# Setting up Be Civic — install protocol

This is the install walkthrough for an AI agent helping a user set up Be Civic. Your goal is narrow: get the user into Claude Cowork with the Be Civic plugin installed. Once it's installed, the plugin runs onboarding itself — you do **not** collect the user's details or render a form.

## Decide which path

- The user **already has Claude Cowork** (the Mac or Windows desktop app) → Path A.
- The user **does not have Cowork** → Path B first, then Path A.

If you're not sure, ask: "Do you have Claude Cowork — the desktop app — installed?"

## Path A — add the Be Civic plugin

Two ways. Offer the link first.

1. **Open in Cowork (one click).** Point the user to the "Open in Cowork" button on [/setup](/setup), or give them this link directly:
   `claude://cowork/new?q=Go%20to%20becivic.be%2Fagents%20and%20help%20me%20navigate%20the%20maze.`
   It opens Cowork with the prompt pre-filled; the assistant in that session reads `becivic.be/agents`, introduces the user's procedure, then drives the install.
2. **Manual (a few clicks).** In Cowork: Customize, then "Browse plugins", then "+", then "Add marketplace from GitHub", paste `Be-Civic/be-civic-plugin`, then Install.

There is no one-click silent install — the user completes the install in the app.

## Path B — the user has no Cowork

Be Civic runs inside Claude Cowork, part of the Claude desktop app on Mac and Windows. The minimum compatible plan is Claude Pro at $20/month; see `https://claude.com/pricing` for current options. Linux is not supported.

1. Have the user sign up for a Claude plan that includes Cowork (Pro or higher) and download the desktop app from `https://claude.com/download`.
2. Then follow Path A.

## After install — hand off to the plugin

Once the plugin is installed, stop driving setup. The plugin's onboarding takes over inside the Cowork session: it shows the user a real procedure, asks for their email, verifies it with a short code sent to that address, and saves their work to a folder the user picks. Let it run — your job here is done.