A Mac or Windows computer. Phones and tablets can't do the full setup.
✓
A paid Claude plan that includes Cowork.
✓
The latest Claude Desktop app.
No Cowork yet? Sort that first. The guide can't build the full system in a normal chat window.
Your step-by-step setup guide
Layer 1:
Architecture
Build the workspace and structure that organise your system.
Step 1A: Set up Claude Cowork
You'll use Claude Cowork as your working environment throughout this guide.
Before you continue, make sure you are on a paid Claude plan that includes Cowork and have the latest Claude Desktop app. The complete setup in this guide needs Claude to work with a local folder on your computer.
What is the difference between normal chat and Claude Cowork?
Unlike normal chat, Claude Cowork can take a goal and carry out several steps to complete it. On desktop, it can work directly with folders and files on your computer, build brand assets (graphics, websites and interactive tools), and run workflows once set up, such as researching competitors and using the findings to strengthen your marketing.
Step 1B: Create and connect your business folder
On your computer, create an empty folder named after your business. Then connect that existing folder in Claude Cowork. This gives Claude a dedicated place to build the architecture and living context in the next steps.
You are ready for Step 2 when the folder exists on your computer, is connected in Cowork and Claude can access it. If the option is missing or Claude cannot access the folder, check your plan, app version and Cowork access before continuing.
You are going to create the architecture that gives Claude a stable place for living context and a predictable place for project work.
The files ending in .md are Markdown files: plain-text documents with simple formatting such as headings and lists. Claude works especially well with Markdown because it can read and update that structure reliably.
This is the reusable architecture:
Your Business/
├── AGENTS.md
├── My Business/
│ ├── About Me.md
│ ├── About My Business.md
│ ├── Ideal Customer and Positioning.md
│ ├── My Offers.md
│ ├── Tone of Voice.md
│ ├── Brand Guide.md
│ ├── Memory.md
│ ├── Assets/
│ ├── Marketing Methods/
│ └── Skills/
└── [Your First Project]/
├── Readme.md
├── Input/
│ ├── References/
│ └── Examples/
└── Output/
This is the exact standard setup. It can evolve with your business later, but only when you approve the change.
My Business/ holds the approved context that should guide work across the business.
My Business/Assets/ holds approved, reusable business assets that have graduated from projects.
My Business/Marketing Methods/ holds shared marketing reference material such as proven frameworks and principles. Claude opens a file here only when the matching job is live, so it does not carry the material into every task.
My Business/Skills/ holds the Skills you install and the supporting material each one needs. Claude opens it only when a job needs a Skill. Keep 1 Skill per job and do not let 2 Skills end up doing the same work.
A substantive initiative that needs its own brief, inputs, drafts or deliverables gets a project folder. A direct update to a named core file can stay in that file when you approve it.
Project research, source documents and examples belong in Input/.
Finished project deliverables belong in Output/.
A visual project may add an optional Input/Assets/ folder for source and working production assets.
The core files have clear ownership:
About Me.md: who you are and how you like to work.
About My Business.md: what the business does, its stage, goals, model and channels. Keep only a 1-line audience summary here.
Ideal Customer and Positioning.md: the detailed ideal customer profile, pains, needs, dreams, fears, buying moments, alternatives, positioning, unique value proposition and messaging priorities.
My Offers.md: each offer, what it includes, delivery, pricing logic and outcome.
Tone of Voice.md: approved full writing examples and what they teach.
Brand Guide.md: the visual source of truth.
Memory.md: approved, durable learnings that are likely to matter again.
Do this in Claude
Copy the prompt below to build the architecture.
I want to create the standard architecture for my AI marketing system
and the empty files that will hold its living context.
Work inside the business folder that is already connected. That is the
top-level folder for the system. Do not create another business-name
folder inside it.
Use the exact structure and definitions below. Do not rename, add or
remove anything, and do not invent different roles for the folders
or files.
Connected business folder/
├── AGENTS.md
├── My Business/
│ ├── About Me.md
│ ├── About My Business.md
│ ├── Ideal Customer and Positioning.md
│ ├── My Offers.md
│ ├── Tone of Voice.md
│ ├── Brand Guide.md
│ ├── Memory.md
│ ├── Assets/
│ ├── Marketing Methods/
│ └── Skills/
└── [Your First Project]/
├── Readme.md
├── Input/
│ ├── References/
│ └── Examples/
└── Output/
Each part has this role:
- Connected business folder/: a label for the folder you are already
in, not a new folder to create. It contains the system architecture
and living context.
- AGENTS.md: the operational rulebook. It will map the system and
tell Claude how to work inside it.
- My Business/: the approved business context that should guide work
across the business.
- About Me.md: who I am and how I like to work.
