Copilot CLI, or Codex
- From trial to team rollout: move a workflow onto a gateway you control
- Use Arcade in Claude Desktop with your own gateway: pick exactly which Claude can call
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