Day 1 · about an hour, in any number of sittings

Your setup

Keep this open next to Obsidian and your AI. Each step you tick is remembered on this device.

Six steps. Tick each one when its check works.

1. [ ]Step 1 · Before P0.1Get the kit

   The kit is one small zip file: plain notes and a few web pages. Nothing in it installs itself.

   1. computerDownload the zip (about 110 KB).
   2. MacDouble-click it in Downloads. A folder appears next to it.
   3. WindowsIn Downloads, right-click it and choose Extract All…, then Extract. Use the extracted folder, not the zip: Windows lets you look inside a zip, but nothing can be saved there.
   4. LinuxExtract it with your file manager or unzip.
   5. phoneOn your computer, download the zip (about 110 KB) and unpack it.

   Download the kit (zip, ~110 KB)

   Done when:You have an unpacked kit folder with a folder called vault inside.Check:Open vault. You should see AGENTS.md and a folder called _system.
2. [ ]Step 2 · P0.1Install Obsidian

   Obsidian is a free notes app. It shows the kit as tidy, linked notes, and keeps everything as plain text files on your computer.

   1. MacDownload Obsidian from obsidian.md/download and drag it to Applications.
   2. MacOpen it. If your Mac asks whether to open an app from the internet, choose Open.
   3. WindowsDownload the installer from obsidian.md/download, run it, then open Obsidian.
   4. WindowsOn a work laptop that blocks installs, ask your IT team for Obsidian. Meanwhile you can read ahead here.
   5. LinuxInstall it from obsidian.md/download (AppImage, .deb, Flatpak or Snap), then open it.
   6. phoneOn your computer, get Obsidian from obsidian.md/download, install it and open it.

   Done when:Obsidian opens and shows its welcome screen.Check:You can see the option to open a folder as a vault.
3. [ ]Step 3 · P0.1Give your vault a home

   “Vault” is Obsidian's word for a folder of notes. Your AI will work in this folder for months, so give it a permanent home and a name first.

   1. MacMove the vault folder out of the kit to somewhere permanent and rename it, for example Documents/My Vault. Want it on your iPhone too, without paying for sync? Put it in iCloud Drive/Obsidian/My Vault instead.
   2. WindowsMove the vault folder out of the kit to somewhere permanent and rename it, for example Documents\My Vault. If OneDrive syncs your Documents, right-click the folder and choose Always keep on this device, so your AI never meets “online-only” files.
   3. LinuxMove the vault folder out of the kit to somewhere permanent, for example ~/Documents/my-vault.
   4. phoneOn your computer, move the vault folder out of the kit to somewhere permanent and rename it, for example Documents/My Vault.
   5. In Obsidian, choose Open folder as vault and pick that folder: the renamed one, not the kit folder around it. If asked, choose Trust author and enable plugins (there are none yet).

   Three settings worth changing

   Where	Setting	Why
   Settings → Files and links	Automatically update internal links: on	Moving or renaming a note won't break links.
   Settings → Files and links	Default location for new notes: _inbox	Quick notes land in the inbox and get sorted weekly.
   Settings → Core plugins → Templates	Template folder: _system/templates	One-click project and meeting notes.

   Done when:AGENTS.md, _system and the numbered folders show in Obsidian's left sidebar.Check:Open _system/index.md. It's the map your AI reads first.
4. [ ]Step 4 · P0.2–P0.3Connect your AI

   Chat appA chat app can't open files on your computer. So you give it the kit's key files, and it gives you text to paste back into your notes.

   1. In Claude or ChatGPT, create a Project (a space that keeps files and instructions between chats).
   2. Upload these files from your vault: AGENTS.md, _system/HARNESS-PLAN.md, everything in _system/kickstart/, and _system/skills/kickstart-interview/SKILL.md and _system/skills/harness/SKILL.md.
   3. Paste the instructions below into the Project's instructions.
   4. From now on, whenever the AI gives you a block titled with a file path, paste it into that note in Obsidian. Re-upload changed files now and then. More copy-paste, but it works.

   Chat-only project instructionsPaste into your Project's instructions

   You are my AI setup coach. The attached files are my "AI Kickstart" kit and the current state of my Obsidian vault. Follow AGENTS.md as if you were working inside my vault, but you cannot write files. Whenever you would create or edit a note, give me a paste-ready markdown block headed with the exact file path instead. At the start of a conversation, check the attached HARNESS-PLAN.md and tell me in two lines where I am and what's next.

