Viral Carousels with Claude x Paper

Use Claude Code and Paper Design to generate Instagram carousel slides.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

Designing Instagram carousels one slide at a time is tedious. You pick fonts, align text boxes, duplicate artboards, and tweak spacing over and over for every single post.

In this project, you will build an AI-powered carousel generator that creates polished, ready-to-post Instagram slides in seconds. You will connect Claude Code to a design tool called Paper Design, then use a single text prompt to produce a full set of styled carousel images.

What You'll Build

A repeatable workflow where you type a topic into Claude Code and it generates a complete 5-slide Instagram carousel inside Paper Design, ready to export and post.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

  • A working Paper Design + Claude Code pipeline that generates Instagram carousel slides directly on your design canvas.
  • A set of 5 exported 1080x1350px carousel images at 2x resolution, ready to upload to Instagram.
  • A saved Claude Code skill file that lets you generate new carousels with a single command in the future.
  • Secret Mission: Connect Firecrawl as a second MCP server to scrape real company logos and brand colors from the web, then inject them into a carousel slide.

Want a complete demo of how to do this project, from start to finish? Check out our 🎬walkthrough with Maximus.

Are there any prerequisites?

This project is for macOS only because Paper Design Desktop currently ships only for Mac.

You need a Claude Pro or Max subscription ($20+/month) to access Claude Code. Paper Design is free for this project (the free tier includes 100 MCP tool calls per week). No design experience is required.

Install Claude Code

Claude Code is a CLI tool from Anthropic that lets you use Claude directly in your terminal. It can connect to external tools through MCP, which is what makes our carousel workflow possible.

In this step, you'll install Claude Code on your machine, log in with your Anthropic account, and confirm everything is connected.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Install the Claude Code CLI.
  • Authenticate with your Claude Pro or Max account and verify the connection.
Install Claude Code
  • Check if Claude Code is already installed by running this command:
claude --version

✔️ I see a version number

Claude Code is already installed. Skip ahead to the next substep to log in.

ⓧ Command not found

Claude Code requires 4 GB of RAM and an internet connection. Open your terminal and run the install command for your operating system.

macOS

  • Install Claude Code by running this command:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
  • Once the installation finishes, open a new terminal window by pressing Cmd+N.
  • Verify the installation by running:
claude --version

You should see a version number printed in the output.

Windows

  • Install Claude Code by running this command:
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
Git for Windows recommended

Claude Code works best with Git for Windows installed. It uses Git Bash internally to run commands. If Git for Windows is not installed, Claude Code falls back to PowerShell.

Download Git for Windows at git-scm.com if you don't have it yet.

  • Once the installation finishes, close PowerShell and reopen it.
  • Verify the installation by running:
claude --version

You should see a version number printed in the output.

Linux

  • Install Claude Code by running this command:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
  • Once the installation finishes, open a new terminal window.
  • Verify the installation by running:
claude --version

You should see a version number printed in the output.

Still seeing 'command not found'?

Make sure you opened a new terminal window after the install finished. The current window doesn't know about the new command yet.

If a new window still doesn't work, try closing your terminal completely and reopening it. This forces your shell to reload its path.

Help me troubleshoot my Claude Code installation

Log in to Claude Code

Claude Code needs to connect to your Anthropic account to work. You'll authenticate through your browser.

  • Start Claude Code by running this command. It will open your default browser for authentication.
claude
  • Claude Code asks you to trust the current folder. Click Trust to continue.
  • Sign in with your Claude Pro or Max account in the browser window that opens.
  • After signing in, return to your terminal.

You should see the Claude Code interactive prompt ready for input.

Why do I need a Pro or Max subscription?

Claude Code is only available on paid Anthropic plans (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise). The free Claude plan does not include Claude Code access.

🙋‍♀️ Browser didn't open?

Check your terminal for a URL. Copy and paste it into your browser manually to complete authentication.

