Type them into the Code tab in Claude Desktop, in this order, when the room does. Or tap copy.
A chatbot answers your question. An agent knows your situation.
The prompts
P1 · ACT I · WHO AM I?
Read my-desk.html in this folder first. Then interview me, one question at a time, asking only what is still missing, until you know: who I am, my role, what I produce every week, what I read every week to produce it, and how I like things done. Then write CLAUDE.md in this folder, in my own words, with those as its sections. Then make three sub-folders if they are not there yet: inbox, outbox and notes.
Why: this builds your handbook - the desk's rulebook for who you are.
P2 · ACT II · WHAT WAS I DOING?
What were we working on just now, and what's left to do?
Why: asked in a brand-new session, this shows you goldfish mode.
Close the session and open a new one on the same folder before typing this.
P3 · ACT II · WHAT WAS I DOING?
Write a file called HANDOFF.md in this folder. Cover: what this folder is for, what we did today so far, what's next, and one line on how I'm feeling about today.
Why: this builds your handover, so a fresh chat remembers.
P4 · ACT III · HOW DO WE DO THINGS HERE?
Build me a skill called handoff. Use the skill-creator skill if you have it; if not, create the skill yourself as .claude/skills/handoff/SKILL.md. Its description must say: use this whenever I say "wrap up". The skill: update HANDOFF.md with what we did, any decisions we made, and what's next, then confirm in one line.
Why: Builds your first skill, with a fallback if skill-creator is not there.
P5 · ACT III · HOW DO WE DO THINGS HERE?
wrap up
Why: Two words. Your handover updates itself.
BONUS · ACT III · IF YOU FINISH EARLY
What do you know about how I like things done? Tell me in three lines. I will correct one thing; when I do, add the corrected rule to CLAUDE.md.
Why: this is how your agent grows. Correct one thing and watch the rule land in CLAUDE.md.
P6 · ACT IV · WHAT'S MY ROUTINE?
Here is one thing I do every week: I turn the file in my inbox into a one-page brief for my manager, with three key points and one recommended action. Turn this into a skill called weekly-brief that reads the file in my inbox folder, writes the brief into my outbox folder, and updates HANDOFF.md when it's done. Then run it now on the file in my inbox.
If your real weekly task is different, replace the first sentence with yours. Keep the rest.
Why: your first real output lands in your outbox.
P7 · ACT IV · WHAT'S MY ROUTINE?
Schedule the weekly-brief skill to run every Monday at 9am. If you can't schedule it here, tell me, and write a one-line reminder into HANDOFF.md to run it by hand every Monday.
Why: your first routine. It runs while you do something else.
The data rule
Own notes and non-client material only. Nothing classified, nothing with customer data.
Bring one real input file you use every week into C:\AI-Harness\inbox before the day. Non-client material only. Make it a Word, PDF or notes file. If it is a spreadsheet, save a PDF copy next to it.
Stuck?
Raise your hand. A gardener will come to you. Nobody goes to the stage.
What's the last thing you did, and what do you need from me to continue?
Your harness, four parts
Reins - instructions. Your handbook, CLAUDE.md.
Saddlebag - memory. Your handover, HANDOFF.md.
Training - skills. What you built in Act III.
Route - routine. What you scheduled in Act IV.
You're the rider. You hold the reins.
This week
Run "wrap up" at the end of each day.
Put one real weekly task through your routine.
Every morning, ask your agent "what were we doing?"
When it gets something wrong, tell it the rule and say: add that to CLAUDE.md.