Making the files by hand

01What this page is for

Module 1 uses the setup tool to make your three files. Use this page if you'd rather write them yourself, or if the setup tool won't work for you.

02Write your three files

Write your own three files, using the walking club example in Module 1 as a guide. Keep each one short. Ten lines is plenty to start.

If you're not sure what to put, let the AI help. Paste this into a normal chat:

I'm setting up an AI project for: [your project from the introduction].
Ask me questions, one at a time, to fill in three short files:
1. Instructions: how you should behave, your tone, and what you must never do.
2. Context: what I'm working on now, who it's for, and when it's due.
3. Reference: the facts you'll need, like names, dates and prices.
Ask no more than eight questions. Then write the three files, each under ten lines.

Then add the six starter lines from Module 1 to the end of your Instructions.

03Save them with the right names

Save the three files as plain text, named exactly INSTRUCTIONS.md, CONTEXT.md and REFERENCE.md. A .md file is just a plain text file. These are the names the setup tool uses too.

Put all three in one folder for this project, inside your AI Projects folder. For example: Documents\AI Projects\Walking club newsletter.

• On Windows, use Notepad. In the Save As window, set Save as type to All files, then type the name, for example CONTEXT.md. Otherwise Notepad adds .txt to the end.
• On a Mac, use TextEdit. Before you save, click Format, then Make Plain Text. Type the name, for example CONTEXT.md. If it asks which ending to use, choose Use .md.

04Check the file endings on Windows

Windows hides file endings, so a file that looks like CONTEXT.md may really be CONTEXT.md.txt.

To check, open File Explorer, click View, then Show, then File name extensions. If you see .txt on the end, rename the file and take it off.

05Extra steps for Grok and Claude Code

The setup tool does these for you. By hand, you do them yourself.

Grok. Add this line to the end of your Instructions in Grok:

Before you answer, read CONTEXT.md and REFERENCE.md in this project's files.

Claude Code. It needs one more file, CLAUDE.md. Open your project folder in Claude Code, then paste this and send it. If Claude Code asks whether it can create the file, say yes.

Make a file called CLAUDE.md in this folder. Put exactly these three lines in it:
@INSTRUCTIONS.md
@CONTEXT.md
@REFERENCE.md
Then show me the file.

Then go back to Module 1, Step 2, and set up your tool.