If authentication fails, confirm you have an active Claude Pro or Max subscription at claude.ai/settings.

Help me log in to Claude Code

Claude Code is installed and authenticated. Next up, you'll install Paper Design and connect it to Claude Code via MCP so the two tools can talk to each other.

Install Paper Design and Connect MCP

Claude Code is ready to go. Now you need a design canvas for it to draw on.

Paper Design is a design tool with an HTML/CSS canvas. Its superpower is MCP integration, which lets AI agents read and write directly to the canvas. In this step, you will install Paper Desktop and connect it to Claude Code so they can talk to each other.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Install Paper Design Desktop on your Mac.
  • Connect the Paper MCP plugin inside Claude Code.
  • Verify the connection by creating a test shape on the canvas.
Download and install Paper Design Desktop

Paper Design runs as a desktop app on your Mac. The MCP server that Claude Code connects to runs in the background while the app is open.

  • Download the macOS installer (the latest version is v0.1.13).
  • Open the downloaded file and drag Paper Design into your Applications folder.
  • Press Cmd+Space to open Spotlight search.
  • Type Paper and press Enter to open it.
  • Once the app opens, click Sign In to create an account or log in.
  • Your browser will open for sign-up. After completing it, your browser shows a dialog asking if workers.paper.design wants to open "Paper". Click Open "Paper" to return to the app.
  • After signing in, create a new blank file.
  • Keep Paper Design open. Do not close it for the rest of this project.

Why keep Paper Design open?

The MCP server runs locally on your Mac at http://127.0.0.1:29979/mcp. It only starts when Paper Desktop is running. If you close the app, Claude Code loses its connection to the canvas.

🙋‍♀️ Paper Design won't open?

If macOS blocks the app with a security warning, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway next to the Paper Design entry.

Help me troubleshoot Paper Design installation on macOS.

Add the Paper MCP plugin in Claude Code

Claude Code uses plugins to connect to MCP servers. You need to add the Paper Design plugin so Claude Code can send commands to your canvas.

  • Exit your current Claude Code session by typing /exit and pressing Enter.
  • Start a fresh Claude Code session by running:
claude
  • Claude Code asks if you trust this folder. Type yes and press Enter to continue.
  • Inside the Claude Code prompt, add the Paper Design marketplace plugin by typing:
/plugin marketplace add paper-design/agent-plugins
  • Claude Code will ask whether to allow or deny this plugin. Click Allow to grant permission.
  • Next, install the Paper Desktop plugin by typing:
/plugin install paper-desktop@paper

What do these commands do?

The first command downloads the Paper Design plugin package from the Claude Code marketplace. The second command activates the specific Paper Desktop MCP connection.

Once installed, Claude Code can use MCP tools like create_artboard, write_html, and update_styles to control your Paper canvas.

  • Exit your Claude Code session by typing /exit and pressing Enter.
  • Restart Claude Code by running:
claude
  • Verify the connection is active by typing:
/mcp

You should see the Paper MCP server listed in the output of connected servers.

Paper MCP server not showing up?

Make sure Paper Design Desktop is still open. The MCP server only runs while the app is active.

If it still does not appear, try restarting both Paper Desktop and your Claude Code session. This re-establishes the MCP connection.

Help me fix my Paper MCP connection in Claude Code.

Test the MCP connection with a red rectangle

The best way to confirm everything works is to ask Claude Code to draw something on your canvas. If the shape appears in Paper Design, the full pipeline is working.

  • In your Claude Code session, type this prompt:
Create a red rectangle in Paper.

Seeing an authentication error?

If you see a 401 authentication_error message, your Claude Code session needs to log in again. Type /login and press Enter to authenticate. Once logged in, try the prompt again.

Help me fix a Claude Code authentication error.

  • Paper Design may ask you to approve the MCP tool call. Click Allow to grant permission.
  • Switch to the Paper Design window. You should see a red rectangle on your blank canvas.

What just happened?

