Ground rules, and "a person decides"

⏱ 15 min4 steps

Claude does a lot on its own now. That makes a few rules matter more, not less.

This piece adds the rule that matters most, "a person decides", to your . Then you'll check the facts Claude found when you checked your idea. If a link doesn't say what Claude said, that's normal, and catching it is the point. My short list of ground rules is at the bottom of this page.

CLAUDE.md A note to Claude about how to work in this project. Claude Code reads it at the start of every session in that folder. All words

Before this, you'll want:

The three files: README, CLAUDE.md and PRD

Steps

Step 1 of 40 done · about 15 min left

Steps for

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Go back to your idea folder in Claude Code
1. Open (Cmd+SpaceWindows key, type Terminal, press Enter).
2. Go to your my-idea . Type this and press Enter:
  cd ~/Backyard/my-idea
  cd ~\Backyard\my-idea
3. Check the says my-idea.
4. Pick up where you left off. Type this and press Enter:
  claude -c
Terminal An app on your Mac where you type instructions instead of clicking on things. Claude Code works inside it. All wordsfolder A place on your computer that holds files and other folders, like a drawer in a filing cabinet. All wordsprompt line The line in Terminal that ends with a % sign. The word right before the % is the folder you're in. All words
You should see:
opens, with your last conversation above the line where you type.
Claude Code Claude, working inside Terminal. It can make files and run things on your Mac, with a safety checker watching what it does. All words
That's not what I see
It says "cd: no such file or directoryCannot find path … because it does not exist".
The my-idea folder isn't there. It comes from Check the idea first and The three files, so do those first.
It says "zsh: command not found: claudeThe term 'claude' is not recognized".
This Terminal window doesn't know about Claude Code. Close the window with Cmd+WCtrl+Shift+W, open a new one and try again. If it still says that, go back to Claude Code and .install Put a new program on your computer so you can use it. All wordssign in Tell Claude Code which Claude account is yours, so it knows you've paid for it. All words
Add "A person decides" to your CLAUDE.md
Claude can do the work. A person decides what goes out the door. That means you approve anything that leaves your computer and reaches another person: emails, posts, published pages, payments. It also means you decide anything that's hard to undo, like deleting things or changing what's live.

's safety checker already blocks some risky actions on its own. Writing your own list down does two things it can't: it covers what matters to you specifically, and Claude reads it at the start of every , in every mode.

This asks Claude to write that list into your CLAUDE.md, and show you before it saves.
1. Copy the prompt below.
```
Add a section to CLAUDE.md called "A person decides". List the things you must never do on your own in this project, and must stop and ask me about first: spending money or signing up for anything; sending, posting or publishing anything another person will see; deleting anything; changing anything that's live on the internet; and anything that uses a client's or another person's private information. Show me the section before you save it.
```
1. Paste it into Claude Code with Cmd+VCtrl+V and press Enter.
2. Read the section Claude writes. Every line is a moment where Claude stops and you decide.
3. If it's right and Claude is waiting for you, tell it to save. Type this and press Enter:
  Looks right. Save it.
auto mode Claude works without asking, and a separate safety checker blocks anything risky. All wordssession One conversation with Claude Code, from when you start it until you leave. All wordsprompt What you type to Claude. A good one says what you want, how to work and what never to do. All words
You should see:
Claude shows you the "A person decides" section it wrote.
That's not what I see
Claude saved it without showing me.
In auto mode it can go straight ahead. Ask it to show you the section now, and read it. If anything's wrong, tell it what to change.
I want to add something that's specific to me.
Add it. Type: Add to "A person decides": [your rule]. The list is yours, and it should grow.
Have Claude list every fact it gave you, with where it came from
When you checked your idea, Claude looked things up and wrote them in idea-check.txt. This prompt has it list every fact in that , with where each one came from.
1. Copy the prompt below.
```
Read idea-check.txt. List every fact, number, name and link in it. Next to each, say where it came from. Mark any you can't point to a source for with "no source". Don't change the file.
```
1. Paste it into Claude Code with Cmd+VCtrl+V and press Enter.
file One document on your computer, like a letter or a photo. Files live inside folders. All words
You should see:
Claude lists every fact, number, name and link, and where each came from.
That's not what I see
Some of them say "no source".
That's the point of this step. Treat those as guesses until you've checked them yourself. If one matters, look it up, or ask Claude to find a and show you the link.source Where a fact comes from, like the web page, the person or the paper that says it. All words
A link goes to a page that doesn't say what Claude said.
Tell Claude: The link for [this] doesn't say that. Then fix idea-check.txt. It's usually right, but it can be confidently wrong, and that's why you check.
Open three of the links yourself
1. Pick three links from the list.
2. Open each one in your .
3. Check that each page says what Claude said it does.
Check the real thing, not the report. When I had my own websites reviewed, the review found 863 unfinished draft products showing publicly on one of them. Nobody had looked at the live site in a while. Have something double-check the work, and look at it yourself.
browser The app you use to visit websites, like Safari or Chrome. All words
That's not what I see
I can't click the links in Terminal.
Hold CmdCtrl and click the link. If that doesn't work, select the link by dragging over it, copy it with Cmd+CCtrl+Shift+C, and paste it into your browser's address bar.

The ground rules

These are mine. They're short on purpose, so you can remember them.

Never paste passwords or payment details into a chat. Not to Claude, not to anyone.
Think before uploading a 's material, and ask them when in doubt.
Check facts, numbers and names before they reach anyone. Claude is usually right, but it can be confidently wrong.
before letting it change anything live, like a website. Later in the course you'll use for this.

client The business you're building for, even if it's a friend's and nobody is paying yet. All wordsconfidential Private information that someone trusted you with, like a client's numbers or a customer's details. All wordsback up Keep a copy of something before it changes, so you can go back if the change goes wrong. All wordsGitHub A website that keeps a copy of your git project, with every version saved. Your backup, and where changes get reviewed. All words

Your challenge

For one week, before anything Claude made reaches another person, check every name, number and link in it yourself. Count how many you had to fix.

Last checked 2026-10-17

Set up Claude Code › 2. Your project's files and rules