Tell Your Agent Who You Are
You do not need years of IT to start with an AI agent. Install Claude in the terminal, give each idea its own folder, tell the agent who you are, and start with something you care about. Here are the steps and my prompt.
- Where
- In the terminal, with Claude Code
- Size
- A longer one
- Short link
- piy.show/s013
It's not rocket science
I worked in IT for 25 years, mostly building systems for big companies. So getting started with AI was easy for me. But I see everyone making it so hard for others.
You do not need years of IT to start building useful things with an AI agent. You need one small starting point, and something you care about.
The Short is seventy seconds. This page is the rest: each step from the line at the top of the video, what to type, and why it helps.
Do I need IT experience to start? You don't need all of that
Yet another tool, another subscription, another model you just have to try today. It piles up, and every month the bill gets bigger.
You do not need all of that. One agent on your computer is enough to start. The rest can wait until you know what you need it for.
Why did this work? Open Claude and ask it to install itself
Just open Claude in your browser and ask. It answers with numbered steps and a command to copy.
We install the version that runs in the terminal, not another desktop app. Copy the command, open the terminal on your computer, paste it, and press Enter. When it is done, type `claude` and the agent answers.
Stuck on a step? Tell the chat exactly what you see on the screen, and it tells you what to click next.
How do I open the terminal? Prompt it yourself
Help me install Claude Code on my computer, using the terminal. Guide me step by step. Show me where to click and what to type.
The terminal is a small price
Yes, you will need to get used to the terminal. It is a small price to pay for a lot more freedom.
You need very little of it. `cd` goes into a folder, `ls` shows what is in it, and `claude` starts the agent there. That is most of what I type in a day.
And remember, your agent can teach you that too. Ask it whenever a word on the screen means nothing to you.
Which terminal commands do I need? Prompt it yourself
Teach me the few terminal commands I need to start. Show me how to go into a folder, see what is in it, and start you there.
I can help you build yours
I build things like this with an AI agent, on my own computer. In a private session I help you do the same with your idea. Or bring it to the show, free.
One folder per idea
Once it is installed, create a folder called Projects. Give each idea its own folder, and start Claude there.
A folder is like a separate chat for each idea, but it holds real files. The agent reads them, writes the code into them, and starts the tool on your computer. The files stay with you; only the conversation goes to the AI online.
Next week you come back, go into the same folder, and everything is still there.
How do I do this step myself? Tell it who you are
This is the part people skip. Tell your agent about your background, your interests, and what you would like to learn.
A few lines are enough. What you do for work, what you do for fun, and what you want to be able to do in a month. The agent then explains at your level and picks examples from your world.
Ask it to keep this in a file in the folder, so you do not have to say it again next time.
What should I tell my agent about me? Prompt it yourself
Before we start, here is who I am. My background is ... I am interested in ... I would like to learn ... Keep this in a file in this folder, and use it for everything we do here.
My prompt, a plan and an editor
For me, I would ask it to teach me how to edit short videos, with an interactive one-week plan, and help me build a simple video editor that runs on my computer.
Three things in one prompt: what I want to learn, a plan I can follow day by day, and something real to build at the end. The plan keeps me going, and the editor proves I learned it.
Swap in your own subject. Cooking, a website, your own photos: the shape of the prompt stays the same.
What would this look like for my work? Prompt it yourself
Teach me how to edit short videos. Create an interactive one-week learning plan, and help me build a simple video editor that runs on my computer.
Start with something you care about
Start with something you care about, something you would enjoy learning. That will help you keep going every day.
So just prompt it yourself.
What do I do next? Do it in the terminal
I do this with Claude Code, the AI agent in the terminal. It works in a folder on your own computer, so it reads your files every time and can look things up for you.
A web chat works too, but there you paste everything in again in every new chat.
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Get Claude Code
It comes with Claude Pro, US$20 a month, paid to Anthropic. Claude's plans
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Make a folder for it, and open it
mkdir -p ~/projects/video-editor && cd ~/projects/video-editor
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Start the agent
claude
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Ask it
Teach me how to edit short videos. Create an interactive one-week learning plan, and help me build a simple video editor that runs on my computer.
Never opened a terminal? In a private session I put Claude Code on your computer with you, and you start your first idea.
Prompty