Claude Code sent an MCP tool call to Paper Design's local server. Paper received the instruction, created an HTML element styled as a red rectangle, and placed it on your canvas. This is the same mechanism you will use to generate entire carousel slides.

  • Now that you have confirmed the connection works, select the red rectangle in Paper Design and delete it. You want a clean canvas for your carousel.

No rectangle appeared on the canvas?

Check that you approved the MCP tool call when prompted. Claude Code waits for your permission before executing canvas operations.

If you approved but nothing appeared, restart Paper Desktop and run /mcp in Claude Code to re-check the connection. Then try the prompt again.

Help me debug why Claude Code can't create shapes in Paper Design.

Your AI-to-canvas pipeline is live. Next up, you will use this connection to generate a full set of Instagram carousel slides directly on the Paper canvas.

Generate Your First Carousel

Your Claude Code environment is connected to Paper Design and ready to create designs on your canvas.

In this step, you will create a dedicated project folder, prompt Claude Code to generate a full 5-slide Instagram carousel, and review the output directly on the Paper canvas.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Create a project folder for your carousel files.
  • Generate a 5-slide Instagram carousel using Claude Code and the Paper MCP connection.
  • Export your finished slides as PNG images.
Create a project folder and start a Claude Code session

A dedicated project folder keeps your carousel assets organized. It also gives Claude Code a working directory where it can store skill files later.

  • Exit your current Claude Code session by typing /exit and pressing Enter.
  • Move to your Desktop by running this command:
cd ~/Desktop
  • Create your project folder and move into it by running these commands:
mkdir instagram-carousels && cd instagram-carousels
  • Start a Claude Code session inside your new folder by running:
claude

What do these commands do?

cd ~/Desktop moves your terminal to the Desktop so your project folder is easy to find.

mkdir instagram-carousels && cd instagram-carousels creates a new folder called instagram-carousels on your Desktop and moves your terminal into it so Claude Code knows where to look for project files.

claude starts an interactive Claude Code session. You will type your carousel prompt directly into this session.

  • You should see the Claude Code interactive prompt appear in your terminal, ready for input.

Don't see the Claude Code prompt?

If you see a "command not found" error, open a new terminal window and try again. The Claude Code installer requires a fresh terminal session to update your PATH.

If it asks you to authenticate, follow the browser login flow and return to the terminal once complete.

Help me troubleshoot why Claude Code won't start in my terminal.

Prompt Claude Code to generate your carousel

Instagram carousels use a 1080x1350px portrait format (4:5 ratio). You will ask Claude Code to create 5 artboards at this size, each with styled HTML content that follows a warm paper/notebook aesthetic.

  • Paste the following prompt into your Claude Code session and press Enter:
Create an Instagram carousel in Paper about "[[CAROUSEL_TOPIC="5 morning habits that changed my life"]]". Each slide should be a 1080x1350 artboard. I want [[CAROUSEL_STYLE="a handwritten style on a notebook that looks like I've written with a pen"]].

Use subagents to create each slide in parallel.

- Slide 1: Bold hook title
- Middle slides: One point per slide with a number and short description (create one slide for every point in the topic)
- Final slide: Call to action (Follow for more)

Add subtle styling like a thin border or accent color to tie the slides together.

Ask me some questions to better understand what I want to include in each slide.

Why use subagents?

Each carousel slide is an independent design task with no dependencies on the others. By telling Claude Code to use subagents, it spawns one subagent per slide and builds them all in parallel instead of creating them one by one.

Subagents are lightweight Claude instances that each get their own context window, do their work, and report back the result. Since each slide only needs to know the shared style rules (notebook aesthetic, accent colour, border), this is a perfect fit for parallel execution.

💡 Claude might ask you some questions first

Before it starts drawing, Claude may ask you to approve or edit the copy for each slide. It might also confirm that Paper Desktop is open with the plugin connected.

Answer its questions, tweak any slide text you want to change, then say "go" when you're ready for it to build the artboards.