- About My Business.md: what the business does, its stage, goals,
model and marketing channels, with only a short audience summary.
- Ideal Customer and Positioning.md: the detailed ideal customer
profile, pains, needs, dreams, fears, buying moments, alternatives, positioning,
unique value proposition and messaging priorities.
- My Offers.md: each offer, what it includes, delivery, pricing logic
and outcome.
- Tone of Voice.md: approved full writing examples, writing patterns
and what they teach.
- Brand Guide.md: the visual source of truth.
- Memory.md: approved, durable learnings likely to matter again.
- Assets/: approved, reusable business assets that have graduated
from projects.
- Marketing Methods/: shared marketing reference material such as proven
frameworks and principles. Read only when the matching job is
live, never as part of the standard pre-task read.
- Skills/: the installed Skills and the supporting material each
one needs. Read only when a job needs a Skill. One Skill per
job, never 2 doing the same work.
- [Your First Project]/: a placeholder for the first real initiative.
- Readme.md: the project brief, including its goal, audience,
deliverables, success criteria and how to work inside the folder.
- Input/: the research, source material and examples used for the
project.
- References/: research, source documents and relevant context.
- Examples/: examples of what good looks like.
- Output/: finished project deliverables.
Create the empty files and folders only. Keep [Your First Project]
exactly as written for now, including the brackets. Do not add extra
folders, files or content.
This is the standard setup. If a different structure might help later,
propose it and wait for my approval before changing anything.
Teach the system how to work and what it needs to know about your business.
Step 3: Write your system rulebook
Claude needs clear rules for how to use your business context, make decisions and work with you. A rulebook provides those operating instructions, so Claude does not have to guess.
In this system, the rulebook is called AGENTS.md. It is the first part of the living context and maps the folders, which file owns each type of information and your working preferences.
When the guide calls a file canonical, it means that file is the approved source of truth for the subject it owns.
At this point, Claude knows the workspace structure but does not yet know the details of your business. That is expected. Step 5 will add that context and update the short business description in AGENTS.md; Claude should not invent it now.
Do this in Claude
Copy the prompt below to create the rulebook.
Help me create AGENTS.md, the operational rulebook for this
workspace.
You do not have my detailed business context yet. Step 5 will create
it. For now, do not infer or invent business facts.
Before writing, use AskUserQuestion to interview me about how we
should work together. Ask 1 focused question at a time. Give me short
choices, recommend the best option based on what you know, and let me
provide a custom answer.
Cover:
1. The role I want you to play.
2. When I want you to challenge me or push back.
3. What you may assume and what you must confirm.
4. How concise, detailed or structured your communication should be.
5. Which changes need my approval before you make them.
6. What "done" means and how you should verify work.
Do not interview me about detailed business, customer, offer, voice or
brand facts yet. Those belong in Step 5.
Use these definitions in AGENTS.md:
- Standard architecture: the fixed folder and file structure created
in Step 2.
- Living context: the 7 approved core files in My Business that teach
you about me, the business and how we work.
- Action layer: the Skills, tool connections and scheduled tasks used
to complete work.
- Optional patterns: additions used only when a real need exists, such
as Input/Assets for a visual project.
- Business-specific customisations: changes I approve for this
business without replacing the standard structure by default.
Then draft AGENTS.md with:
- These exact first 3 lines:
For: The owner and Claude working in this business workspace
Job: Set the operating rules for this workspace
Built from: Owner interview/instruction
- A short workspace description. For the business description, use a
temporary note saying: "Business context will be added in Step 5.
Until then, do not infer details that are not in approved files."
- A rule that, after About My Business.md is approved in Step 5, you
must propose an updated business summary here and wait for approval.
- The definitions above.
- The folder map.
- The ownership of all 7 core My Business files: About Me.md,
About My Business.md, Ideal Customer and Positioning.md,
My Offers.md, Tone of Voice.md, Brand Guide.md and Memory.md.
- A rule that those 7 files are canonical for the information they
own.
- A rule to read AGENTS.md and the relevant approved core My Business
files before substantive work, without opening unrelated files by
default.
- A rule that My Business/Marketing Methods/ is never part of that
pre-task read. Open a file there only when the matching job is
live, and only the file that job needs.
- The same rule for My Business/Skills/. Open it only when a job
needs a Skill, and keep 1 Skill per job.
- A rule for where a Skill's supporting material lives: in that
Skill's own references folder if only 1 Skill needs it, or in
My Business/Marketing Methods/ if several Skills share it.
- Clear read and edit rules for My Business, Assets, Skills,
Marketing Methods, project Input and project Output.
- A project lifecycle covering brief, inputs, build, review,
delivery and learning.
- A rule that substantive work needing its own brief, inputs, drafts
or deliverables normally gets a project folder with Readme.md,
Input/References, Input/Examples and Output.
