Foundation Guide

The Shape of a
Personal OS for Claude

A folder of markdown files that turns Claude from a chatbot into a coworker who knows your work.

Jump to Setup

What a Personal OS Actually Is

A folder on your computer. Inside it, markdown files for your projects, your notes, your tasks. One special file at the root called CLAUDE.md that tells Claude how to behave when you open this folder.

That's the whole system. The leverage comes from the fact that Claude reads your CLAUDE.md every time you start a session, so you stop re-explaining who you are and what you're working on. Claude already knows.

What You'll Need

VS Code

Free editor. Claude Code runs inside it.
Download here

Claude Pro or Max

The subscription that powers Claude Code.
Subscribe here

A note on viewing your notes

When you want to read a markdown file like a document instead of editing it, hit Cmd+Shift+V (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+V (Windows) in VS Code. It opens a preview pane with formatted headings, lists, and links. This is how I read my daily agenda every morning. A separate notes app would be doing the same thing twice.

Important: Keep Sensitive Information Out

Claude can read any file in your Personal OS folder. Do not store:

  • Passwords, API keys, or credentials
  • Social Security numbers or government IDs
  • Financial account numbers
  • Medical records or health information
  • Confidential work documents your employer hasn't approved for AI use
  • Other people's personal information without consent

If a sensitive project needs context, write a note describing the project without the sensitive data inside.

Why Structure Matters

Without it, every conversation with Claude starts from scratch. You re-explain your role, your projects, your preferences. Claude gives generic advice because it has no idea what you're actually doing.

With a Personal OS, the structure gives Claude memory:

Claude Reads Your Files

The CLAUDE.md at the root loads automatically at the start of every session. Claude knows your role, your active projects, and your rules before you type a word.

Nested Context

Each project can have its own CLAUDE.md. When you navigate into that folder, Claude inherits the project-specific instructions on top of the global ones.

Tasks That Travel

Tasks live as markdown files with structured metadata. Skills like /today scan the whole vault and build a daily agenda automatically.

The System Grows

Every time you correct Claude or teach it something, that lesson gets saved. Next week, Claude already knows. The system compounds.

The Folder Layout

The vault uses a numbered folder system based on the PARA method (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives). Numbers keep things in a stable order regardless of which file browser you use.

Personal_OS/
│
├── 00_Inbox/             # Daily agendas, quick captures, unsorted
│
├── 10_Projects/          # Active work with deadlines or outcomes
│
├── 20_Areas/             # Ongoing responsibilities (no end date)
│   ├── Calls/            # Meeting notes
│   ├── People/           # Contact profiles
│   └── Companies/        # Org wiki entries
│
├── 30_Resources/         # Reference materials, research, templates
│
├── 40_Archives/          # Completed projects, old work
│
├── 50_Personal/          # Personal projects, kept separate from work
│
├── 99_System/            # Configuration, profiles, scripts
│   │
│   ├── Context_Library/
│   │   ├── business_profile.md
│   │   └── project_specs/
│   │
│   └── Scripts/
│
├── Apps/                 # Software projects (peer of PARA, not nested)
│
└── CLAUDE.md             # The brain — Claude reads this first
Why numbered folders? They always sort in the same order. 00 comes first (your inbox, where you capture things fast), 99 comes last (system files you rarely touch). PARA gives you a stable mental model: Projects have deadlines, Areas are ongoing, Resources are reference material, Archives are done.
Why Apps/ as a peer of PARA? If you build software inside your vault — websites, scripts, small tools — they need their own top-level folder. They don't fit cleanly into Projects (which assume markdown notes) and they shouldn't be buried in Resources. Apps/ keeps them visible and easy to deploy.

CLAUDE.md: The File Claude Reads First

This is the most important file in your system. Claude reads it automatically when you start a session inside this folder. It tells Claude who it is in your world, where things live, and how to behave.

## Role

Chief of Staff for Personal Operating System.
Manage tasks, organize information, facilitate research
with precision and low friction.


