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The Summation plugin puts Summation’s AI analyst directly inside Claude, so you can ask a data question in the middle of whatever else you’re doing. Setup takes about two minutes and one browser approval, with no API keys and no secrets pasted into chat. Everything the analyst does runs as you, against your Summation workspace. In Claude Code, where a shell is available, the plugin prefers sumcli for data work because it covers the full API surface, and falls back to the hosted MCP server elsewhere. On Claude Desktop, everything runs over MCP. You don’t need to know any of this to use it: the skills pick the right surface.

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Claude Code

Anyone can install the plugin from a Claude Code session; no admin required.
1

Add the Summation marketplace

2

Install the plugin, then restart Claude Code

Restart Claude Code so the plugin loads.
3

Sign in

The plugin ships a pre-wired connection to the hosted Summation MCP server. Claude opens a browser window to approve the connection using standard OAuth, handled by Claude itself. Approve, pick your organization, and you’re connected. No codes to copy, no tokens to paste.
4

Take the tour

A guided first run: a map of your connected data, an introduction to the analyst, and your first report.

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Commands

You don’t need commands for most work. Describe what you need in plain English and the analyst picks it up.

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The CLI underneath

In Claude Code the plugin uses sumcli for data operations when it can, because the CLI exposes the full API contract, including operations the curated MCP toolset deliberately withholds: deletes, connection management, and ingestion batches. At session start the plugin checks for sumcli, tells Claude which surface applies for the session (CLI when the installed version meets the plugin minimum, MCP otherwise), and prints the install command if it’s missing. It only installs after you say yes. The CLI keeps its own sign-in, separate from the MCP browser approval:
See CLI for everything sumcli can do on its own.

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Claude Desktop

On Claude Desktop, including Cowork, plugins are managed per organization. A Claude admin enables the plugin once, then every member installs it from the org library. Desktop has no shell, so everything runs over the hosted MCP server.

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For your Claude organization admin

1

Add Summation from GitHub

Go to claude.ai → Organization settings → Plugins → Add plugins, then select Sync from GitHub (fork the summation-plugin repo first) or upload the zip file from the plugin releases page.
The Claude.ai organization Plugins settings, Add plugins dialog with the Sync from GitHub option selected and a field for the forked summation-plugin repository
If you want to upload the plugin as a zip file:
The Add plugins dialog with the upload option selected, accepting a zip file downloaded from the summation-plugin releases page
Once it’s installed, set the appropriate User access:
The installed Summation plugin settings showing the User access control that governs which organization members can install and use it
2

Allow network access to Summation

Skills run in Claude Desktop’s code-execution sandbox, which blocks outbound network access by default. Under Admin settings → Capabilities → Code execution → Network access, allow both hosts:
Claude Desktop Admin settings, Code execution Network access panel with api.summation.com and mcp.summation.com added to the allowed hosts.
3

Publish to your organization

Publish the plugin to the org library so members can install it.

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For team members

1

Install from your org library

In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Plugins → Browse, find Summation in your organization’s library, and install it with the (+) icon.
Claude Desktop Settings, Plugins view showing Summation in the organization library with the plus icon used to install it
2

Start and sign in

Open a new chat and type /summation:signin. Approve the connection in your browser and the analyst shows a map of your data.

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Troubleshooting

This is almost always the network allowlist. Ask your Claude admin to confirm api.summation.com and mcp.summation.com are allowed under Code execution → Network access.
The MCP session expired or was never approved. Run /summation:signin, or open /mcp and re-authenticate the summation server. It takes seconds in the browser.
The MCP browser approval and the CLI session are separate credentials, so run sumcli auth login once. Being signed in over MCP doesn’t sign in the CLI, and vice versa.
Report generation and validation are thorough and can take a minute or two. The analyst tells you it’s working. This is normal, not a hang.
Installing with /plugin install inside a running session loads the skills and MCP server immediately, but the plugin’s session-start checks (CLI version check, update nudge, and the per-session surface-routing hint) only run when a session starts. Restart Claude Code after installing, which is why the install step above says to.
The plugin is production and browser-approval only, the right default for almost everyone. For scripting and machine-to-machine access, use sumcli with an M2M profile or the Public API, or contact your Summation representative.