- Optional Input/Assets only where a project genuinely needs it.
- A Project Home Check: whenever I begin a substantive task while this
folder is connected, ask before doing the work whether it should use
an existing project folder, a new project folder or a direct update
to the system and or its files. Recommend 1 option, explain why briefly
and wait for my approval. Do not leave substantive work only in chat.
A quick answer with no lasting output or decision needs no project.
- A rule that nothing moves from a project into My Business or
My Business/Assets automatically. Propose the change, explain
which location will be canonical and wait for approval.
- Where my tasks live, and a rule that you never start a second
task list somewhere else. Ask me where that is. If I do not use
a task tool yet, say so in the file rather than inventing one.
- A naming rule for files in Input: YYYY-MM-DD - Title.ext for
research and examples, and plain descriptive names for stable
reusable assets.
- A rule that any substantial markdown file you create opens with
these 3 lines: "For:" who it is for, "Job:" the 1 job it does,
and "Built from:" the exact approved filenames and/or direct
Owner interview or instruction it was built from.
- My working preferences from the interview.
- A requirement to list every file changed or deleted.
Show me the complete draft and wait for my approval before writing
AGENTS.md.
Step 4: Set up Living Memory
Claude will learn useful things about your preferences, decisions and ways of working. Living Memory stores the approved learnings that should guide future work, so you do not have to repeat them.
In this system, Living Memory is stored in Memory.md.
This is a file of context you choose and approve. It is not hidden chat memory and Claude must not add to it automatically.
Do this in Claude
Copy the prompt below to create Memory.md.
Read AGENTS.md, then draft My Business/Memory.md using this exact
structure:
For: The owner and Claude working in this business workspace
Job: Store approved, durable learnings that are likely to matter again
Built from: AGENTS.md
# Memory
## Purpose
Approved, durable learnings about me, my business and how we work
together that are likely to matter again.
## What belongs here
- A correction or preference likely to apply across future tasks.
- A durable decision that is not already owned by another core file.
- A repeated working pattern worth preserving.
## What does not belong here
- Tasks, reminders or temporary notes.
- Meeting notes or project-specific evidence.
- Unconfirmed assumptions.
- Passwords, secrets or sensitive personal information.
- Facts already owned by About Me, About My Business, Ideal
Customer and Positioning, My Offers, Tone of Voice or Brand Guide.
## Memory rules
- Propose each new entry and wait for my approval.
- Never add an entry automatically.
- Keep 1 dated learning per line, newest at the bottom.
- Link to the core or project file when it owns the full context.
- If an entry becomes outdated, propose the exact replacement or
removal instead of silently changing it.
## Approved learnings
Nothing here yet.
Show me the complete draft and wait for my approval before writing
Memory.md.
Step 5: Build your business and brand context
Claude now needs approved context to understand who you are, how the business works, who it serves, what it sells, how it sounds and how it looks. Some of that may already exist in documents or notes. Some may only be in your head. Both are useful.
Build the 6 core files 1 at a time with the 6 prompts below. Finish, approve and save each file before moving to the next one. Step 5G then adds 1 supporting reference file by download.
Step 5A: Build About Me
This file gives Claude the personal and professional context that shapes how you run the business.
Help me build My Business/About Me.md.
Read AGENTS.md and any approved My Business files relevant to this
job. Do not create a project folder.
Use AskUserQuestion and ask 1 focused question at a time. For each
question, give me short choices, recommend 1 where useful, and let me
give a custom answer.
First, ask once whether I have documents, notes or examples that can
help. If I do, ask me to attach them to this task and read them before
the interview. If I do not, continue using my knowledge and judgement.
Documents and examples can add depth, but my experience, opinions,
working beliefs and choices are valid input. Ask a focused follow-up
when something is unclear, outdated or contradictory, then respect my
decision about how to proceed. Do not invent details.
Interview me about:
- Who I am in relation to this business.
- The experience and strengths I bring.
- My particular edge and what I do especially well.
- The principles or standards that guide my work.
- How I tend to think, decide and collaborate.
- Durable preferences that help Claude work well with me.
Keep detailed workspace rules in AGENTS.md rather than duplicating
them here.
Open the file with these 3 lines:
For: [who this file is for]
Job: [the 1 job this file does]
Built from: [exact filenames and/or Owner interview/instruction]
Draft the complete file, show it to me and wait for my approval.
Only after I approve it, write it to My Business/About Me.md and tell
me exactly what changed.
Step 5B: Build About My Business
This file gives Claude the essential facts about the business. Keep the customer description short here; the detail belongs in the next file.
Help me build My Business/About My Business.md.
Read AGENTS.md, My Business/About Me.md and any other approved files
relevant to this job. Do not create a project folder.