💡 What happens when you send this prompt?

Claude Code reads your prompt and generates a plan to create the carousel. It then uses the Paper MCP tools to execute that plan directly on your Paper canvas.

The key MCP tools it uses are create_artboard (to make each 1080x1350 slide), write_html (to add styled content), and get_basic_info (to inspect the canvas so new slides don't overlap existing ones).

  • Paper Design will ask you to approve the MCP tool calls. Click Allow for each request so Claude Code can create the artboards on your canvas.
  • Answer any questions Claude asks about your slide content. When you're happy with the plan, say "go" to start building.

Skip the repeated Allow prompts

If you don't want to keep clicking Allow for every MCP tool call, press Shift+Tab in Claude Code to cycle to auto mode. Auto mode lets Claude execute tool calls with background safety checks instead of prompting you each time.

  • Switch back to your Paper Design canvas. You should see your slides appearing one by one as separate artboards.

If you see a slide with a pulsing blue border, that means Claude Code is actively working on it.

Once all slides are complete, review the output on your canvas. If any slide needs tweaks like different text, adjusted spacing, or a colour change, tell Claude Code what to fix. It will update the artboard directly.

Approve all at once

If Paper shows a permission dialog for each tool call, look for an option to "Allow all" or "Trust this session" so you do not need to click approve repeatedly.

🙋‍♀️ Slides not appearing on the canvas?

Make sure Paper Design Desktop is still open. The MCP server only runs while the app is running.

If Claude Code shows an MCP connection error, restart both Paper Design Desktop and your Claude Code session. This re-establishes the local MCP connection at http://127.0.0.1:29979/mcp.

Help me fix my Paper MCP connection so Claude Code can create artboards.

Export your slides as PNGs

Once you are happy with how your slides look on the Paper canvas, you can export them as image files ready for Instagram.

  • In your Claude Code session, type the following prompt and press Enter:
Export each slide as a 2x PNG into my project folder.
  • Approve the MCP tool calls when Paper Design asks for permission.
  • Open the instagram-carousels folder on your Desktop. You should see one PNG file per slide.

No PNG files in the folder?

Make sure you ran the export prompt inside the same Claude Code session that created the artboards. If you started a new session, Claude Code won't know which artboards to export.

If Claude Code says it cannot export, confirm Paper Design Desktop is still open and the MCP connection is active.

Help me export my Paper Design slides as PNG files.

Your carousel is generated and exported, all from a few prompts. Next up, you will recreate a carousel by feeding Claude Code a reference image from a design you already like.

Export Your Carousel Images

Recreate a Carousel from a Reference Image

Generating a carousel from a text prompt is powerful, but sometimes you already know what you want it to look like. Maybe you spotted a carousel on Instagram with a layout and color palette that caught your eye.

In this step, you will screenshot a real carousel from the NextWork Instagram, feed it to Claude Code, and let it recreate the design on your Paper canvas. This is the fastest way to match a visual style without describing every detail in words.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Screenshot a carousel you like from the NextWork Instagram.
  • Feed the screenshot to Claude Code and generate a matching carousel in Paper Design.
  • Iterate on the design until you are happy with the result.
  • Export the recreated slides as PNG images.
Screenshot a carousel from the NextWork Instagram

You will use a real carousel post as your reference image. Claude Code can read images you paste into the session and analyze the layout, colors, fonts, and spacing.

  • Open this NextWork Instagram post in your browser: instagram.com/p/DX8dDCDja-3
  • Scroll through the carousel slides to see the full design.
  • Take a screenshot of one or more slides by pressing Cmd+Shift+4 (macOS) or Windows+Shift+S (Windows), then drag to select the slide area.
  • Capture enough detail for Claude Code to see the layout, typography, and color choices.

Capture multiple slides for better results

The more slides you include in your screenshot, the more context Claude Code has to understand the overall design system. A single slide gives it the color palette and fonts. Three or more slides reveal the structural pattern across the carousel.

