Everything you need to install Pulse, connect your tools, and run your first morning briefing. No coding required.
A few minutes
No coding
macOS or Linux
0
Before you start
2 min if not already installed
You need four things on your machine:
Claude Code. Anthropic's command-line tool. Install it from docs.anthropic.com and sign in with your Anthropic account. Version 2.1 or later.
A paid Claude plan. Claude Pro or above, bought separately from Anthropic. This is what actually runs the AI behind Pulse; a free Claude account is not enough.
Python 3.8 or later. Runs the local dashboard server. Most Macs and Linux machines already have it.
macOS or Linux. Windows is not currently supported.
✓
Quick check: Open your terminal, type claude, and hit Enter. Then type python3 --version. If both respond, you're ready for Step 1.
1
Install Pulse
A couple of minutes
Download pulse-1.0.0.zip from your purchase receipt, then open your terminal in the folder you saved it to. On Mac, press Cmd + Space, type "Terminal", and press Enter. Run these three commands, in order.
Terminal
❯unzip pulse-1.0.0.zip -d ~# unpacks to ~/pulse❯claude plugin marketplace add ~/pulse❯claude plugin install pulse@pulse-productivity✓Pulse installed. Restart Claude Code, then run/pulse:startto begin setup.
!
Got an error? Make sure Claude Code is installed and you're signed in. Try running claude --version to verify, and claude plugin list after install to confirm pulse@pulse-productivity shows up enabled.
2
Run the Setup Wizard
~2 minutes
Start Claude Code, then type the start command. Pulse walks you through a short conversation, no config files to edit by hand.
/pulse:start
❯claude❯/pulse:startWelcome to Pulse! Let's get you set up.1. What's your name? → Alex2. What timezone are you in? → America/New_York(auto-detected)3. What's your role? → Engineering Manager4. Do you manage a team? → Sarah, Marcus, Priya5. Which tools do you use? → Outlook, Slack, Asana6. Where should Pulse keep your data? → ~/outputs(suggested default)✓ Config saved to ~/outputs/config.json✓ TASKS.md created
✓ Dashboard running at http://localhost:8050
i
Setup asks about your usual rhythm so Pulse can shape briefings around it, but nothing runs on a timer. The dashboard and, if you enable it, Apple Reminders sync are the only parts that start automatically. Briefings, diaries, and weekly previews run when you ask for them.
Simple, flat, human-readable
All your settings live in one JSON file in your workspace folder. No database, no hidden state. You can edit it by hand any time.
3
Connect Your Tools
Optional but recommended
Pulse ships with six MCP servers pre-configured: Slack, Notion, Microsoft 365, Asana, Linear, and Atlassian. Pulse only declares them, you still authorise each one yourself, and what it can read depends on your own account and your organisation's permissions. Pulse also works with zero connectors: you'll still get a task manager, diary, and dashboard.
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Microsoft 365
Calendar, email, Teams · pre-wired MCP
📆
Gmail, Google Calendar
Via Claude in Chrome, no MCP server exists yet
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Slack, Notion
Pre-wired MCP
📋
Asana, Linear, Atlassian
Pre-wired MCP. Basecamp, Confluence route through Atlassian and Notion
Enable connectors in Claude Code → Settings. Each one asks you to sign in and approve access, that's the authorisation step. If a tool is not connected, Pulse skips that section of the briefing and notes it, rather than failing.
Graceful degradation built in
Pulse never breaks because a tool isn't connected. Each missing source is simply skipped, and the rest of the briefing adapts around it.
4
Run Your First Briefing
~30 seconds
After setup, Pulse will offer to run your first morning briefing. Say yes. It scans everything you've connected and builds a structured output.
Navigate to http://localhost:8050 in any browser. That's your personal command centre.
The Tasks tab: your morning screen
One scrollable screen: priority tasks, this week, and what's waiting on others. Designed for early mornings with coffee, before the day starts. Mobile-friendly, so you can access it from your phone on the same Wi-Fi.
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Access on your phone: Find your computer's IP in System Settings → Wi-Fi, then open http://YOUR_IP:8050 on your phone. Or install Tailscale (free) to access from anywhere.
6
Your Daily Rhythm
The ongoing workflow
Once set up, Pulse fits into three natural moments in your day.
Morning
Briefing
/pulse:briefing
Calendar, inbox triage, task priorities. Open your dashboard and see everything at a glance.
Next week's plan, risks flagged, priorities suggested. Start Monday with clarity.
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Natural language works too. Instead of slash commands, you can just tell Claude: "start my day", "end my day", or "prep my week".
Your dashboard auto-refreshes every 2 minutes during the day, so it stays current as you work.
7
Tips & Tricks
Get more out of Pulse
👥
Tag tasks with team member names
Use #Sarah or #Marcus in your tasks. This auto-groups them in the People tab and feeds into 1:1 meeting prep.
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Use the email draft confidence levels
Green "Ready to send" drafts can be copied directly. Amber "Needs your input" drafts are starting points that need your judgment.
🎙️
Capture context after meetings
After a call, tell Claude: "I just met with Sarah. We agreed to push the launch to April." Pulse tracks the decision and creates follow-up items automatically.
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Check at 5am with your coffee
The dashboard is designed for exactly this moment: one screen that tells you what's coming and what needs your attention before anyone else is online.
8
Troubleshooting
If something's off
Dashboard shows "Loading..." forever
The dashboard server might not be running. Open Terminal and run: python3 ~/outputs/scripts/dashboard-server.py and read what it prints. Then refresh the page in your browser.
Briefing says "No calendar connected"
Enable a calendar connector in Claude Code Settings. See Step 3 above. Once connected, run /pulse:briefing again.
Tasks aren't showing up
Check that the file exists: cat ~/outputs/TASKS.md If it's empty or missing, run /pulse:start again to recreate it.
Can't access dashboard from phone
Make sure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network. Check your Mac's IP in System Settings → Wi-Fi. Use http://YOUR_IP:8050 on your phone. For anywhere access, install Tailscale on both devices.
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Never sends emails for you. Pulse drafts them. You decide what to send.
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Never modifies your calendar. Read-only. It sees your schedule, never changes it.
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No Pulse account, no telemetry, no licence check. The dashboard and everything it writes stay in files on your machine. Anything you send to Claude, or to a tool you've connected (Slack, Notion, Microsoft 365, and so on), is processed by that provider under its own terms, the same as using it directly.