1In one sentence
A Claude side panel inside your Chrome browser can read the page you are on, summarize it, and do tasks on websites while you watch.
2New words
- Extension — a small add-on installed in Chrome. Claude in Chrome is one; it lives in the side panel.
- Side panel — the strip on the right of the browser window where you talk to Claude about the page.
- Tab — one open web page. Claude in Chrome works in a tab you give it.
3Why you would want it
You are already on the page: a long article, a product listing, a form. Instead of copying it into Claude, you open the panel and ask. For tasks, Claude can click through the site in that tab, using your logged-in session, so it works on the sites you use every day.
4Try it now
(paid plans; Chrome)
- Install Claude in Chrome from the Chrome Web Store and sign in.
- Open a long article. Click the Claude icon to open the side panel.
- Type: Summarize this page in 5 points, then tell me if any claim looks doubtful.
- Then try a task: On this site, find the cheapest [item] under [price] and open its page.
5What you will see
[picture pending: the Chrome window with the Claude side panel open beside an article, showing the summary] A summary in the panel in seconds. For a task, you see the page change as Claude clicks, with a short line in the panel saying what it is doing, and a card asking permission the first time it acts on a new site.
6Watch out
- One site at a time. Give the panel the task for the tab you are on.
- Same rules as Chapter 2.3: Claude will not enter passwords or solve CAPTCHAs, and you should keep "always allow" for sites you trust.
7Go further
Use it for comparison shopping or research across a site you know well, and let the built-in browser (Chapter 2.3) handle sites where you are not logged in. Chapter 2.9 moves the same idea into Slack.