You can use your own Claude or ChatGPT inside Tana. They work through the Claude or ChatGPT app on your computer, so Tana needs to find that app first.
To see how they're doing, open Settings in Tana and go to External agents. Next to each one is a button or a short message. When you ask an agent something in a chat and it can't answer, its reply says why. Find what you see on this page and follow the steps.
While you sort this out, Tana's own AI keeps working in every chat.
First, try these
Claude and ChatGPT only work in the Tana app on your computer, not in a web browser. Download Tana if you don't have it yet.
- Mac: click Tana in the menu bar at the top of the screen, then Check for Updates.
- Windows: click the Tana icon at the right end of the taskbar, near the clock, then Check for Updates. If you don't see the icon, click the small ^ arrow first.
Closing Tana's window doesn't quit it. Click the Tana icon (at the top right of the screen on a Mac, near the clock on Windows), choose Quit Tana, then open Tana again.
An Install button, or "Claude isn't installed on this computer"
Tana works with Claude through Claude Code, the part of the Claude app behind its Code tab. Tana couldn't find it on your computer.
Using Claude in Tana needs a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise).
The quickest way: use the Claude app
Download it from claude.com/download, open it, and sign in.
In the Claude app, open the Code tab and wait until it has loaded. This is when the Claude app downloads what Tana needs.
Open Settings, External agents again. If there's a Sign in button next to Claude, click it and finish signing in in the browser window that opens.
If Tana still can't find Claude
Some computers, Windows ones in particular, need Claude Code installed on its own. It takes a few minutes and you only do it once. You'll paste one line from Anthropic, the company that makes Claude, into a window for typing commands. You don't need to know anything about that window.
On Windows
Click Start, type PowerShell, and press Enter. A window opens where you can type.
Point at the line below and click the copy button that appears at its right. Then click inside the PowerShell window, press Ctrl V to paste, and press Enter.
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iexIt can take a minute or two and doesn't show much while it works. When it says the installation is complete, close the window.
Open Settings, External agents again. If there's a Sign in button next to Claude, click it. If Claude still isn't found, restart Tana.
On a Mac
Press ⌘ Space, type Terminal, and press Enter. A window opens where you can type.
Point at the line below and click the copy button that appears at its right. Then click inside the Terminal window, press ⌘ V to paste, and press Enter.
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bashWhen it says the installation is complete, close the window.
Open Settings, External agents again. If there's a Sign in button next to Claude, click it. If Claude still isn't found, restart Tana.
"Claude is installed but hasn't been opened yet"
The Claude app is on your computer, but it hasn't downloaded what Tana needs yet. It does that the first time you open its Code tab.
Click Open next to Claude in Tana's settings, or open the Claude app yourself.
Open the Code tab and wait until it has loaded.
Open Settings, External agents again.
Still seeing the same message? Install Claude Code on its own. On some Windows computers, Tana can't find what the Claude app downloads.
"Claude moved on this computer"
This is normal after the Claude app updates itself. You don't need to do anything: Tana finds Claude again the next time you send it a message.
If you see this often, install Claude Code on its own so it stays in one place.
ChatGPT: an Install button, or "hasn't been opened yet"
Tana works with ChatGPT through the ChatGPT app on your computer.
If you don't have it, download it from chatgpt.com/download.
The first time the app opens, it sets up what Tana needs. You can also click Open next to ChatGPT in Tana's settings.
Open Settings, External agents again.
"Needs an update before Tana can use it"
Click Update next to it, install the new version, then open Settings, External agents again.
If you installed Claude Code by pasting the line on this page, do the same steps again to get the newest version.
Signing in
- "Sign-in timed out" or "Sign-in didn't finish". Click Sign in again. A browser window opens: finish signing in there, then come back to Tana. If you closed that window by mistake, click Start over.
- "Is working on something". Claude or ChatGPT is busy answering. Wait until it's done, then try again.
- Claude won't sign in, or won't answer after you sign in. Check that your Claude account has a paid plan. The free plan doesn't include what Tana uses.
Other messages
- ChatGPT "needs the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable". ChatGPT needs this free Microsoft download to run on Windows. Get it from Microsoft's download page, install it, then restart Tana. If you're not sure which version to pick, tell us.
- ChatGPT "couldn't be started on this computer". Uninstall the ChatGPT app, install it again from chatgpt.com/download, then restart Tana. If that doesn't help, your antivirus or your company's IT settings may be blocking it. See On a work computer.
- "Isn't signed by its maker, so Tana won't run it". Tana only runs ChatGPT when it can confirm the app came from OpenAI. Install the ChatGPT app again from chatgpt.com/download, then restart Tana.
- "Keeps stopping". Restart Tana, or wait a few minutes. Tana tries again by itself.
- "Restart Tana and sign in again". Restart Tana, and sign in to Tana if it asks.
- "Stopped with an error". Restart Tana. If it happens again, let us know.
On a work computer
Your company's IT team may have settings that block the apps Tana needs. If the Code tab works in the Claude app but Tana still can't find or start Claude, ask IT to allow Claude Code, or to install it for you.
Still stuck?
Email us at support@tana.inc. Copy the message below, fill it in, and attach Tana's logs so we can see what went wrong.
Hi Tana team, my agent won't connect to Tana.
- Agent (Claude or ChatGPT):
- What Settings, External agents shows next to it (a button or a message):
- Mac or Windows:
- On Windows, the "System type" in Windows Settings, System, About:
- Tana version (under About Tana):
- How I installed the agent (the Claude or ChatGPT app, or the line from your help page):
- Is it a work computer that IT manages?
To get Tana's logs:
- Mac: click Help in the menu bar at the top of the screen, then Download App Logs.
- Windows: click the Tana icon near the clock, then Help, Download App Logs.
Save the file, then attach it to your email.