AI OS/Claude Code workspace setup

PRACTICAL GUIDE / MAPS 01

Set up your first
Claude Code workspace.

MAPS / MEMORY LAYER
  1. 01 / ORIENTWORKSPACE.mdFind the launch project.
  2. 02 / LOCATEprojects/launch/README.mdFollow the project signpost.
  3. 03 / VERIFYprojects/launch/brief.mdRead and cite the next action.
Illustration · fictional launch projectOne map, one source per fact

Give Claude Code a small map of your project. Then ask a question you can verify in the original Markdown file.

START WITH MEMORY

Know where the answer lives.

Use four small files, one local folder and a fresh Claude Code session. The starter is free and the dashboard is optional.

Follow the setup ↓Download starter files ↗

Free ZIP: four Markdown files. AI OS dashboards are available separately through Builder.

INSTRUCTIONS → MAP → SOURCE

One small project before you connect anything else.

Start here ↓

A Claude Code workspace starts with a project folder and a short CLAUDE.md. This example adds a Markdown map that tells Claude where to look, plus a project brief that holds the actual facts.

Begin with one project. Once you can trace an answer back to a file, you can repeat the pattern for other areas of your work.

01

Start in the project folder.

Install and sign in to Claude Code using the official quickstart. Download the free starter ZIP, extract it, then open your terminal in the extracted claude-code-workspace-starter folder. If you prefer to use cd, run it from the parent folder. The ZIP contains only project instructions and fictional notes. It does not contain Claude Code, a dashboard, or an installer. These commands work in a shell or PowerShell:

cd claude-code-workspace-starter
claude --version
claude

Confirm that CLAUDE.md is in that directory. Practice with these fictional notes before trying the pattern on real work. Keep secrets and private files out of the sample folder; review any requests for access or edits.

02

Give every fact one home.

claude-code-workspace-starter/
├── CLAUDE.md                 # how to use the project
├── WORKSPACE.md              # where to look
└── projects/
    └── launch/
        ├── README.md         # what this project contains
        └── brief.md          # goal and next action

CLAUDE.md holds instructions Claude Code can load for the project. WORKSPACE.md is an ordinary Markdown file referenced by those instructions. It leads to the project README, which points to the brief. Change the next action in the brief only; the map stays useful as the details change.

Read the starter instructions
# Workspace instructions

Use [WORKSPACE.md](WORKSPACE.md) to find the source of a project fact.
When answering status questions, cite the relative path you read.
If the source does not answer the question, say what is missing.
For this practice exercise, read files only and leave them unchanged.
03

Ask one question with a known answer.

Paste this into the new session:

What is the next action for the launch project?
Use the workspace map. Cite the relative path of the file
that gives the answer. Do not modify any files.
EXPECTED RESULT / COMPARE WITH THE FILEDraft a three-part outline for the walkthrough.
Source: projects/launch/brief.md

Wording may vary. Open the cited file and verify the action yourself. If Claude gives an unsupported answer, check the folder you opened and the links in WORKSPACE.md and the project README. Use /memory to see which instruction files Claude Code loaded. For an extra check, change the action in the brief yourself and ask again in a fresh session; the answer should reflect the updated file.

04

Build the other layers when needed.

01 / MEMORYMap the filesKeep a clear route to the source, as in the starter.
02 / AGENTChoose where Claude Code worksStart on your laptop. Add another machine only when your workflow needs it.
03 / PULSERepeat one useful routineRun it by hand first. Add scheduling separately once the inputs and outputs are stable.
04 / SCREENShow the workspaceUse a dashboard to see the files and relationships you already have.

The free MAPS guide covers the four layers in more depth. The downloadable example on this page is deliberately small: it gives you the Memory layer and a first manual Agent session.

NEXT / SCREEN LAYER

See your project
in AI OS.

Builder includes the editable Classic and Current dashboard interfaces, sample data and setup instructions. Use Current to index a folder of Markdown notes and open them from the graph. Claude Code, connected mobile access, voice, chat and scheduled runners are separate from the dashboard downloads.

Get AI OS Builder ↗

See the tested Markdown import walkthrough →

REFERENCESClaude Code project instructions and memory ↗Watch the original MAPS walkthrough ↗