Elysium - Bring Order from Chaos

If you're already paying for Claude, you don't need to add Elysium AI to use AI with your schedule. This guide walks through the BYOAI (Bring Your Own AI) setup with Claude Desktop — Anthropic's desktop app that can read and write files on your Mac through MCP.

What you'll need

Elysium (macOS)
Claude Desktop (download from anthropic.com)
A Claude subscription (Pro, Max, or Team)

How it works

When you enable BYOAI in Elysium, the app creates an OpenTime folder and generates a README.md inside it. This file documents your entire schedule format. Claude Desktop uses MCP (Model Context Protocol) to access files on your device — so when you chat with Claude, it can read and write your schedule files directly.

Step 1: Enable BYOAI in Elysium

Open Settings in Elysium.
Go to AI → Bring Your Own AI.
Tap Enable. Elysium creates the OpenTime folder and generates README.md.
Note the folder path — you'll need it when setting up Claude Desktop.

Step 2: Set up Claude Desktop with MCP

Download and install Claude Desktop from claude.ai/download.
Open Claude Desktop and go to Settings (Cmd+,).
Navigate to the MCP section and add a file system server pointing to your OpenTime folder path.
Restart Claude Desktop to apply the configuration.

Claude Desktop can now read and write files in your OpenTime folder directly.

Step 3: Start scheduling

Open Claude Desktop and start a new conversation. A good first message:

"Read the README.md in my OpenTime folder, then help me plan my week."

Claude reads the format reference and orients itself. Then you can start scheduling:

"Add a task: finish the proposal draft by Thursday at 5pm."

"Create a project called 'Website Redesign' with goals for design, dev, and launch. Target date: end of March."

"Move everything I have scheduled for Friday to Monday and Tuesday."

Alternative: Claude Code (for terminal users)

If you prefer the command line, Claude Code can also read and write files directly. Navigate to your OpenTime folder in the terminal, run claude, and start chatting. Claude Code has direct file access with no additional configuration needed.

Alternative: OpenClaw (for phone use)

OpenClaw lets you manage your schedule from your phone via Telegram. It gives AI models file access on your Mac or iPhone. Note that using Claude through OpenClaw requires Extra Usage on your Anthropic API account — it does not draw from a standard Claude subscription. For a no-cost option, pair OpenClaw with a local model like Ollama instead. See the OpenClaw setup guide →

Tips for best results

Start each session with context. Claude doesn't have persistent memory by default. Beginning with "read my README.md and current schedule" helps it understand your setup before making changes.

Use Claude Desktop's Projects feature. Create a project for your Elysium schedule and add the README.md as project context. This way Claude always has the format reference loaded.

Be specific with dates and times. "Thursday at 5pm" works better than "end of week." If you have a default timezone set in Elysium, Claude will use it — but explicit times are always cleaner.

Review changes before they happen. Ask Claude to describe what it's going to do before writing: "What changes would you make? Don't write anything yet." Once you're happy, say "Go ahead."

For phone-based scheduling, consider Elysium AI — it's built into the app and works natively on iOS without any desktop setup.

What Claude can do with your Elysium schedule

Create tasks, goals, habits, events, appointments, reminders, and projects
Set priorities, due dates, time blocks, and energy levels
Add steps/substeps to goals
Set up recurring habits with frequency and window settings
Move, reschedule, or cancel items
Query your schedule ("what do I have due this week?")

What it can't do (yet)

Claude writes to your .ot files, which Elysium reads on its next import cycle. Real-time sync and push notifications aren't part of BYOAI — that's what Elysium AI handles natively.

Any questions? Ask in the community forum.