Study HQ co-work (PRO)
How to set up Claude Desktop to read and draft into your child's Study HQ folder — a PRO feature that turns downloaded notes into a live co-work workspace.
On this page
Study HQ co-work is a PRO feature that turns your child's downloaded Study HQ folder into a live workspace inside Claude Desktop. Claude can read all the topic cards and notes in the folder and draft new ones — while the aitutors tutors keep doing the actual teaching. Think of it as Claude Desktop acting as a notebook assistant, while Professor Pi (and the rest of the faculty) stay as the tutors.
What you need
- A PRO subscription (£29/mo)
- Claude Desktop — the free desktop app from claude.ai/download
- About 10 minutes to set up
Already have the web connector?
The aitutors connector you added on claude.ai syncs automatically to Claude Desktop. No extra setup for the connector — you just need to create the Project folder (Step 2 below).
What's inside Study HQ
When you download your Study HQ folder from your dashboard, it contains a folder for each subject, an Inbox for new drafts, and a file that tells Claude Desktop how to behave:
Study HQ/
├── 01-MATH/ → Your child's Maths topic cards and session notes
├── 02-ENLA/ → English Language notes
├── (other subjects)
├── _Inbox/ → Where Claude Desktop puts new drafts
└── CLAUDE.md → Tells Claude Desktop how to behave as a study companion
Do you need Obsidian?
Obsidian (obsidian.md) is a free app that makes it easy to browse and read the notes in Study HQ. You don't need it — Claude Desktop works with the folder directly. But Obsidian is the nicest way to read topic cards and notes your child has built up. Download it free at obsidian.md and open the Study HQ folder in it.
The four setup steps
The full interactive guide is at /cowork — it walks you through each step with copy-ready text. Here is the overview:
- Download and unzip your Study HQ folder from your dashboard. Put it somewhere you won't accidentally move or delete it — your Documents folder works well.
- Open Claude Desktop and create a Project pointing at the unzipped folder. Choose "Use an existing folder" and pick the Study HQ folder.
- Paste the study-companion instructions into the Project's Instructions field. The full setup guide at /cowork has a copy button for this text.
- Confirm the aitutors connector is active in the Project. Because connectors are account-level, if you already added it on claude.ai it will be there automatically.
What Claude Desktop can and can't do
| Claude Desktop (co-work) | aitutors tutors (connector) |
|---|---|
| Reads your child's notes and topic cards | Does the actual tutoring — Socratic method |
| Drafts new cards into the Inbox folder | Enforces "never give the answer" |
| Summarises what's been covered | Childline safeguarding hard-fail |
| Helps organise and review notes | Memory write-back to the session log |
Claude Desktop is not a tutor
Claude Desktop reads and writes notes — it is a study companion, not a subject expert. Real tutoring (with the "never give the answer" rule and safeguarding) only happens through the aitutors connector. The two work together; neither replaces the other.
FAQ
Can my child use it on their phone? No — Claude Desktop is a desktop app. On mobile, use claude.ai with the aitutors connector as normal.
What if the Inbox fills up?
Move cards from _Inbox/ into the relevant subject folder (e.g. 01-MATH/). Obsidian makes this easy with drag-and-drop.
Can I see what Claude Desktop drafted?
Yes — open the _Inbox/ folder in Obsidian or any file browser. Each draft is a plain text Markdown file.
Is it safe? Claude Desktop reads your local folder — nothing leaves your computer except what goes through the aitutors connector (which is the same as regular tutoring). See our safeguarding policy.