Research your family with Claude
Last checked . Spot something out of date? Email team@templekit.com.
What Claude can do for you
Search for an ancestor
FamilySearch Records, the Research Wiki and free archives for the right country, one search at a time, reading each likely record.
Read old handwriting
Census pages, parish books, wills and letters, transcribed line by line with doubtful words marked.
Translate
Latin, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and more, with record terms explained.
Pull out every person
A table of everyone named, their role, age, dates and places, with old-calendar dates converted.
Find who's missing
Children and spouses missing from families in your tree, and relatives whose temple ordinances aren't done, with the evidence for each.
Cite it and plan what's next
A citation ready for FamilySearch's Add Source form, a research log, and the next searches to run.
Three ways to use it
Does the work for you
Claude in Chrome
Claude works in your own Chrome, where you're already signed in to FamilySearch: it searches, opens records, reads them and reports back. Use the TempleKit shortcuts below.
Needs: Claude Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise, and Google Chrome on a computer.
Free Claude account works
Claude, with the TempleKit skill
Attach a photo or screenshot of a record, or tell Claude what you know, and it works through it like a seasoned family historian.
No account at all
TempleKit's research assistant
Snap a photo of a record and Claude transcribes it, translates it and lists everyone in it. Then search open archives in one go.
Set up Claude in Chrome
- Sign up for Claude Pro or higher at claude.ai.
- Install Claude in Chrome and sign in (Anthropic's setup guide). Keep it set to ask you before it acts, or to show you its plan first.
- In Chrome, sign in to FamilySearch yourself.
- Save the TempleKit shortcuts below: in the Claude side panel, add a new shortcut, give it the name shown, and paste the text.
- Open an ancestor in Family Tree, open the Claude side panel, and type
/find-records. Or skip the shortcuts: pick a task on Put Claude to work and it opens Claude Cowork with the instructions written.
TempleKit shortcuts for Claude in Chrome
Each one carries the rules below with it, so Claude follows them every time.
/read-record
Reads the record open in this tab: transcription, translation, everyone in it, dates, a citation and what to search next.
Read the genealogy record that's open in this tab. Give me: (1) what kind of record it is, the place, date and language, and its reference (collection, image, page, entry); (2) a line-by-line transcription exactly as written, using [illegible] and [?] where unsure; (3) an English translation if it isn't in English; (4) a table of everyone named: name as written, standardized name, role, age or birth, event and date, place, notes; (5) any old-calendar dates converted, and ages turned into birth-year ranges; (6) what the record proves about relationships, and what it only suggests; (7) a citation ready for FamilySearch's Add Source form (title, URL, citation, notes); (8) three to five next searches; (9) the readings I should double-check against the image. Only read this page. Rules: work like a careful person would, one ancestor at a time and at a normal pace; open only the pages this needs and never bulk-open or download search results (FamilySearch doesn't allow scraping or harvesting). Never ask me for a password. Reading is fine, but before you add or edit a person, attach a source, merge, reserve, request or share ordinances, or submit anything, stop, show me exactly what you'd do and the record behind it, and wait for my yes. My yes covers exactly the list you showed and nothing else. Mark anything you're unsure of. Never invent a name, date or relationship.
/find-records
Searches FamilySearch and free archives for one ancestor, reads the likely records and reports back with a research log.
Help me find records for one ancestor. If I haven't told you who (name, dates, places, spouse, parents, children), ask me in one message. Then make a short research plan, and carry it out one search at a time in FamilySearch Records, the FamilySearch Research Wiki, and the free archives for that country. Open and read the most likely records and compare each with what we know (name, age, place, family members, occupation). Check in with me after about 15 pages. Report: matches with your confidence and why, candidates you ruled out and why, open questions, a research log (date, collection, search terms, result, citation), and the next searches. Don't add, attach, merge or reserve anything. Rules: work like a careful person would, one ancestor at a time and at a normal pace; open only the pages this needs and never bulk-open or download search results (FamilySearch doesn't allow scraping or harvesting). Never ask me for a password. Reading is fine, but before you add or edit a person, attach a source, merge, reserve, request or share ordinances, or submit anything, stop, show me exactly what you'd do and the record behind it, and wait for my yes. My yes covers exactly the list you showed and nothing else. Mark anything you're unsure of. Never invent a name, date or relationship.
/next-names
Looks through your FamilySearch tree for your own relatives who may still need temple ordinances, with the evidence for each.
