Build your assistant from an empty folder. Home → Brain → Hands → Growth.
This is the full kit from the live build — Build Your First AI Executive Assistant (From an Empty Folder). Everything below lets you rebuild it yourself, step for step. The prompts are exact: copy them straight into Claude Code and they work.
You're not building software. You're hiring and onboarding the best executive assistant you've ever had — and it costs you a folder.
Create a dedicated folder — the assistant's workspace. Add a lean CLAUDE.md: a map of where everything lives, not a warehouse. Keep it short; it's read every session. The real knowledge goes in context/.
The interview. Let Claude Code ask you about six areas, then turn your answers into context files. This is the most important step — real answers make an assistant that actually sounds like it knows you.
Build one skill so it does real work, not just talk. Do the task manually once, then say "turn that into a skill." A great first one: Start My Day — it plans your day in your voice.
It gets better the more you use it. Repeat a process → make it a skill. Missing context → add it to a file. Log decisions so it remembers the why. Refresh priorities monthly.
This is the home you're giving your assistant. The setup prompt below builds it for you — here's the shape it creates.
my-ea/ CLAUDE.md ← lean brain: a map, not a warehouse context/ ← me.md, business.md, team.md, current-priorities.md .claude/skills/ ← the assistant's "hands" projects/ ← active work decisions/ ← decision log (the "why") references/ ← templates, guides, brand notes archives/ ← finished work
Make a new empty folder (e.g. my-ea), open it in Claude Code, and paste this in. It scaffolds the structure and writes a lean CLAUDE.md.
This folder is the home for my AI executive assistant. You will live and work here.
First, set up the structure. Create these folders, each with a short README.md that
explains what belongs there:
- context/ (also create short stub files: me.md, business.md, team.md,
current-priorities.md — we will fill them in next)
- .claude/skills/
- projects/
- decisions/
- references/
- archives/
Then write a CLAUDE.md. Keep it LEAN. It is the brain stem, not the whole brain. It should:
- say this project is my executive assistant and what that means
- map where everything lives (point to the context/ files and the folders above)
- include a short "How to work with me" section: be direct, ask when something is unclear,
do not invent facts, and keep my context private
Do NOT dump my business details into CLAUDE.md — that is what the context/ files are for.
When you're done, show me the folder tree and the CLAUDE.md.
After the structure exists, paste this. Answer one question at a time. Be real and specific — say "skip" for anything you don't know yet.
Now interview me so you can write my context files. Ask me ONE question at a time, wait for my answer, then ask the next. Keep it sharp and human. If I don't know an answer, I'll say "skip" and we'll fill it later. Cover these six areas: 1. Who I am — my name, my role, my timezone, how I like to communicate and work. 2. My business — what it does, who it's for, how it makes money, and the numbers that matter. 3. My team — who they are and what they own (say "solo" if it's just me, and note the roles I wish I had). 4. Priorities and goals — what I'm driving this quarter, my active projects, my #1 needle-mover. 5. Communication preferences — my tone, the format I like, what I want more of and less of. 6. What I want help with — the recurring tasks and workflows I'd love off my plate. Start with question one.
Once the interview is done, paste this. It turns your answers into the files that make the assistant know you.
Now write my context files from everything I told you:
- context/me.md — who I am, role, timezone, working + communication style
- context/business.md — what the business does, who it serves, how it makes money,
offers, the transformation, key metrics
- context/team.md — the people and roles (or solo + the roles I wish I had)
- context/current-priorities.md — this quarter's goals, active projects, the #1 needle-mover
Keep each file clear and practical. No filler, no hype. Write them so that any time you work
for me, reading these makes you sound like you actually know my business.
Then update CLAUDE.md only if the map needs to point to anything new.
The setup prompt generates a version of this for you. Keep it here for reference — it's the brain stem, a map not a warehouse, read every single session.
# CLAUDE.md — [Your Business] Executive Assistant ## What this project is This folder is my **AI executive assistant**. You work here as part of my business. Your job is to help me run and grow it — planning, drafting, organising, and doing real recurring work — grounded in everything in this project. ## Where everything lives - `context/me.md` — who I am, my role, my working + communication style. - `context/business.md` — what the business does, who it serves, how it makes money. - `context/team.md` — the people and roles. - `context/current-priorities.md` — this quarter's goals, active projects, the #1 needle-mover. - `.claude/skills/` — my skills (reusable jobs you can run by name). - `projects/` — active work. - `decisions/` — the log of important decisions and the "why". - `references/` — templates, guides, brand notes. - `archives/` — finished work. **Always read the relevant `context/` files before doing work so you sound like you know my business.** ## How to work with me - Be direct. No padding. Lead with the answer. - Ask when something is unclear instead of guessing. Don't invent facts. - Match my voice and communication style (see `context/me.md`). - Keep my context private — never expose sensitive details outside this project. - When we settle something important, offer to log it in `decisions/`. - When I repeat a process, suggest turning it into a skill in `.claude/skills/`. ## Open items - (Fill in as you go — things to add to context, skills to build, tools to connect.)
Save this as .claude/skills/start-my-day.md (or let Claude Code create it after you do the task manually once — that's the method we teach). Then trigger it any morning by saying "start my day".
# Skill: Start My Day
## When to use this skill
Each morning, or any time I ask you to plan my day or tell me where to focus.
## What to read first
- `context/current-priorities.md` — my quarter goals, active projects, the #1 needle-mover.
- `projects/` — what's actually in motion.
- `context/me.md` — my voice, tone, and how I like things.
## What to do
1. Identify the 2–3 things today that genuinely move the needle (tie them to my priorities).
2. Flag anything that looks stalled, at risk, or going cold.
3. Suggest a sensible order for the day (deep/high-value work first).
4. End with one sharp question that keeps me focused on the right thing.
## Output rules
- Write it in my voice and tone (see `context/me.md`).
- Be direct, short, and scannable. Bullets for actions.
- No corporate filler. No restating my whole business back to me.
- Keep it tight — a briefing, not an essay.
## Output shape
Morning [name]. Here's your day.
Move the needle:
- [highest-value thing, tied to a priority]
- [second thing]
At risk:
- [anything stalled or going cold + the quick action to fix it]
Suggested order:
1. [...]
2. [...]
3. [...]
One question: [a single sharp focusing question]
## Grow it later
- Connect a calendar/tasks tool (via MCP) so it pulls today's real events and to-dos.
- Add a "weekly" variant that reviews the whole week.
- Tell it your preferences ("keep it under 150 words", "lead with risks") and it will remember.
The assistant compounds. Every use makes the next one sharper — if you feed the loop.
decisions/ so it remembers the reasoning, not just the result.More skills → connect real tools (calendar, tasks, email) via MCP → sub-agents working in parallel. That's not a chatbot. That's a team.
It reads your whole business brain every time — not a paragraph you paste into a fresh chat.
It builds files, runs skills, and touches real tools — work that actually ships, not just talk.
It remembers across sessions and gets smarter with use. Today's correction is tomorrow's default.
Don't put client data you wouldn't want shared, private financials, passwords, or sensitive information into these files — especially if you sync or push the folder. The brain is about how your business works, not your secrets.