Use AskUserQuestion and ask 1 focused question at a time. For each
question, give me short choices, recommend 1 where useful, and let me
give a custom answer.
First, ask once whether I have documents, notes or examples that can
help. If I do, ask me to attach them to this task and read them before
the interview. If I do not, continue using my knowledge and judgement.
Documents and examples can add depth, but my experience, opinions,
working beliefs and choices are valid input. Ask a focused follow-up
when something is unclear, outdated or contradictory, then respect my
decision about how to proceed. Do not invent details. Ask me to confirm
any current public fact you include, such as availability, locations
or business claims.
Interview me about:
- What the business does and why it exists.
- Its stage, business model and priorities.
- Its products or services at a high level.
- The main problem it solves.
- Its current goals.
- Its marketing and sales channels.
- The tools that are important to how it operates.
- A 1-line summary of who it serves.
Do not build the detailed ideal customer, positioning or offers here.
Those have their own files.
Open the file with these 3 lines:
For: [who this file is for]
Job: [the 1 job this file does]
Built from: [exact filenames and/or Owner interview/instruction]
Draft the complete file, show it to me and wait for my approval.
Only after I approve it, write it to My Business/About My Business.md.
Then show me the exact update you recommend for the temporary business
description in AGENTS.md. The update should be short and should point
to the detailed My Business files rather than copying them. Wait for
my approval before changing AGENTS.md.
Step 5C: Build Ideal Customer and Positioning
This file gives Claude the detailed customer and positioning context used to make better marketing decisions.
Help me build My Business/Ideal Customer and Positioning.md.
Read AGENTS.md and the approved About Me.md and About My Business.md.
Read any other approved file relevant to this job. Do not create a
project folder.
Use AskUserQuestion and ask 1 focused question at a time. For each
question, give me short choices, recommend 1 where useful, and let me
give a custom answer.
First, ask once whether I have customer notes, feedback, reviews,
sales conversations, research or examples that can help. If I do, ask
me to attach them to this task and read them before the interview. If
I do not, continue using my knowledge and judgement.
Customer material can add depth, but my experience, opinions, working
hypotheses and strategic choices are valid input. Ask about real
examples where useful. If I choose to proceed from judgement, continue
and label a working hypothesis where that distinction matters. Ask a
focused follow-up when something is unclear, outdated or contradictory.
Do not invent details.
Interview me about:
- My best-fit customers and the situations they are in.
- Their immediate pains, deeper needs, fears and dreams.
- The outcomes they want.
- Buying moments, triggers and decision criteria.
- Objections and reasons they hesitate.
- The alternatives they use now, including doing nothing.
- Why this business is a relevant choice for them.
- Positioning, unique value proposition and messaging priorities.
Keep business overview facts in About My Business.md and offer details
in My Offers.md. Flag overlap instead of duplicating it.
Open the file with these 3 lines:
For: [who this file is for]
Job: [the 1 job this file does]
Built from: [exact filenames and/or Owner interview/instruction]
Draft the complete file, show it to me and wait for my approval.
Only after I approve it, write it to
My Business/Ideal Customer and Positioning.md.
Step 5D: Build My Offers
This file tells Claude exactly what you sell, what each offer includes and what it is designed to help the customer achieve.
Help me build My Business/My Offers.md.
Read AGENTS.md and the approved About My Business.md and Ideal Customer
and Positioning.md. Read any other approved file relevant to this job.
Do not create a project folder.
Use AskUserQuestion and ask 1 focused question at a time. For each
question, give me short choices, recommend 1 where useful, and let me
give a custom answer.
First, ask once whether I have proposals, price lists, service pages,
product notes or examples that can help. If I do, ask me to attach
them to this task and read them before the interview. If I do not,
continue using my knowledge and judgement.
Documents and examples can add depth, but my experience, opinions and
commercial choices are valid input. Ask a focused follow-up when
something is unclear, outdated or contradictory, then respect my
decision about how to proceed. Do not invent details. Ask me to confirm
current prices, availability, timelines, guarantees and other public
commitments before including them as facts.
For each offer, interview me about:
- Its name and who it is for.
- The problem or need it addresses.
- What is included and explicitly excluded.
- Scope, delivery method, process and timing.
- Price or pricing logic.
- What the customer needs to provide or approve.
- The meaningful outcome it is designed to support.
Do not invent proof, guarantees or promised results.
Open the file with these 3 lines:
For: [who this file is for]
Job: [the 1 job this file does]
Built from: [exact filenames and/or Owner interview/instruction]
Draft the complete file, show it to me and wait for my approval.
Only after I approve it, write it to My Business/My Offers.md.
Step 5E: Build Tone of Voice
This file becomes the single home for approved writing examples and what they teach Claude about how you sound.