Starting from the person open in my FamilySearch Family Tree, look for my own relatives who may still need temple ordinances: children and spouses missing from families already in the tree, ancestors whose ordinances aren't done, and direct lines that stop early. Follow the Church's rules: only my relatives (immediate family, direct-line ancestors and their families, including adoptive and foster lines), only people who died at least one year ago, flag anyone born in the last 110 years because the closest living relative must give permission, and never famous people, people I'm not related to, or names from unapproved extraction projects such as Holocaust victims. Search the tree for duplicates before suggesting anyone new. Give me a list with the evidence for each person and what's still missing. Don't reserve anything yet; use /reserve-ten when I'm ready. Rules: work like a careful person would, one ancestor at a time and at a normal pace; open only the pages this needs and never bulk-open or download search results (FamilySearch doesn't allow scraping or harvesting). Never ask me for a password. Reading is fine, but before you add or edit a person, attach a source, merge, reserve, request or share ordinances, or submit anything, stop, show me exactly what you'd do and the record behind it, and wait for my yes. My yes covers exactly the list you showed and nothing else. Mark anything you're unsure of. Never invent a name, date or relationship.
/reserve-ten
Finds up to 10 of your relatives who are ready for the temple, shows you the evidence, and after your one OK reserves those 10 in their own tabs.
Get my family's names reserved for the temple, 10 at a time. I'm signed in to FamilySearch in Chrome. Find up to 10 of my relatives who are ready for temple ordinances, using FamilySearch's Ordinances Ready (in the Family Tree app or Temple menu), or my Family Tree if that comes up empty. For each one, check: FamilySearch shows how they're related to me and they're my own relative (immediate family, direct-line ancestors and their families, including adoptive, step and foster lines); they died at least one year ago; they were born more than 110 years ago (leave out anyone born in the last 110 years); they aren't a famous person, someone I'm not related to, or from an unapproved extraction project such as Holocaust victims; any possible duplicates are resolved; and the ordinances are available to reserve. Leave out anyone who fails a check and tell me why. Show me each batch of up to 10 in a table: name, FamilySearch ID, relationship to me, birth and death, ordinances to reserve, and the evidence. When I say yes to a batch, open each person in their own tab, reserve exactly those ordinances to me (don't share them with the temple unless I ask), and report what was reserved and anything that didn't go through. When we're done, remind me I can print the cards with TempleKit at templekit.com/app. Rules: work like a careful person would, one ancestor at a time and at a normal pace; open only the pages this needs and never bulk-open or download search results (FamilySearch doesn't allow scraping or harvesting). Never ask me for a password. Reading is fine, but before you add or edit a person, attach a source, merge, reserve, request or share ordinances, or submit anything, stop, show me exactly what you'd do and the record behind it, and wait for my yes. My yes covers exactly the list you showed and nothing else. Mark anything you're unsure of. Never invent a name, date or relationship.
/make-cards
Prints your reserved names to PDF in FamilySearch, runs them through TempleKit (labels and story backs) and downloads the print-ready files.
Make my family name cards with TempleKit. In FamilySearch, open Temple, then Reservations, select the names I tell you (or all of my reservations that haven't been printed), and print their family name cards to a PDF saved in my Downloads folder; don't send anything to a printer. Open templekit.com/app in a new tab and upload that PDF. Fill in each step: my name, city and phone or email if I've given them (ask me if not); what I called my grandparents (ask me once); and each card's relationship to me exactly as FamilySearch shows it, checking the card's FamilySearch ID against the tree. Let TempleKit draft the story backs, read each one against its card, and fix anything that isn't on the card or in well-known history. If TempleKit asks me to calibrate my printer and I haven't, stop and tell me: that needs a printed test sheet. Finish by clicking Download (not Open to print) for the print-ready files and tell me their names. I'll do the printing. Rules: work like a careful person would, one ancestor at a time and at a normal pace; open only the pages this needs and never bulk-open or download search results (FamilySearch doesn't allow scraping or harvesting). Never ask me for a password. Reading is fine, but before you add or edit a person, attach a source, merge, reserve, request or share ordinances, or submit anything, stop, show me exactly what you'd do and the record behind it, and wait for my yes. My yes covers exactly the list you showed and nothing else. Mark anything you're unsure of. Never invent a name, date or relationship.
/add-source
Prepares the record open in this tab as a source for the right person in your tree, and waits for your OK before saving.
