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
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:
https://api.bosslevel.dev/mcp/all-optimized- Save, then start a new conversation
Sign in
You authorize twice. Clicking Connect on the connector signs you in to Arcade and links Claude Desktop to the gateway. After that, the first time Claude reaches for an app, it returns a browser link asking you to authorize that app; approve it and Arcade holds the token, so you only do this once per app.
Your tool calls, tokens, and secrets route through your own Arcade , isolated from every other of the same gateway. Server-level and tool-level authorization covers the split in depth.
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 personal use 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