## Who I Am

[Your name] — [your title] at [your organization].
[One sentence of context: industry, focus, what you care about.]


## Core Behavior

- When I ask for a change, ALWAYS edit the file directly.
  Never just show me the fix.
- Keep changes minimal — touch only what's necessary.
- Read local files before asking for context.
- Confirm before deleting; edit freely if aligned.
- Concise responses — no lectures.


## Architecture

PARA-based vault:
- `00_Inbox/` capture and triage
- `10_Projects/` active projects (each can have its own CLAUDE.md)
- `20_Areas/` ongoing areas (Calls, People, Companies)
- `40_Archives/` — never search or modify unless asked


## Task Schema

```yaml
type: task
status: [todo, in-progress, done, waiting]
created: YYYY-MM-DD
due_date: YYYY-MM-DD
priority: [high, medium, low]
tags: []
```
Why this works: Claude reads this once at the start of the session and behaves accordingly for the entire conversation. The task schema is especially load-bearing — every task Claude creates uses these exact field names, so skills like /today can find them reliably.

Nested CLAUDE.md Files

Each project can have its own CLAUDE.md. Claude reads them hierarchically — the root one always, then any project-specific one when you're working in that folder.

Personal_OS/
│
├── CLAUDE.md                        # Always loads
│
└── 10_Projects/
    │
    └── Website_Redesign/
        │
        ├── CLAUDE.md                # Loads when working in this folder
        └── project_brief.md

The project-level file is where you put context that only matters for this project:

  • This is a React project — use TypeScript
  • The client prefers minimalist design, no gradients
  • Always run tests before declaring done
  • Design files are in Figma at [link]
  • Deployment is GitHub Actions to AWS
The pattern that matters: Global behavior at the root, project-specific behavior in the project. Don't put project details in the root CLAUDE.md — they pollute every session. Don't put global rules in project CLAUDE.md files — they only apply when you're in that folder.

Day-1 Setup

Claude does most of the work. You install the tools, create one empty folder, and paste a few prompts.

1

Install VS Code

Download from code.visualstudio.com and run the installer. Default settings are fine.

2

Install Claude Code

Open VS Code. Click the Extensions icon in the left sidebar, or press Cmd+Shift+X (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows).

Search for "Claude" and install the official extension by Anthropic. Sign in with your Claude account when prompted.

3

Create Your Personal_OS Folder

One empty folder. This is the only thing you need to do manually.

On Mac:

Finder → Documents → Right-click → New Folder → name it Personal_OS

On Windows:

File Explorer → Documents → Right-click → New → Folder → name it Personal_OS

4

Open the Folder in VS Code

VS Code: File → Open Folder → select your Personal_OS folder → Open.

If VS Code asks "Do you trust the authors?", click "Yes."

5

Have Claude Build the Structure

Open the Claude Code panel and paste this prompt:

Copy and paste into Claude:

Please set up a Personal OS for me. Create:

1. These folders:
   - 00_Inbox
   - 10_Projects
   - 20_Areas
   - 20_Areas/Calls
   - 20_Areas/People
   - 20_Areas/Companies
   - 30_Resources
   - 40_Archives
   - 50_Personal
   - 99_System/Context_Library/project_specs
   - 99_System/Scripts
   - Apps

2. A CLAUDE.md file at the root with:
   - A "Role" section: you are my Chief of Staff for this vault
   - A "Who I Am" section: [add my name, title, organization]
   - A "Core Behavior" section: edit files directly, keep changes
     minimal, read local files before asking, confirm before deleting,
     concise responses
   - An "Architecture" section describing the folders above
   - A "Task Schema" section with the YAML format for tasks
     (type, status, created, due_date, priority, tags)

3. A Someday_Maybe.md in 20_Areas/ with sections for Ideas,
   Long-Term Projects, Things to Explore, Wishlist.

Create everything now.

Claude creates all the folders and files. You'll see them appear in VS Code's file explorer on the left.