Paste the screenshot and generate your carousel

Now you will paste your screenshot directly into the Claude Code session along with a prompt describing what you want.

  • Run /clear in your Claude Code session to clear your context window and keep costs down.
  • Take a fresh screenshot of the carousel slides directly to your clipboard by pressing Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+4 (macOS) or Windows+Shift+S (Windows), then drag to select the slide area.
  • Switch to your Claude Code terminal and paste the screenshot by pressing Ctrl+V (both macOS and Windows). On macOS, do not use Cmd+V. Claude Code requires Ctrl+V for image pasting.
  • You should see the image filename or a thumbnail appear in the Claude Code input area, confirming it attached successfully.
  • Type the following prompt after the image and press Enter:

Seeing a file icon instead of your image?

If you copied a .png file from Finder or File Explorer (instead of taking a fresh screenshot), Claude Code may not recognize the image content. It only reads image data from your clipboard, not copied files.

To fix this, take the screenshot again using Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+4 (macOS) or Windows+Shift+S (Windows). This captures the image directly to your clipboard so Ctrl+V pastes the actual image data.

Alternatively, drag and drop the .png file from your Desktop directly into the Claude Code terminal window. This always works regardless of how the screenshot was taken.

Help me paste an image into Claude Code.

Recreate this carousel in Paper. Match the layout, colors, and typography as closely as possible. Each slide should be a 1080x1350 artboard. Use my screenshot as the style reference but change the content to be about [[REFERENCE_TOPIC="your new topic, e.g. 3 Tools Every Designer Needs"]].

Ask me some questions to better understand what I want to include in each slide.
  • Answer any questions Claude asks about your slide content. When you're happy with the plan, say "go" to start building.
  • Approve the MCP tool calls when Paper Design asks for permission.
  • Switch to Paper Design. You should see new artboards appear that match the style and layout of the NextWork carousel, but with your new content.

Why does this work so well?

Paper Design uses real HTML/CSS under the hood. Claude Code already excels at writing HTML/CSS, so when it sees a reference image, it can map what it sees directly into code that renders on the Paper canvas.

This means any carousel you find online can become a starting template. You keep the layout and aesthetic but swap in your own content.

🙋‍♀️ Slides don't match the screenshot?

AI won't produce a pixel-perfect copy. If the layout is off, try a follow-up prompt like "Make the heading larger" or "Move the text closer to the center" to refine individual slides.

If nothing appeared at all, confirm Paper Design Desktop is still open and re-run /mcp in Claude Code to check the connection.

Help me get Claude Code to recreate a carousel from my screenshot.

Export your recreated slides as PNGs

You have already exported slides once before. The same workflow applies here.

  • In your Claude Code session, type the following prompt and press Enter:
Export each slide as a 2x PNG into my project folder.
  • Approve the MCP tool calls when Paper Design asks for permission.
  • Open the instagram-carousels folder on your Desktop in Finder (macOS) or File Explorer (Windows) to confirm the new PNG files are there.

You should see new PNG files for your recreated carousel alongside any exports from the previous step.

No new PNG files?

Make sure you ran the export prompt inside the same Claude Code session that created the recreated artboards. If you started a new session, Claude Code won't know which artboards to export.

If the folder already has PNGs from the previous step and you are not sure which are new, sort by Date Modified in Finder or File Explorer to see the newest files at the top.

Help me export my recreated carousel slides as PNGs.

You now have two workflows for creating carousels: generating from a text prompt and recreating from a reference image. Both end with exported PNGs ready for Instagram. Next up, you will save your preferences as a reusable Claude Code skill so future carousels take just one sentence.

From now on, any carousel is a single sentence away. Next up, the Secret Mission challenges you to go further by creating a brand configuration file that makes your skills portable across projects.

Save a Reusable Claude Code Skill

Your carousel images are exported and ready to post. But if you wanted to create a new carousel tomorrow, you would have to re-type all the dimensions, colors, and slide structure from scratch.

