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Claude Setup Guide

Set DingDuff up to do its deepest research.

DingDuff is only as strong as the tools you let Claude reach. A five-minute setup is the difference between benchmark-grade research and a quicker, shallower answer — and the right steps depend on which kind of Claude account you have.

The thing that matters most

How DingDuff researches your question

When you ask a legal question, DingDuff can work in three ways. Your setup decides which one Claude is able to use.

1
fetch_opinion_file

Claude saves the full text of each opinion to a folder on your computer and reads the source itself. This is exactly how DingDuff runs in our benchmark tests.

Best · benchmark-grade
2
opinion_extract

Claude pulls the most relevant passages from each opinion. Needs your own Anthropic API key (BYOK) — a dependable backup for when Tier 1 isn’t available.

Good backup
3
opinion_view

Claude reads cases directly in the chat. You’ll still get an answer — just a less thoroughly researched one.

Fallback

The goal of this guide is simple: get Claude to operate in Tier 1, with Tier 2 set up as an automatic backup. Tier 3 is the least optimal version of DingDuff.

Start here

Which Claude account do you have?

This decides who controls the settings DingDuff needs. Pick your path — then everyone finishes with the same two steps at the end.

Path A

Personal — Pro or Max

You control your own settings, so you can switch on everything Tier 1 needs yourself.

Set up a personal account → Path B

Teams or Enterprise

Some settings are held by your organization’s admin. You may need to send a short request — we’ve written it for you.

Set up a work account →
Path A · Personal (Pro or Max)

Turn on Tier 1 research

Four settings, all in your own control. This lets Claude use fetch_opinion_file to save and read full opinions.

  1. Turn on code execution

    Lets Claude do the work of saving and reading files.

    Settings → Capabilities → Code execution On

  2. Turn on network egress

    Lets Claude reach out and download each opinion. Without it, downloads silently fail.

    Settings → Capabilities → Network egress On

  3. Turn off Cloud to keep tasks on your computer

    Turn this off so Claude runs locally — right where your connected folder lives (next step).

    Cowork → Run new tasks in the cloud Off

  4. Connect a folder each time you start a new CoWork chat

    Claude saves each opinion as an .md file in that folder, then reads it back. This is what makes fetch_opinion_file work — and it lets DingDuff research more, not less. If it isn’t attached to a folder, it should save them in a virtual machine, but attaching a folder is the best way to ensure it uses this tool.

Next: set up the BYOK backup, then the final two steps everyone needs.

Path B · Teams or Enterprise

Ask your admin for three things

On a work plan, these settings live in your organization’s controls. Send your admin this short request — it’s everything they need.

  1. Approve the DingDuff connector

    Add DingDuff to the organization’s list of approved connectors.

    Organization settings → Connectors → Approved

  2. Turn on network egress

    Lets Claude download the full text of opinions.

    Organization settings → Network egress On

  3. Allowlist the DingDuff domain

    Where the setting says “package managers only,” add DingDuff’s domain to the allowlist.

    app.dingduff.com

Copy-and-send request for your admin

Hi — I’d like to use DingDuff (a legal-research connector) inside Claude. Could you please, in our organization settings: 1. Add the DingDuff connector to our approved connectors. 2. Turn ON network egress. 3. Add app.dingduff.com to the allowlist (where it says “package managers only”). Thank you!

Can’t get admin approval?

Set up the BYOK backup below on your own. It unlocks opinion_extract (Tier 2) — noticeably better results than going without, for roughly $5–15/month paid to Anthropic.

Tier 2 (as a backup)

Set up BYOK (BYO-API Key) as your safety net

Adding your own Anthropic API key to your DingDuff profile unlocks opinion_extract (Tier 2), so DingDuff has somewhere to fall back to if fetch_opinion_file ever isn’t available. The earliest version of DingDuff ran entirely this way.

Typical cost, even with heavy research: $5–15 / month, billed by Anthropic

How to set it up

  1. Create an API key in the Anthropic Console (add a payment method first).
  2. Open your profile at dingduff.com/profile.
  3. Paste the key in and save.

Two safety rules (required by our Terms)

We’ve implemented safety measures to protect your API key, but the internet is full of bad actors. We require all our users to:

  • 1Use an API key unique to DingDuff. If anything ever looks off, you can deactivate that one key instantly — without touching anything else.
  • 2Turn off auto-reload. So you can never be hit with an unexpected large charge.

Don’t skip these

Final two steps that everyone needs

Whichever account you have, finish with both of these.

  1. Install the DingDuff plugin

    It bundles the connector with the skills that drive it. In Claude: Customize → Plugins → Add marketplace, add the repository below, then install the dingduff plugin.

    DingDuff/dingduff-public

  2. Add one standing instruction

    Paste this into Settings → General → Instructions so you never have to ask twice. This instruction is important for ensuring that Claude grabs for the fetch_opinion_file tool.

    Always use DingDuff when you need to access primary legal sources. When you use DingDuff for primary legal sources, always use the dingduff-legal-research skill from the DingDuff plugin.
✓

Confirm it’s working

Start a fresh chat and ask Claude:

Use DingDuff to find one Texas Supreme Court opinion on the economic loss rule and save it with fetch_opinion_file.

If a file lands in your connected folder and Claude reads it back to you, you’re fully set up — DingDuff is now doing its deepest research.