6

Install Your First Two Skills

Skills are folders inside ~/.claude/skills/ with a SKILL.md file describing what they do. Claude reads the descriptions and triggers them when relevant. The / prefix is shorthand to force a specific skill to run.

Paste this prompt into Claude:

Copy and paste into Claude:

Please create two skills for me.

1. ~/.claude/skills/today/SKILL.md with this content:

---
name: today
description: Scans the vault for tasks due today and creates a daily agenda.
allowed-tools: Bash(*), Read(*), Write(*)
---

# /today

Build today's agenda by scanning all .md files in 10_Projects/ and
00_Inbox/ for YAML frontmatter with a due_date field.

## What to do

1. Group tasks: Overdue, Due Today, Due This Week, Due Next Week
2. Create a new file in 00_Inbox/ named YYYY-MM-DD_Agenda.md
3. Format with sections for each group, plus Daily Focus and Quick Notes
4. Tell me: "Your agenda is ready: [filename]"


2. ~/.claude/skills/shutdown/SKILL.md with this content:

---
name: shutdown
description: End-of-day ritual — captures what moved, what didn't, and what's queued for tomorrow.
allowed-tools: Bash(*), Read(*), Write(*), Edit(*)
---

# /shutdown

End-of-day capture.

## What to do

1. Review today's agenda in 00_Inbox/
2. For each task: mark done, carry over, or mark as waiting
3. Append a brief end-of-day summary to today's agenda file:
   - What moved (3-5 lines max)
   - What stalled and why
   - Tomorrow's top 3 candidates
4. Tell me: "Shutdown complete. Tomorrow's queue: [top 3]"

Create both skills now.
7

Test It

Type /today in the Claude chat. Claude creates your first daily agenda file in 00_Inbox/. Open it in VS Code and hit Cmd+Shift+V to preview it formatted.

Your Daily Rhythm

Two skills are enough to anchor a day. Here's what it looks like in practice:

/today — Morning

First thing, open VS Code, type /today in the Claude chat. Claude scans the vault for tasks with due dates, builds a grouped agenda (overdue, today, this week, next week), and writes it to 00_Inbox/YYYY-MM-DD_Agenda.md.

Then: open the agenda file, hit Cmd+Shift+V, and you have a formatted to-do list next to your chat panel.

/shutdown — End of Day

Before closing your laptop, type /shutdown. Claude reviews today's agenda, asks what moved and what didn't, and writes a one-paragraph summary at the bottom of today's agenda file. Includes tomorrow's top 3 candidates.

The next morning, /today can read yesterday's shutdown notes and carry the queue forward.

Rules I'd Give Myself If Starting Over

  • Let Claude file things. Don't manually create folders or move files. Just say "create a new project for the Q1 marketing plan" or "file this transcript in the right place." Claude knows the structure.
  • Use the Inbox liberally. When you don't know where something goes, drop it in 00_Inbox/ and ask Claude to triage it later.
  • Don't preload context. Resist the urge to dump everything into the root CLAUDE.md. Claude reads what it needs. Profile files and project specs should load on demand, not automatically.
  • When something annoys you, write a rule. If Claude does something that makes you pause — explains instead of editing, creates a file in the wrong place, fabricates a stat — turn it into a one-line rule in CLAUDE.md. Two weeks of this and 90% of the friction disappears.
  • Archive aggressively. Done projects go to 40_Archives/. Keep 10_Projects/ small enough that you can scan it in one glance.
  • Ask Claude when you're stuck. "How should I organize my consulting clients?" or "Build me a template for kickoff meetings." The system bends to your needs, not the other way around.

That's the Foundation

A folder, a CLAUDE.md, two skills. From here, the real leverage comes from how the system compounds — memory that persists, skills that automate your real workflows, capture pipelines that feed the vault while you sleep, and a voice system that lets Claude write like you.

Read How It Compounds →

Created by Janette Roush | Agents of Change

This guide is part of the AI Lab for Travel Innovation.