Help me build My Business/Tone of Voice.md.
Read AGENTS.md and the approved My Business files relevant to this
job. Do not create a project folder.
Use AskUserQuestion and ask 1 focused question at a time. For each
question, give me short choices, recommend 1 where useful, and let me
give a custom answer.
First, ask once whether I have complete writing examples I genuinely
like and would publish or send. If I do, ask me to attach them to this
task and read them before the interview. If I do not, help me develop
2 or 3 examples. Do not invent a voice and present it as established evidence.
My preferences and judgement are valid input. Ask a focused follow-up
when something is unclear or contradictory, then respect my decision
about how to proceed.
Ask which channels and formats I actually use. Create a section only
for those channels and formats; do not invent others.
Start with 2 or 3 complete examples I would genuinely publish or send.
Keep every supplied example complete and in its exact original wording.
Ask me why each one feels right, then add a short annotation explaining
what it teaches. Build a concise voice north star from the approved
examples and my answers.
Keep all approved examples in this 1 file, whatever the channel. Build
practical guidance around these 4 parts:
- Personality: the consistent character the writing should project.
- Tone: how that character shifts for a particular audience, need or
situation.
- Rhythm: the pace and pattern created by sentence length, structure,
punctuation and repetition.
- Vocabulary: the words and phrases I use, avoid or replace.
Do not stop at a list of adjectives. Turn the personality into a short
character description and show its traits in approved writing. For each
tone, record who and what it is for, when to use it, and which traits or
techniques to turn up or down. Add preferred words, words to avoid and
better alternatives where useful.
Use my approved examples and answers to make the voice authentic to the
business, appropriate for the audience, recognisably different and easy
to read.
Add a Writing Mechanics section that:
- Explains that measurable patterns complement the qualitative
analysis and give Claude stronger evidence for how I write.
- Starts quantitative analysis only when the approved examples reach
either 10 examples or 500 words.
- Once that threshold is reached, records total words and sentences,
full stops per 100 words, average and median words per sentence,
sentence-length distribution, paragraph-length patterns, sentence
openings and structures, and counts and ratios for commas, question
marks, exclamation marks, colons, semicolons, parentheses, ellipses
and dashes.
- Records the threshold rule, but does not estimate results before the
threshold is reached.
- Treats the mechanics as descriptive evidence, not rigid quotas.
Never add a future writing example until I approve it.
Open the file with these 3 lines:
For: [who this file is for]
Job: [the 1 job this file does]
Built from: [exact filenames and/or Owner interview/instruction]
Draft the complete file, show it to me and wait for my approval.
Only after I approve it, write it to My Business/Tone of Voice.md and
tell me exactly what changed.
Step 5F: Build your Brand Guide
This file gives Claude a clear visual source of truth without pretending that unfinished brand decisions are already rules.
Help me build My Business/Brand Guide.md.
Read AGENTS.md and the approved My Business files relevant to this
job. Do not create a project folder.
Use AskUserQuestion and ask 1 focused question at a time. For each
question, give me short choices, recommend 1 where useful, and let me
give a custom answer.
First, ask once whether I have logo files, colour codes, font details,
brand documents, photos, graphics or visual examples that can help.
If I do, ask me to attach them to this task and inspect them before the
interview. If I do not, continue using my knowledge and judgement.
My preferences and brand choices are valid input. Ask a focused
follow-up when something is unclear, outdated or contradictory, then
respect my decision about how to proceed. Do not invent existing assets
or present a suggestion as an approved rule.
Interview me about:
- Logos and how they should be used.
- Approved colours and colour combinations.
- Typography.
- Layout, spacing and composition preferences.
- Photography, illustration, icon and graphic style.
- Visual examples I approve or dislike, and why.
Separate the file clearly into:
1. Current approved brand rules and assets.
2. Proposed future directions that still need approval.
3. Missing decisions or assets.
Open the file with these 3 lines:
For: [who this file is for]
Job: [the 1 job this file does]
Built from: [exact filenames and/or Owner interview/instruction]
Draft the complete file, show it to me and wait for my approval.
Only after I approve it, write it to My Business/Brand Guide.md.
Step 5G: Add Marketing Psychology, why people buy
Marketing Psychology.md gives Claude practical principles for understanding what influences buying decisions. Uploading it helps Claude create more persuasive copy, offers and pages that better reflect how customers think and choose. The file lives in My Business/Marketing Methods/ and opens only for relevant work.
The button downloads a ZIP straight to your computer. No sign-up, no email.
Do this in Claude
You do not need to unzip the download or work out where it goes. Open Cowork with your business folder connected, attach the ZIP and use the prompt below.
I have attached a ZIP. It contains
Marketing Psychology.md, a reference on why people buy.
