claude-code-complete-agent/GETTING-STARTED.md

From Demo to Daily Driver

This repo demonstrates what Claude Code can do. This guide helps you make it do something for you.

The difference between a demo and a daily driver is personalization. Claude Code becomes genuinely useful when it knows your work, your preferences, and your goals. That takes about an hour of setup and a week of use.

Here is exactly what to do.

How this connects to the examples

The examples/ directory shows what Claude Code can do. This guide shows how to make it do that for you. Each step below references the relevant examples so you can see the capability in action before personalizing it.

If you want the full guided path, run the examples 01-10 first (follow the Cumulative Path in each one), then come here to build your permanent setup. Or jump straight to Example 14, which condenses this guide into one hands-on session.

---

Step 1: Make Claude Code know you (30 minutes)

Open CLAUDE.md in the project root and replace the demo content with your own context. This is the most important file in the entire setup. Claude reads it at the start of every session.

Write it like a briefing for a capable new colleague on their first day:

# My Project

## Who I am
Marketing lead at a SaaS startup. I write content, manage
campaigns, and report to the CEO weekly. Not a developer,
but comfortable with terminal basics.

## How I work
- I think in bullet points, not paragraphs
- I want drafts I can edit, not finished products
- Be direct. Skip disclaimers and caveats.
- Default language: English

## What I am working on right now
- Q2 product launch (deadline: April 15)
- Blog series on AI adoption for small businesses
- Weekly metrics report every Monday by 10 AM

## What Claude should never do
- Send anything externally without my explicit approval
- Make up statistics or quotes
- Commit code to main branch

This is not decoration. Every word you write here shapes how Claude behaves in every session. Be specific. Update it as your work changes.

What makes a good CLAUDE.md

Do	Do not
State your role and current priorities	Write a generic bio
Say how you want responses formatted	Leave defaults
List what is off-limits	Assume Claude will guess
Update it weekly	Write it once and forget it

See it in action: Example 05 shows how CLAUDE.md drives Claude's behavior. Example 14 walks you through writing your own from scratch.

---

Step 2: Set up your phone channel (10 minutes)

Pick one. You can add more later.

iMessage (if you use Apple devices):

# In a Claude Code session:
/install @anthropic-ai/claude-code-imessage

See messaging/imessage-setup.md for Full Disk Access and permissions.

Telegram (works on any phone):

/install @anthropic-ai/claude-code-telegram

See messaging/telegram-channels-setup.md.

Discord (if you already live there):

/install @anthropic-ai/claude-code-discord

After installing, launch Claude Code in channel mode:

claude --channels

Send a test message from your phone. If Claude responds, you are connected.

See it in action: Example 07 demonstrates messaging with Telegram and Slack. Example 12 covers all three remote access methods (Channels, Dispatch, Remote Control).

---

Step 3: Keep your session alive (5 minutes)

The biggest practical limitation: if the session closes, your phone channel dies. Fix this now.

Option A: tmux (recommended)

# Start a persistent session
tmux new -s claude

# Launch Claude Code with your channel
claude --channels --enable-auto-mode

# Detach: press Ctrl+B, then D
# Your session keeps running. Close the laptop. Walk away.

# Reattach later:
tmux attach -t claude

Option B: Dedicated machine

A Mac Mini, an old laptop, or a cloud VPS running macOS. Set it up once. It runs 24/7. This is the closest to OpenClaw's always-on daemon.

Option C: Accept the limitation

Use channels when you are at your desk. Use Dispatch (Cowork mobile app) or Remote Control (/rc) when you are away. Not always-on, but covers most situations.

---

Step 4: Write your first personal skill (15 minutes)

Skills are what transform Claude Code from "general AI assistant" into "my assistant that knows how I work."

Important: skill file format

Every skill file needs YAML frontmatter between --- markers at the top. Without this, Claude Code will not recognize it as a skill. The name field is what you type after / to run it. The description field helps Claude decide when to suggest it.

Example: Weekly status report

Create .claude/skills/weekly-status.md:

---
name: weekly-status
description: Generate my weekly status report from git
  activity, project files, and current priorities.
---

# Weekly Status Report

Generate a status report for my manager covering this week.

## Steps
1. Read CLAUDE.md for current priorities
2. Run `git log --oneline --since="7 days ago"` to see
   what changed this week
3. Check for any files named TODO, ROADMAP, or similar
4. Write a concise report with:
   - What was completed
   - What is in progress
   - What is blocked or needs input
   - Plan for next week

## Format
- Bullet points, not paragraphs
- Lead with wins
- Be honest about blockers
- Under 300 words

Now you can run /weekly-status every Monday morning. Or text "Run /weekly-status" from your phone.

Example: Research and save

Create .claude/skills/deep-research.md:

---
name: deep-research
description: Research a topic thoroughly, verify claims,
  and save a structured summary with sources.
---

# Deep Research

Research the given topic. Verify every claim.

