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See Depot work, then do it yourself

Forty four seconds of the real side panel, followed by the steps for each thing it does. Every screen in the video is the shipping extension, driven with demo data.

Nothing in the video is a mockup. It is the extension's own side panel, at its real width, running against demo projects. The file counts, the sync numbers and the character counts on screen are what the panel calculated from that data.
In the demo

What happens, and when

Every chapter below plays the video from that point.

Step by step

How to do each of these yourself

Every control named here is the one the extension actually shows. For what a screen or a setting does rather than how to use it, read the documentation guide.

Walkthrough 01

How to keep one set of files in sync across several Claude Projects

Put the shared files in a Library group once, connect the projects that need them, and push changes from the group instead of re-uploading into each project.

  1. Open the Depot side panel on claude.ai and switch to the Library tab.
  2. Click New group and name it after the knowledge rather than the project. Company Context and Frontend Rules age better than Q3 campaign.
  3. Open the group and click +. Use From projects to pull in files that already live in a Claude project, Upload files to add them from your computer, or Add text content to write one straight into the group.
  4. Switch to the Connected projects sub-tab and click Connect on every project that should receive these files.
  5. Go back to Files. Each file carries a status pill, and In sync means every connected project already holds this version.
What you will see

The button at the top of the group settles on All connected projects up to date. The Files and Connected projects tabs carry counts, so a group tells you its own size at a glance.

A file shows Unlinked while its group has no connected projects yet. Connecting the first project starts the check.

Walkthrough 02

How to update a shared file across every connected Claude Project

Edit the file in the Library group and save it. Depot works out which connected projects are behind, shows you the per file plan, and writes only after you confirm.

  1. In the group's Files list, click the file or its pencil icon. The editor opens with Library file in and the group name underneath, so it is clear you are editing the source and not one project's copy.
  2. Make the change and click Save changes. The footer reads Unsaved changes until it lands.
  3. Depot re-checks every connected project in the background. A banner appears on the group, the header button turns amber and reads Sync 4 updates to projects, the file pill changes from In sync to 4 to update, and the Library tab picks up a badge. There is nothing to refresh.
  4. Click the amber button. The sheet lists every connected project with +2 to add, ~1 to update and 3 in sync. Open a row to read the per file plan before you agree to it.
  5. Clear the checkbox on any project you want to leave alone, then click Sync 4 projects.
What you will see

The sheet finishes on a Synced panel naming the group and how many projects it reached, and the group button drops back to All connected projects up to date.

Depot uploads the new version of a document before it removes the old one, so a connection that drops mid sync leaves you holding both copies rather than neither. Documents that exist only in a project, and are not part of the group, are never touched.

Walkthrough 03

How to duplicate a Claude Project to test a new prompt safely

Click Duplicate on the project card. Depot shows a dry run of exactly what it will copy and writes nothing until you confirm. Your original project is never modified.

  1. In the Projects tab, find the project and click Duplicate on its card.
  2. Read the dry run. The eyebrow says nothing has been written yet. It confirms the instructions are copied exactly and gives their character count, and it lists the documents it will copy.
  3. Change the name if you want to. Depot suggests the original name followed by (variant B), so two experiments do not end up sharing a name.
  4. Click Duplicate. The button reads Writing to your account while the new project and its documents are created in Claude.
What you will see

A toast confirms the duplicate and names the new project, which appears at the top of your list. The original sits below it, untouched, still showing its own last updated time.

Instructions and text documents are copied exactly. Images are not: Claude stores an uploaded image as a downscaled preview and offers no way to upload an image file back into a project, so those have to be re-attached in Claude by hand. Depot says so rather than leaving you to find out.

Walkthrough 04

How to edit a Claude Project document without deleting and re-uploading it

Open the project in Depot, click the document, edit it in the panel and click Save changes. Depot writes the new version back into the project.

  1. In the Projects tab, click the project to open its documents.
  2. Click the document, or the pencil icon on its row. The editor fills the panel and reads Direct edit in followed by the project name.
  3. Edit the text. The footer counts lines and characters as you type, which is the number that matters when a project is near its limit.
  4. Click Save changes, or press Ctrl+S, or Cmd+S on a Mac.
What you will see

A toast confirms the save and a Reload Claude pill appears in the panel header. Click it so the open Claude tab picks up the new version.

Text, Markdown, JSON, SQL and code documents can be edited. A PDF or an image cannot, and Depot tells you that instead of opening an editor that could not save.

Walkthrough 05

How to back up your Claude Projects to your own computer

Click Back up on one project card, or Back up all in the Projects header for the whole workspace. Depot builds a standard zip and your browser downloads it. Nothing is uploaded anywhere.

  1. Open the Projects tab.
  2. For one project, click Back up on its card. For everything in the workspace, click Back up all in the header.
  3. Wait for the button spinner. A toast names what was backed up when the file is ready.
project.jsonThe metadata: the instructions, the document manifest and a note on what could be copied faithfully.
instructions.mdThe project instructions on their own, as readable text.
README.txtWhat this archive holds, including the caveat about image files.
docs/Every text document, under its original filename.
files/The best bytes Claude will serve for each attached file. Image entries are named to make clear they are Claude's downscaled renders, not your originals.
What you will see

Your browser downloads the project name followed by .zip, or claude-projects-backup- and the date for a whole workspace. Back up all nests each project in its own folder inside the one archive.

Walkthrough 06

How to restore a Claude Project from a Depot backup

Use the restore button in the Projects header, choose the zip, and confirm. Depot creates new projects rather than writing over the ones you already have.

  1. In the Projects header, click the upload arrow beside Back up all. It is labelled Restore from a Depot backup zip.
  2. Choose a zip that Depot created. Depot reads it and shows what it found, one row per project.
  3. Rename anything that should land under a different name.
  4. Click Restore, or Restore 3 when the archive holds several projects.
What you will see

A toast names what was restored and how many documents were copied. Anything that could not be recreated, image attachments in particular, is called out rather than quietly dropped.

This one is not in the video. It is the same archive format the backup writes, so a backup taken today restores into a fresh project whenever you need it.

FAQ

Questions about working this way

Do I need Claude Pro to use Depot?

No. Depot works with your existing claude.ai session on a Free or a Pro plan. It also cannot raise a limit Claude puts on your account: it works within them.

Does syncing overwrite documents a project already has?

No. A sync only touches files that belong to the Library group you are syncing. A document that exists only inside the project is left exactly as it is.

Can Depot read my Claude conversations?

No. Depot reads and writes projects, their instructions and their documents. Chats are not part of that, and there is no server for anything to be sent to.

Where are my Library groups stored?

In your browser's own extension storage, on your machine. That also means they do not follow you to a second computer on their own. Back them up to a zip if you want them elsewhere.

How many projects can one group be connected to?

Depot does not set a limit. A sync runs through the connected projects in turn, and if Claude asks it to slow down it waits and retries rather than dropping files.

Does the video have sound?

No. It is silent by design, so it can autoplay muted on a store listing without anyone having to reach for the volume.

Everything in the video is one install away.

Depot runs in the Chrome side panel beside claude.ai, using the session you are already signed into.

Local-first - No account required