Please:
1. Unzip it.
2. Save it to My Business/Marketing Methods/Marketing Psychology.md.
3. Keep the credit and licence line in it exactly as written.
4. Then update AGENTS.md so it knows the file is there:
- Marketing Methods appears in the folder map.
- It is never part of the standard pre-task read.
- It is opened only when a copy, offer or page job is being worked on.
Show me the exact lines you plan to add to AGENTS.md before you
change it.
Finish Step 5: Check the complete living context
Once all 6 core files are approved and saved, and the supporting reference file has been added, run 1 final check.
Read AGENTS.md and all 7 approved core files in My Business:
- About Me.md
- About My Business.md
- Ideal Customer and Positioning.md
- My Offers.md
- Tone of Voice.md
- Brand Guide.md
- Memory.md
This is a direct review and possible update of named canonical files.
Do not create a project folder for it.
Audit them for contradictions, unnecessary duplication, important
gaps and unclear ownership. Show me each issue and the exact correction
you recommend. Wait for my approval before editing anything.
Then check AGENTS.md. Confirm that:
- Its temporary business note has been replaced with a short, accurate
summary and points to the detailed My Business files.
- All 7 core files are listed as canonical for what they own.
- Marketing Methods and Skills are opened only when a matching job
needs them.
Show me any exact AGENTS.md changes you recommend and wait for my
approval. After approved changes are complete, list every file changed.
Give the system the methods, access and workflows it needs to complete real marketing work.
Step 6: Install Starter Pack Skills
Skills 1–2 of 6
First, what a Skill actually is.
Claude already knows a lot. It can explain what a content pillar is, how a sales funnel works, or why your headline is weak. That part is covered.
What it does not know is how you do things.
Say you write a LinkedIn post. You open with a hook. You keep the lines short. There are words you never use. You end with one question. You check it against your last 10 posts. Those 5 steps are yours, and Claude has no way of knowing them.
So you have 2 options. Type all 5 steps every time you want a post. Or let Claude guess, and rewrite what comes back.
A Skill is where you put those steps once, so Claude follows them every time.
The format is simpler than you would expect. A Skill is a folder containing a text file called SKILL.md, which holds the instructions Claude follows.
There is more than one way to give Claude a Skill. You will use 4 of them in this guide.
The first is the easiest. Claude ships with a library of ready-made Skills, and installing one takes 2 clicks.
Find each Skill in Claude Desktop:
Looks different on your screen?
Claude may show + before Browse Skills, or Install instead of +.
If Skills are missing or greyed out, go to Settings > Capabilities and switch on Code execution and file creation.
skill-creator
What it doesTurns a repeatable method into a reusable Skill.
When to use itReach for it when no existing Skill fits and you keep giving Claude the same instructions.
theme-factory
What it doesApplies a consistent visual style to documents, slides and simple web pages.
When to use itReach for it when an output should follow the brand you captured in Step 5.
Next in this step: Skill 3, LinkedIn post.
3. LinkedIn post · built by AI4BM
Skill 3 of 6
Writes LinkedIn posts in your voice from your context files. It chooses a hook from 9 archetypes and writes a body that keeps the hook's promise.
Attach the downloaded ZIP to Claude and use this prompt:
I have attached a ZIP containing the LinkedIn post Skill.
There are 2 outcomes here and I need both. Saving the folder is not the same as installing the Skill.
First, save it:
1. Unzip it.
2. Save the whole folder to My Business/Skills/, keeping its internal structure exactly as it is. It has reference files it needs.
3. Keep any credit or licence line exactly as written.
Then install it:
4. Install it so it is available for me to use in a new chat. If you cannot install it yourself, tell me exactly what I need to click.
5. Tell me the exact name it is installed under.
I will check it appears in my Skills list before we continue.
4. Instagram caption · built by AI4BM
Skill 4 of 6
Writes Instagram captions and carousel text in your voice, with the hook inside the first 125 characters before the fold.
Attach the downloaded ZIP to Claude and use this prompt:
I have attached a ZIP containing the Instagram caption Skill.
There are 2 outcomes here and I need both. Saving the folder is not the same as installing the Skill.
First, save it:
1. Unzip it.
2. Save the whole folder to My Business/Skills/, keeping its internal structure exactly as it is. It has reference files it needs.
3. Keep any credit or licence line exactly as written.
Then install it:
4. Install it so it is available for me to use in a new chat. If you cannot install it yourself, tell me exactly what I need to click.
5. Tell me the exact name it is installed under.
I will check it appears in my Skills list before we continue.
5. Grill Me · by Matt Pocock, MIT licensed
Skill 5 of 6
Interviews you about a plan until the important decisions are resolved, while recommending an answer to each question. Use it before committing to something you have only half thought through, such as a new offer, price change or campaign.
