Claude Cheat Sheet

Every Conversation

Projects

A dedicated workspace with its own knowledge base, instructions, and chat history — use for anything recurring.

Upload reference docs (MP schema notes, diaconate formation calendar, parish lists)
Set custom instructions once; every chat in the project inherits them
Good candidates: Diaconate Formation, MP Admin, Parish Onboarding

Styles

Controls tone/format of replies. Presets: Normal, Concise, Explanatory, Formal, Learning — or build a custom one from a writing sample.

Settings → Styles → Create style

Search & Reference Past Chats

Toggle in Settings. Once on, Claude can pull context from earlier conversations without you re-explaining.

"What did we decide about the QBO migration timeline?"

Memory

When enabled, Claude retains durable facts across chats (your role, ongoing projects, preferences) and applies them automatically — no need to re-state context.

Prompting Shortcuts

Useful Patterns

Context + Task + Format + Constraints

Ask for a specific output format up front (table, script, PDF)
Give real constraints: field names, MP table names, deadline
"Don't explain, just give me the ___" skips the preamble
Paste an example of the tone/format you want replicated

Bilingual Work

Ask directly for parallel English/Spanish output — no separate translation step needed.

"Draft this bulletin note in English, then Spanish"

Get Things Made

Artifacts

Live, editable outputs in a side panel — code, docs, diagrams, mini web apps. Ask to build, then iterate conversationally.

Diagrams / flowcharts / org charts
Interactive calculators or trackers
Dashboards, charts from data you paste

Files (Word / Excel / PDF / PPT)

Ask directly for the file type — Claude drafts it and gives you a download.

"Create a Word doc memo for pastors about..." "Build a spreadsheet tracking diaconate candidates"

Skills

Packaged expertise Claude reads automatically when a task matches — document formatting best practices, org-specific playbooks, etc. Your org's admin can add shared skills to the catalog; Claude suggests one when relevant.

Plugins

A bundle: skills + slash commands + connectors for one workflow (e.g., a data-analysis or contract-review plugin). Installed once, usable org-wide on Team plans.

Automate & Recur

Scheduled Tasks (Cowork)

Set a recurring prompt; Claude runs it automatically and shows you results — daily briefings, weekly reports, recurring file cleanup.

"Every Monday 7am: summarize new MP helpdesk tickets"

Runs while your Desktop app/computer is on. For always-on cloud automation, see Claude Code Routines.

Claude Code / Cowork

Agentic tools that work across your local files and connected apps to complete multi-step tasks autonomously, with permission prompts for risky actions. Cowork is the no-terminal version for non-developers.

Connect to Your Tools

Connectors You Already HaveMCP

Ministry Platform — query records, contact cards, send comms, platform links
Microsoft 365 — Outlook mail/calendar, SharePoint, Teams search
Google Drive
Canva / Adobe — design asset generation & editing

"Pull this week's new diaconate applicant records from MP"

Claude in Chrome / Excel / PPT

Browser, spreadsheet, and slides agents — Claude works directly inside the app rather than just chatting about it.

Claude Tag (Slack)

Tag @Claude in any Slack channel or DM to delegate a task — no separate app needed. Good for quick parish-level requests.

Reminders

When Something Feels Missing

Tools you don't see may just need enabling in Settings
Named skills/plugins live in your org's shared catalog — ask admin to add
Feature names shift fast — this sheet is a snapshot, not gospel

Claude — Quick Reference