Connect Claude Desktop to Atlas
Installing the Graphite Atlas plugin gives Claude two things at once:
- The tools to read and write your atlases
- The skills that teach it how to model well: correct typing, attachment, naming, and a health audit
No Node.js, no config files, no API key. Four clicks and a sign-in.
The same plugin works in Cowork and Claude Code. For the Claude Code command line, see Claude Code.
Step 1: Open Plugins
In Claude Desktop: Settings > Customize > Plugins.
Step 2: Add the Graphite Atlas marketplace
Click + Add > Add marketplace > Add from a repository, and enter:
graphiteatlas/atlas-skills
Then click Sync.
The repository is public and Claude reads it directly. You may see a notice that auto-sync requires the Claude GitHub App. You can dismiss it: the plugin installs either way. Granting access only means Claude picks up new versions automatically instead of you re-syncing.
Step 3: Install the plugin
Graphite atlas appears under From marketplaces you added. Open it and turn it on.
You should now see 5 skills and 2 commands. The skills work immediately, with nothing to sign into: they are instructions, not access to your data. Claude uses them automatically when the work calls for it, or you can invoke one directly by typing /atlas-modeling in a chat.
Step 4: Connect to your atlases
The plugin's Connectors tab lists graphite-atlas as Not added. Click Connect, then Add.
Claude detects the sign-in settings by itself. The two options marked Detected are the right ones, so change nothing:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Authentication | Sign in now |
| OAuth client | Register automatically |
A browser window opens. If you are already signed in to Graphite Atlas, approve the request and you are done. If not, we email you a sign-in link first.
The connector then reads Connected.
The connection uses whichever Graphite Atlas account your browser is signed in to. If you have more than one, check you are signed in to the right one before connecting.
Step 5: Verify
Start a new conversation and ask:
List my atlases
Claude should answer with the atlases in your account.
To check the skills are loaded too, ask:
What are the three Atlas modeling principles?
You should get: name by function, attach at the right level and type, and type by meaning with membership explicit. A vague answer means the plugin is installed but not enabled.
- "What's in my atlas?"
- "Show me all the processes"
- "Who is responsible for the monthly close?"
- "Audit this atlas and tell me what is modeled badly"
Troubleshooting
The plugin installed but Claude ignores the skills. Check the plugin toggle is on, in Settings > Plugins > Graphite atlas.
The connector says Not added. The skills and the tools are separate. Step 4 is what grants access to your data; the skills work without it.
Claude lists the wrong atlases. The connector is bound to the account your browser was signed in to. Disconnect, sign in to the right account at graphiteatlas.com, and reconnect.
Sign-in never completes. Check for a sign-in email from Graphite Atlas, including the spam folder. Our sign-in is passwordless, so there is no password to get wrong.
Using an API key instead
Older setups added a graphite-atlas block to claude_desktop_config.json with
a GRAPHITE_ACCESS_TOKEN. That still works, but it needs Node.js installed and a
key pasted into a file, so the plugin above is the better path for everyone.
API keys remain the right approach for scripts and servers, not for Claude Desktop.