Build this one with skill-creator instead of downloading it. Watching Claude turn the supplied method into a working Skill teaches you how to make your own later. Add skill-creator first, then paste this into Claude as 1 message:
Use skill-creator to set up this Skill for me.
It interviews me about a plan until the important decisions are
actually resolved, and suggests an answer to each question rather
than just asking.
The method is already written. It is pasted below. Do not rewrite it,
invent a new one, or change what it says. Package what I have given you.
- Save it in My Business/Skills/ as its own folder.
- Keep Matt Pocock's credit line exactly as written.
- Confirm the Skill is available.
Here is the Skill:
---
name: grill-me
description: Interview the user relentlessly about a plan or idea until reaching shared understanding, resolving each branch of the decision tree. Use when user wants to stress-test a plan, get grilled on their thinking, or mentions "grill me".
---
Interview me relentlessly about every aspect of this until
we reach a shared understanding. Walk down each branch of the design
tree resolving dependencies between decisions one by one.
For each question, provide your recommended answer.
---
Created by [Matt Pocock](https://www.aihero.dev/my-grill-me-skill-has-gone-viral).
This is his non-coding variant, used with the codebase-exploration line removed.
Original at [github.com/mattpocock/skills](https://github.com/mattpocock/skills).
6. SearchFit SEO · third-party plugin, 11 Skills
Skill 6 of 6
Runs guided SEO audits and improvements, checks how your business appears in local search and AI answers, and covers your Google Business Profile. Use it when people are not finding you or you want to inspect your search presence.
Confirm that each item you chose is available before continuing.
The one file in a writing Skill that starts empty
Open the LinkedIn post or Instagram caption Skill and you will find references/examples.md with nothing in it. That is deliberate, and filling it is the single biggest improvement you can make to what these Skills produce.
Voice and shape are different things, and they live in different places.
Your voice is your vocabulary, your sentence structure, your punctuation habits, the character that comes through.
Shape is how a post is put together on a particular channel. Where the hook sits, what the second line does, where the fold falls, how it closes. That genuinely differs by channel, and it is what examples.md is for.
When you write a post you are happy with, tell Claude to save it to your files:
I am happy with this one. Please:
1. Add it to My Business/Tone of Voice.md as an approved example,
with the text exactly as I approved it, what it was for, and what
it teaches about how I write.
2. Capture just its skeleton in this Skill's references/examples.md:
the shape with my words stripped out, so I can reuse the structure
without reusing the wording.
Show me both before you write anything.
Two or three of these per channel and the Skill stops guessing.
A note on other people's writing.examples.md also has room for a swipe file: posts by anyone you admire, kept for how they are built. Not a competitor file. If a chef or a comedian opens a post in a way that works, file it, because the structure transfers even when the industry does not. Record who wrote it and link it, every time.
The rule that makes this safe: study anyone's writing, use nobody's words. Take the shape, then write fresh in your own voice. Never let somebody else's post into Tone of Voice.md, because that file is evidence of how you sound.
Where a Skill lives and what goes inside it
It lives in My Business/Skills/ and looks like this:
My Business/Skills/[skill-name]/
├── SKILL.md the method
├── references/ optional: supporting material
├── scripts/ optional: code the Skill runs
└── assets/ optional: files the Skill uses in its output
Only SKILL.md is compulsory. Most Skills use SKILL.md and references/. A Skill that draws graphics might keep its example images in assets/. Many Skills never need scripts/ at all.
SKILL.md is the method. It gets read every time the Skill runs.
Where does a piece of reference material go? Two questions.
Does only 1 Skill need it? Keep it inside that Skill's own references/ folder. Done.
Do several Skills need it? Then ask whether the Skill would break without it. A Skill is installed as a package, so anything sitting outside that package does not travel with it.
It would break: put a copy inside each Skill's references/. Yes, that means the same file twice. A Skill that fails because a separate file went missing is a broken Skill, and that matters more than tidiness. Write a line at the top of the file saying it is duplicated, so nobody later deletes a copy thinking it is stale, and change every copy together.
It would run fine without it: put it in My Business/Marketing Methods/, so there is 1 copy rather than 4 that slowly drift apart.
See every official option in Anthropic's Connector Directory. You can also ask Claude to connect a tool and choose Browse all connectors when it appears.
Do not connect everything. Start with a real workflow.
Copy this prompt:
Help me decide which tools, if any, are worth connecting to this AI
marketing system.
Use AskUserQuestion and ask 1 focused question at a time. For each
question, give me short choices, recommend 1 where useful, and let me
give a custom answer. Ask about:
- Marketing work I repeat.
- The tools I normally use for that work.
- Where I manually copy and paste information.
- Where work gets delayed because information is elsewhere.