Prepare to attach the record open in this tab as a source in my FamilySearch Family Tree. Work out which person (or people) it belongs to and check that it really matches them. Fill out the title, citation, notes and the reason for attaching it. Show me everything and wait for my yes before you click attach or save, one person at a time. If the person isn't in the tree yet, stop and tell me what the record says about them. Rules: work like a careful person would, one ancestor at a time and at a normal pace; open only the pages this needs and never bulk-open or download search results (FamilySearch doesn't allow scraping or harvesting). Never ask me for a password. Reading is fine, but before you add or edit a person, attach a source, merge, reserve, request or share ordinances, or submit anything, stop, show me exactly what you'd do and the record behind it, and wait for my yes. My yes covers exactly the list you showed and nothing else. Mark anything you're unsure of. Never invent a name, date or relationship.
/add-family
Uses the record open in this tab to prepare missing family members, checking for duplicates and waiting for your OK on each one.
Using the record open in this tab, find the family members it names who aren't in my FamilySearch Family Tree yet. For each one, search the tree for them first so we don't add a duplicate. Then show me who you'd add, with names, dates, places, relationships and the record as the source, and wait for my yes before adding each person. Treat anyone who might be living as private and don't add them. Rules: work like a careful person would, one ancestor at a time and at a normal pace; open only the pages this needs and never bulk-open or download search results (FamilySearch doesn't allow scraping or harvesting). Never ask me for a password. Reading is fine, but before you add or edit a person, attach a source, merge, reserve, request or share ordinances, or submit anything, stop, show me exactly what you'd do and the record behind it, and wait for my yes. My yes covers exactly the list you showed and nothing else. Mark anything you're unsure of. Never invent a name, date or relationship.
The rules Claude follows, and why
- One ancestor at a time
- FamilySearch's terms say you won't use software “to perform a bulk download, to scrape content, or to otherwise harvest any information” from the site (FamilySearch Terms of Use). The shortcuts keep Claude to what you'd do yourself: one ancestor, a handful of pages, at a person's pace. Your FamilySearch account is yours; keep it that way.
- Reading is free; changes need your yes
- Claude can search and read on its own. Before it adds or edits a person, attaches a source, merges, or reserves ordinances, it stops, shows you what it would do and why, and waits for your OK. Your yes covers exactly the list it showed you, such as a batch of 10 names to reserve.
- You sign in, never Claude
- You sign in to FamilySearch yourself. Never type a password into the chat, and Claude won't ask for one.
- Temple names follow the Church's rules
- Only your own relatives; at least one year after death; permission from the closest living relative for anyone born in the last 110 years; never famous people or names from unapproved extraction projects (Members' Guide, chapter 7). Claude checks for duplicates first.
- Check the original
- Claude can misread a faded word. FamilySearch's own advice: “Always check the original image of a record when possible, even if you have an AI transcription” (FamilySearch blog). Every reading ends with the words Claude is least sure of.
Therefore, renounce war and proclaim peace, and seek diligently to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children;
Doctrine and Covenants 98:16The Lord, through Joseph SmithWhat the scriptures and prophets teach about family history →Questions
Is this allowed on FamilySearch?
FamilySearch's terms don't allow software that bulk downloads, scrapes or harvests from the site, so TempleKit's shortcuts keep Claude to a person's pace: one ancestor, a handful of pages, and no changes without your OK. FamilySearch encourages using AI tools to understand and write about your ancestors. How you use Claude on your own account is your call.
What does it cost?
TempleKit is free. Claude in Chrome needs a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise) and Google Chrome on a computer. The TempleKit skill works with a free Claude account, and TempleKit's own research assistant needs no account at all.
Can Claude reserve names for me?
Yes, in your own browser. Claude finds relatives who qualify, shows you a batch of up to 10 with the evidence, and after your OK opens each in its own tab and reserves exactly those names to you. Then it can print the cards to PDF and run them through TempleKit.
Does this work with ChatGPT or Gemini?
The instructions are plain English. AI agents that can use a browser, like ChatGPT's agent or Gemini in Chrome's auto browse, can follow them: copy them from templekit.com/ai and paste them in. Regular AI chats can't click through FamilySearch, but they can read and translate a photo of a record with our research instructions file attached.
Does TempleKit see what Claude reads?
No. Claude in Chrome and the skill run in your own Claude account and browser. Nothing goes to TempleKit.
Will Claude make mistakes?
Sometimes, especially with faded or unusual handwriting and with people of the same name. That's why every reading lists what to double-check, and nothing is added to your tree without you looking first.