## Steps
1. Search the web for 3-5 targeted queries
2. Read the top results
3. Cross-reference claims across sources
4. Write a structured summary to
   `research/[topic-slug]-[date].md`

## Output format
### Key findings
- [finding] ([source])

### Details
[longer explanation with citations]

### What I could not verify
[be explicit about gaps]

### Sources
- [title] - [url]

Example: Daily briefing

The repo already has .claude/skills/daily-briefing.md. Customize it: add your news topics, your project context, whatever you want to know first thing in the morning.

How to think about skills

A skill is worth writing when you:

• Do the same task more than twice a week
• Explain the same instructions to Claude repeatedly
• Want consistent output format every time
• Want to trigger something from your phone with one message

Start with 2-3 skills. Add more as you notice patterns.

See it in action: Example 06 shows the researcher-writer-reviewer agent pattern that makes complex skills powerful. The "Now Try It Yourself" section in each example helps you adapt demo capabilities into personal skills.

---

Step 5: Add your tools via MCP (15 minutes per tool)

MCP servers connect Claude Code to external services. The repo includes Playwright (browser). Here are the most useful ones to add:

Slack (post messages, read channels)

Add to .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@anthropic-ai/mcp-slack@latest"],
      "env": {
        "SLACK_BOT_TOKEN": "xoxb-your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

See messaging/slack-setup.md for token setup.

File system (access specific directories)

Already built into Claude Code. But you can scope it: add paths to CLAUDE.md so Claude knows where your important files live.

Others worth exploring

• Google Drive MCP: read and write docs
• GitHub/Forgejo MCP: manage issues and PRs
• Calendar MCP: check schedule and create events

Each MCP server you add is a new capability. Claude automatically discovers what tools are available and uses them when relevant.

See it in action: Example 04 demonstrates Playwright MCP for browser automation. Example 07 shows Slack MCP in action.

---

Step 6: Let it learn (ongoing)

Claude Code gets more useful over time because:

• CLAUDE.md accumulates your preferences
• MEMORY.md tracks project state across sessions
• Skills get refined as you notice what works
• Agents (.claude/agents/) can be tuned for your style

After one week

Claude knows your project structure, your formatting preferences, and your current priorities. Routine tasks (status reports, research, file management) take one message instead of twenty minutes.

After one month

Your skills cover your most common workflows. Your CLAUDE.md is detailed enough that Claude rarely needs clarification. You text tasks from your phone and find the results waiting when you get back to your desk.

What to update and when

What	When	Why
CLAUDE.md priorities	Weekly	Your focus changes
MEMORY.md	Claude does this automatically	Session state
Skills	When you repeat yourself	Efficiency
MCP servers	When you need a new integration	Capability

---

What your day looks like after setup

Morning. You text Claude from bed: "Morning briefing." A summary of your project state, top news in your field, and what needs attention today arrives in 60 seconds.

Commute. You remember something: "Research [topic] and save it for me." When you sit down at your desk, the research is in research/ with sources.

Working. You are in Claude Code at the terminal. It knows your project. You say "continue where we left off" and it does, because MEMORY.md has the context. Auto Mode means it executes without constant permission prompts.

In a meeting. Someone asks a question you do not know. Under the table: "What is [company]'s market share in [segment]? Sources needed." The answer arrives before the meeting ends.

End of day. "Write my status update for this week and post it to #team-updates on Slack." Done. One message.

Weekend. Claude is still running (tmux). You text on Sunday evening: "Prepare a summary of what happened in [your industry] this week." Monday morning, it is waiting.

---

Honest expectations

What this setup replaces: Repetitive research, status reports, file management, Slack updates, and the cognitive overhead of remembering where you left off.

What this setup does not replace: Judgment, creativity, relationships, and the work that actually matters. Claude handles the scaffolding so you can focus on the substance.

The real cost:

• Claude Pro or Max subscription ($20-200/month)
• One hour of initial setup
• 5 minutes/week maintaining CLAUDE.md
• A machine that stays on (laptop with tmux, or Mac Mini)

When it clicks: Usually around day 3-5, when you catch yourself reaching for your phone to text Claude instead of opening a browser to search for something. That is when it stops being a tool and starts being an extension of how you work.

---

Quick reference

I want to...	Do this
Set up from scratch	Follow steps 1-4 above
Text Claude from phone	Step 2 (channels)
Keep it running 24/7	Step 3 (tmux or Mac Mini)
Automate a routine task	Step 4 (write a skill)
Connect a new service	Step 5 (add MCP server)
Try the demo examples	See examples/ directory
Follow the cumulative path	Start at examples/01-agent-runtime/
Build your personal agent	See examples/14-build-your-agent/
Understand the OpenClaw comparison	See feature-map.md