- Sensitive information or actions that must stay under human
approval.
Then give me a short table with:
- Workflow.
- Tool.
- How the connection would help.
- Recommendation: connect now, consider later or do not connect.
Recommend the minimum useful set. Do not connect anything yet. Show
me the recommendation and wait for approval.
Once you choose a tool:
Help me connect [TOOL NAME]. Once it is connected, confirm it works
with 1 read-only check. Do not create, edit, send or publish anything.
A scheduled task makes the action layer operational on a rhythm, instead of waiting for you to ask.
Claude Cowork can schedule recurring tasks. Examples include:
Monitor a topic.
Content ideas.
Meeting prep.
Weekly review.
Daily briefing.
Inbox triage.
Example prompt to try: connect Gmail and review customer emails
Copy this into Claude:
Help me connect Gmail if it is not already connected. Once it is
ready, set up a scheduled task that runs every Friday.
Use my Gmail connection to review customer emails from that week and
prepare a short report with:
- Recurring questions.
- Objections.
- Possible content ideas.
- Messages that need my attention.
Do not reply to or send any emails. Use AskUserQuestion for any
important detail I have not decided. Then show me the exact task and
wait for my approval before creating it.
Start with 1 simple task that fits your work. Claude can guide you through the setup, and you can change the instructions, timing and project or folder before saving it.
If that does not fit, use this prompt:
Help me identify 1 useful scheduled task.
Read AGENTS.md, the core My Business files, my installed Starter Pack
Skills and my available Connectors. Do not schedule anything yet.
Use AskUserQuestion and ask 1 focused question at a time. For each
question, give me short choices, recommend 1 where useful, and let me
give a custom answer.
Ask about:
- Work I repeat on a predictable rhythm.
- What should be done.
- The tools or channels I normally use for it.
- The schedule.
- The inputs it needs.
- What a finished result should look like.
- What requires my review or approval.
A recurring task does not happen in isolation. Include the tools,
information, Skill and project folder it needs to produce something
useful.
Show me a short table with:
- Recurring work.
- When it should run.
- Normal tools or channels.
- Information it needs.
- Relevant Skill, Connector or project folder.
- Expected result.
- Human review required.
Recommend 1 task to start with.
Once you choose the task:
Let's create a scheduled task for [CHOSEN TASK].
Use AskUserQuestion for any remaining questions. Ask 1 focused
question at a time, give me short choices, recommend 1 where useful,
and let me give a custom answer. Then show me:
- The exact instructions.
- The schedule.
- The project or folder it will use.
- The tools or connections it needs.
- What it will produce.
- What I must review.
Run it once, or review its first scheduled run. Correct the instructions until the result is useful. Pause, edit or delete any scheduled task that creates noise.
Step 9: Start your first real project
Your first real project tests whether the architecture, living context and action layer work together.
Return to the folder literally named [Your First Project]. Choose 1 genuine piece of work with a clear outcome, deliverable and definition of done. It could be a marketing job, an update to a core business file or a new admin Skill.
Copy this prompt:
Help me set up my first real project.
The work I want to complete is: [DESCRIBE IT IN YOUR OWN WORDS]
Read AGENTS.md, the core My Business files and the existing
[Your First Project] folder.
Use AskUserQuestion and ask 1 focused question at a time. For each
question, give me short choices, recommend 1 where useful, and let me
give a custom answer. Ask only for important missing information,
including:
- A project name.
- The intended outcome.
- The deliverable and definition of done.
- The audience, if the work has one.
- The deadline, if there is one.
- Any inputs, source material or examples I already have.
- What it must include.
- What is out of scope.
Then propose:
1. The project brief and approach.
2. Any Skills or Connectors that would help, if relevant.
3. What belongs in Input/References, Input/Examples and optional
Input/Assets.
4. Any expected output that might later update a core My Business
file or become a reusable asset. Treat this only as a hypothesis.
5. The complete Readme.md.
Stop and wait for me to add any inputs and approve the setup. Do not
rename the placeholder, edit files or begin the deliverable yet.
Add any source material and examples Claude requested, then approve the project setup:
Approved. Rename and organise the project as proposed, add the
approved Readme.md and show me the finished project tree. Do not
begin the deliverable yet.
When the project is ready, start the work:
The project setup and inputs are approved. Complete the work now.
Use the approved brief, inputs and definition of done. Save the work
inside the project folder. When finished, show me the output and
review it against the definition of done.
At the end, ask:
Review every significant output from this project.
For each one, recommend whether it should:
1. Stay project-specific in Output.
2. Update a core My Business file.
3. Be promoted as a reusable asset in My Business/Assets.
Explain why, identify where the main version should live and wait
for my approval before moving or copying anything. Record approved
promotion decisions in the project Readme.