   Desktop AI appA desktop AI app can work inside one folder you choose. It reads your notes and writes new ones there, and nowhere else.

   1. Open your desktop AI app (for example the Claude desktop app's Cowork mode, or Craft Agents) and start a new task or workspace.
   2. Choose your vault folder as the folder it may work in. Only that folder, not your whole Documents. If it asks to read and write files there, allow it.
   3. If the app has a “project instructions” field, paste the line below.

   Project instructionsOnly if your app has this field

   Read AGENTS.md in this folder at the start of every session and follow it.

   Terminal agentYour agent reads the vault's rules by itself.

   1. Open a terminal in the vault folder and start your agent there (for example claude or codex).
   2. Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md, which simply imports AGENTS.md. Codex and most other agents read AGENTS.md directly. Nothing to configure.
   3. Optional: if your agent supports a native skills folder, link it to the kit's skills. For Claude Code on macOS or Linux:

   mkdir -p .claude && ln -s ../_system/skills .claude/skills

   Not needed: AGENTS.md already tells the agent where skills live.

   AI tools change monthly. If something here doesn't match your app, ask your AI how it can read and write files in a local folder on your computer. A paid plan is strongly recommended for the desktop app and the terminal.

   Done when:A new chat is open inside your Project, with the files and instructions added.Check:The Project's file list shows AGENTS.md and HARNESS-PLAN.md.

   Done when:The app shows your vault as its working folder.Check:Its file list shows AGENTS.md.

   Done when:The agent is running with your vault as its working directory.Check:Ask it which folder it's in.
5. [ ]Step 5 · P0.3Say hello

   This first message checks that your AI can read the kit and write a note.

   1. Chat appCopy the message below and paste it into a new chat inside your Project.
   2. desktop app or terminalCopy the message below and paste it into your AI.

   First contact

   Hi! This folder is my new Obsidian vault, set up from the AI Kickstart kit. Please read AGENTS.md and _system/index.md (nothing else yet), then tell me in three short lines: 1) what this vault is for, 2) how you'll help me, 3) what we should do first. Then create a test note at _inbox/hello.md that says "It works!" so I can check that you can write here.

   Done when:It answers in three short lines and gives you the text for a test note.Check:Create _inbox/hello.md in Obsidian yourself and paste that text in. Then delete it.

   Done when:It answers in three short lines and creates the test note.Check:See _inbox/hello.md appear in Obsidian, then delete it yourself.
6. [ ]Step 6 · P0.4–P0.5Hand over to the plan

   From here your AI leads, using the plan in your vault. It starts with two short safety steps: backup and privacy.

   1. Say the sentence below. Your AI ticks off P0.1–P0.3 with you and moves on to backup (P0.4) and privacy (P0.5).

   Hand over to the plan

   Continue my harness plan.

   Backup & sync: the options

   Option	Cost	Good for
   Obsidian Sync	Paid	Simplest, includes version history, all platforms and phones
   iCloud Drive / OneDrive / Google Drive folder	Usually already have it	Backup with no effort. Phone access depends on the platform (iCloud and iPhone work well together)
   Git (private repository)	Free	Technical users. Full history of every change the AI made

   On a phone, Obsidian is great for reading briefings and capturing quick notes into _inbox/. The AI work itself happens on the computer. Android and Windows have free sync options too (for example Syncthing); ask your AI to compare them for your devices.

   Privacy: the short version

   Your notes live on your computer. When you ask the AI something, it reads the notes it needs, and those are sent to your AI provider to produce the answer. So: put in what you'd be comfortable with your AI provider processing, and nothing more.

   • Never in the vault: passwords, PINs, full card or account numbers, ID or passport numbers. Use a password manager for those.
   • Check your provider's data settings. Most paid plans let you opt out of your data being used for training. Do it.
   • Work material: follow your employer's AI policy. When in doubt, keep confidential work documents out and store only your own notes and learnings.
   • Other people: write about others the way you'd be OK with them reading it. Factual and kind.
   • Give the AI one folder, the vault, not your whole disk.
   • The “ask first” list in _system/profile/PREFERENCES.md (deleting, sending, spending, installing, connecting accounts) is yours to tighten.

   Done when:Your vault lives somewhere that's backed up, and you've looked at the “Ask me first” list in _system/profile/PREFERENCES.md.Check:Say “Harness status.” All five P0 steps show [x].