Claude Code already knows exactly what worked. It remembers the MCP tools, artboard sizes, and styling it just used. You can ask it to capture all of that into a skill. A skill is a reusable set of instructions that Claude Code loads automatically in future sessions.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Install Anthropic's official skill-creator template into your project.
  • Ask Claude Code to write a reusable carousel skill using the skill-creator as a guide.
  • Verify the skill file was created in the correct location.
  • Test the skill by generating a new carousel with a single sentence.
Install the skill-creator template

Anthropic publishes an open-source skill called skill-creator that teaches Claude Code how to write well-structured skills. You will download this template first, so Claude Code has a reference when it builds your carousel skill.

  • Type /exit to leave your Claude Code session and return to your regular terminal.
  • Create the skill-creator folder inside your project by running this command in your terminal:
mkdir -p .claude/skills/skill-creator
  • Download the official skill-creator template from Anthropic's GitHub repository by running:
curl -o .claude/skills/skill-creator/SKILL.md https://raw.githubusercontent.com/anthropics/skills/main/skills/skill-creator/SKILL.md
  • Confirm the file was downloaded by running:
ls .claude/skills/skill-creator/

You should see SKILL.md listed in the output.

What does the skill-creator do?

The skill-creator is a meta-skill published by Anthropic. It contains instructions for writing SKILL.md files with proper YAML frontmatter, clear descriptions, and well-organized markdown instructions.

When Claude Code sees this file in your .claude/skills/ folder, it uses those patterns as a reference for writing any new skill you ask it to create.

🙋‍♀️ Seeing a curl error or empty file?

Make sure you are running the command from your instagram-carousels project folder. If you moved to a different directory earlier, navigate back first with cd ~/Desktop/instagram-carousels.

If curl is not installed on Windows, open PowerShell and run Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/anthropics/skills/main/skills/skill-creator/SKILL.md" -OutFile ".claude/skills/skill-creator/SKILL.md" instead.

Help me download the skill-creator template.

Ask Claude Code to write your carousel skill

Now that the skill-creator template is in place, Claude Code will reference it when writing your carousel skill. You already have all the context from this session — the artboard dimensions, the MCP tools it called, and the styling it applied.

  • Start a new Claude Code session by running claude in your terminal.
  • Type the following prompt and press Enter:
Use the skill-creator skill as a reference to write a new reusable skill I can invoke with /instagram-carousel. Base it on the carousels we just created. Include my preferred dimensions, style, slide structure, and the Paper MCP workflow. Make sure the skill tells Claude to use subagents to create each slide in parallel. Save it to .claude/skills/instagram-carousel/SKILL.md
  • Claude Code will write a SKILL.md file containing your carousel preferences as structured markdown.

What is a Claude Code skill?

A skill is a markdown file (SKILL.md) stored in a .claude/skills/ folder. It has two parts: YAML frontmatter that tells Claude Code when to load it, and markdown instructions it follows when the skill runs.

The folder name becomes a slash command. Since yours is called instagram-carousel, you can invoke it with /instagram-carousel in any future session. Claude Code also loads it automatically when your prompt matches the skill’s description.

  • Open the instagram-carousels folder in Finder (macOS) or File Explorer (Windows).
  • Press Cmd+Shift+. (macOS) or enable Show hidden files (Windows) to reveal the .claude folder.
  • Navigate into .claude/skills/instagram-carousel/. You should see a SKILL.md file inside.

Don't see the .claude folder?

Make sure hidden files are visible. On macOS, press Cmd+Shift+. inside Finder to toggle hidden files. On Windows, click View in File Explorer and check Hidden items.

If the folder genuinely does not exist, Claude Code may have saved the file to a different path. Check the terminal output to see exactly where it wrote the file.

Help me find where Claude Code saved my skill file.

