New to all of this? Start with setup on the hub: a terminal, then install and sign in to Claude Code. It takes a few minutes, once.
1.Your first win
Open your terminal, type claude, and paste this.
Read the longest PDF in my Downloads folder and tell me, in plain English: what it is, the three things that matter most, and anything I should be worried about. Then save your summary as summary.txt in my Documents folder.
It reads the file, thinks, writes the summary, and saves it. You never told it how.
2.More to try
Draft from rough notes
Read brief-sample.txt (it came with the kit). Turn it into a clean one-page document: lead with the reader's problem, name the outcome, cut the filler. Save it as draft.txt.
Sharpen a flat paragraph
Read draft-sample.txt. It is deliberately flat and full of filler. Rewrite it tighter: lead with the stakes, cut the slop, keep it under 120 words. Then tell me in one line what you changed.
Prep for a call
I have a call with Acme Co in an hour. Search the web and give me one page: what they do, what is pressuring them now, the smartest thing to lead with, and three questions to ask.
3.Make it yours
Out of the box, Claude Code is a brilliant stranger. The kit turns it into one that knows you. Three moves do almost all of it, and the kit installs all three already filled in:
- Commands you type, like
/draft-kickoffand/sharpen. The kit ships six. - Skills it follows forever once taught, like writing in your voice.
- Memory, a plain text file it reads every time, so you never re-explain who you are.
Every kit also ships /coach: a board of ten legendary coaches who debate a hard people decision and hand you one call. It is the fastest way to feel what a custom command can do.
4.Your challenge
Pick whatever is annoying you right now. You do not have to go in order.
- Turn your messiest notes into a clean one-pager
- Sharpen an email you have been putting off
- Get a one-page brief on someone before your next meeting
- Pressure-test a document before you send it
- Build a skill for a task you repeat every week
5.Grow into it: free and open tools
When you want more, these three are free and open. Nothing to pay for, nothing that locks your work inside a service you would have to pay to leave. Claude teaches you each one, one step at a time.
Obsidian, a calm home for your notes
I'd like to start using Obsidian for my notes. It's free and keeps everything as plain text files on my own computer. Walk me through installing it and pointing it at my notes folder, one step at a time, in plain English.
A little Python, to let the computer do the boring part
Teach me a tiny bit of Python by solving a real problem of mine. I have a folder of PDFs and I want one number from each in a single spreadsheet. Write the code, explain each part in plain English, and walk me through running it.
Playwright, to have Claude drive the browser
I do the same thing on a website every week. Help me use Playwright, a free open-source tool, so Claude can do it for me. Ask what the site is and what steps I take, then set it up one step at a time.
6.Get your kit
The Claude Code Starter Kit installs six commands, two skills, an AI memory file, and a guide that walks you through everything (about a minute). It is free, plain text, and yours to edit.
Download the Claude Code Starter Kit
Different kind of work? Claude Code Kit for Founders · Claude Code Kit for Researchers · Claude Code Kit for Writers