Your whole IT team,
in your pocket.
Plug it into a broken computer and say what's wrong in plain words. Claude finds the problem, explains it, and fixes it once you say yes. Claude itself is never installed on the computer.
Every ticket is a treasure hunt.
You know how to fix it. Finding it is the slow part: the right setting, the right log, the right driver, on someone else's laptop, with them watching.
Click through settings, Device Manager and event logsSearch the error code, read forum threads from 2019Install some tool on a laptop that isn't yoursForget to remove itExplain it all to someone who just wants it fixed
- Plug in the stick. Double-click Start.
- Say what's wrong, like you'd tell a colleague.
- Claude does the digging with a real repair toolkit.
- Read what it found, in plain words.
- Say yes, then unplug. Nothing left behind.
Plug in. Say it. Say yes.
Nothing to set up on the laptop first, no accounts to create, no settings to learn. If you can describe the problem, you can fix it.
Plug in and double-click Start
Windows asks for admin so Claude can fix things. Say No and it can still look.
Say what's wrong, in plain words
Claude checks the computer, finds the cause, and tells you what it found.
Say yes, then unplug
Every fix waits for your yes. Press Q when you're done and it checks the computer for leftovers.
The tickets you get every week.
Claude reads the evidence before it touches anything, then goes straight to the usual suspects.
No sound
Sound going to the wrong device, a muted app, a driver an update broke.
Printer offline
Stuck print jobs, a printer that moved, a print service that crashed.
Wi-Fi trouble
A switched-off adapter, a broken setting, a missing driver.
Updates fail
A full disk, a stuck update, a bad update to roll back.
"It's so slow"
Startup clutter, a dying disk, something eating the memory.
Blue screens
Reads the crash records and names the driver behind them.
"Worked until yesterday"
A timeline of installs, updates, crashes and shutdowns.
Something looks off
What starts with the computer, what runs, what talks to the internet.
Powerful, and on a short leash.
An assistant that can run commands should earn your trust. These four rules are built into the stick, not left to good intentions.
Your login is locked
It sits on the stick, encrypted with your passphrase. It's unlocked only into memory while you work, never saved on the computer.
Nothing left behind
Claude and its tools run from the stick, never installed. When you quit, it checks the computer for leftovers in the usual places and tells you it's clean.
Asks before every change
Claude explains each fix in a sentence and waits for your yes. Looking is free. Changing needs you.
Pull it out anytime
Yank the stick mid-session and everything closes within a few seconds. No half-running leftovers.
One stick. Any computer.
Windows, Mac and Linux, on Intel and AMD chips and on ARM. Choose "Mac or Linux too" when you set up the stick.
Windows
The full repair toolkit rides along. Click Yes to the admin prompt so Claude can fix, or No to let it only look.
Start (Windows).cmdMac
Claude uses the tools already built into macOS. The first time, right-click Start and choose Open.
Start (Mac).commandLinux
Claude uses the tools already built into Linux. Same menu, same rules, same locked login.
bash start-linux.shFour things. You probably have three.
Set it up once on a Windows computer. After that, the stick goes anywhere.
A USB stick
32 GB or more. Setup can format it for you.
Your Claude plan
Your own Claude Pro or Max plan. The stick signs in as you.
A Windows computer
With internet, for the one-time setup.
10 to 30 minutes
Once. Setup does the downloading while you do something else.
It fetches every program from its official source onto your stick, about 1.3 GB, and checks each file.
Good questions.
Still curious? The guide has every step and every tool.
Do I need a Claude plan?
Yes: your own Claude Pro or Max plan. The stick runs Claude Code signed in as you, so the work counts toward your plan like any other Claude Code session.
Codex (ChatGPT's assistant) is an optional extra on menu item 2, for anyone with a ChatGPT plan.
Does it install anything on the computer?
Not of its own. Claude and its tools run straight from the stick, with their own settings and notes, and are never installed. If a fix needs something new, like a driver or an update, Claude installs it only after you say yes.
When you quit, it checks the computer for leftovers in the usual places and tells you it's clean.
What if the Wi-Fi is the thing that's broken?
Claude needs internet, so plug your phone into the laptop with its USB cable and turn on USB tethering. The laptop goes online through your phone, and Claude can fix the Wi-Fi from there.
What if I lose the stick?
Your login on it is locked with your passphrase, so the stick is useless to whoever finds it. To be completely sure, remove the stick's login at claude.ai under Settings > Claude Code. It takes a minute.
Does it work on Macs and Linux?
Yes, on Intel, AMD and ARM machines. Say yes to "Mac or Linux too?" during setup. On those computers Claude uses the tools that come built in; the extra repair toolkit is for Windows.
Will Claude change things without asking?
No. It explains each fix and waits for your yes. On Windows you can also click No at the admin prompt, and then it can only look, not change.
How does the setup work?
Download the free setup (under 50 KB), unzip it on a Windows computer and double-click Set up my stick.cmd. It fetches every program from its official source onto your stick (about 1.3 GB, 10 to 30 minutes) and checks each file is genuine.
Is this made by Anthropic?
No. Pocket Help Desk is an independent project. It runs Claude Code, Anthropic's assistant, with your own Claude account.
Be the one who fixes it.
Put a help desk in your pocket. Setup takes one coffee.