Test your skill with a one-sentence prompt

The real payoff is that future carousels require almost no detail in your prompt. Claude Code reads the skill file as context and fills in everything else.

  • Make sure Paper Design Desktop is still open with your canvas visible.
  • In your Claude Code session, type the following prompt and press Enter:
Create a carousel about 3 tips for better sleep
  • Approve the MCP tool calls when prompted.
  • Watch your Paper Design canvas. New artboards should appear using the same style and dimensions from your earlier carousels. You don't need to specify any of it.

Why is the prompt so short?

Claude Code loaded your SKILL.md automatically because your prompt matched the skill's description. All the dimensions, colors, slide structure, and MCP workflow are already in the skill. You only need to provide the topic.

You can also update the skill file over time as you refine your preferences. Every future session in this project folder picks up those changes.

🙋‍♀️ Slides not matching your earlier style?

Open the SKILL.md file and check that it includes the specific hex codes, fonts, and dimensions you want. Claude Code writes the skill based on what it remembers from the session, so if details are missing, add them manually and try again.

If nothing appeared on the canvas at all, restart Paper Design Desktop and start a new claude session in your project folder to re-establish the MCP connection.

Help me troubleshoot my carousel skill.

From now on, any carousel is a single sentence away. Next up, the Secret Mission challenges you to go further by creating a brand configuration file that makes your skills portable across projects.

Secret mission

Pull live brand assets into your carousel with Firecrawl

Your carousel generator works, but every slide uses placeholder content. What if you could scrape a real company's logo, brand colors, and imagery from the web and inject them straight into a slide? In this mission, you'll connect a second MCP server called Firecrawl to Claude Code and generate a carousel that features live assets pulled from any website.

Clean Up Your Resources

Clean Up Your Resources

This project runs locally on your Mac using Paper Design's free tier and your existing Claude Pro or Max subscription. There are no additional ongoing costs from this project.

Decide whether to keep your resources running, pause them to come back later, or delete them entirely.

Resources you used:

  • Claude Code CLI (installed on your Mac).
  • Paper Design Desktop app (v0.1.13).
  • Paper Design account and canvas file.
  • Project folder at ~/instagram-carousels (skill file, brand config, exported PNGs).

Keep everything running

No action needed. Choose this if you plan to generate more carousels soon.

  • Keep Paper Design Desktop installed and your canvas file open for future carousel generation.
  • Keep Claude Code installed. Your skill file in .claude/skills/ stays ready for the next time you run a session.
  • Your exported PNGs remain in ~/instagram-carousels ready to post to Instagram whenever you like.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

Shut down running processes to free up system resources while keeping your files intact.

  • Quit Paper Design Desktop. The MCP server stops automatically when the app closes.
  • Your project folder, skill file, and exported images stay on disk. Nothing is deleted.
  • To resume later, reopen Paper Design Desktop and start a new Claude Code session in your ~/instagram-carousels folder.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Remove all project resources and start fresh.

  • Delete your project folder by running:
  • rm -rf ~/instagram-carousels.
  • In Paper Design, delete the canvas file containing your carousel artboards.
  • To uninstall Paper Design Desktop, drag it from your Applications folder to the Trash.
  • To uninstall Claude Code, remove the binary and its config folder by running:
rm -rf ~/.claude && rm -f ~/.local/bin/claude

This removes the CLI from your machine but does not cancel your Claude subscription.

That's a Wrap!

That's a Wrap!

Nice work! You just built an AI-powered Instagram carousel system that turns a single text prompt into polished, export-ready slides.

Here's what you accomplished:

  • Connected Paper Design to Claude Code via MCP, giving an AI agent direct access to a design canvas.
  • Generated a full 5-slide Instagram carousel with professional typography and styling using a single prompt.
  • Created a reusable Claude Code skill file that lets you generate new carousels with one command in the future.
  • Connected Firecrawl as a second MCP server to scrape live brand assets from the web and inject real logos and colors into carousel slides.

Ready to quiz yourself?