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One agent, one job

⏱ 35 min5 steps

This one runs in the . If you use , see Agents, in plain English.

An is Claude given a job to do on its own. The trouble starts when the job is vague, or when it grows a little every week until nobody can say what it does. So before anything runs, you'll write a : one job, what it reads, what it must never do and the single report it gives you. Then you'll do the job once by hand from the card. The first card always comes out too wide. Narrowing it is the work.

Claude app Claude on your phone or computer, where you chat with it by typing. claude.ai is the same thing in a web browser. All wordsClaude Code Claude, working inside Terminal. It can make files and run things on your Mac, with a safety checker watching what it does. All wordsagent Claude given a goal and some tools. It plans, does a step, checks the result and keeps going until the job is done. All wordsjob card One page that says what an AI agent does, what it reads, what it may never do and the one report it gives you. All words

Before this, you'll want:

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Steps

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  1. Pick one job you already do every week

    A good first job reads something and tells you about it. A plumber might want Monday's list of jobs still waiting on parts. A store might want the week's low stock from a sales export. An accountant's office might want the client documents still missing before a , and a dog groomer might want next week's bookings with no deposit paid.

    A bad first job sends things, pays things or talks to customers. Those come much later, if ever.

    drafts and sorts; a person approves anything with a price, a date or your name on it. An agent that reads and tells you is drafting. You still decide.

    In this lesson you do the job yourself, from its card. The next lesson, the , puts a job on a schedule in the Claude app, once its card is right.

    1. Write down three jobs you do by hand every week.
    2. Cross out any that send, pay or reply to anyone.
    3. Circle the one left that eats the most of your week.
    deadline The last day you can do something, like reply, pay or sign, before something else happens. All wordsAI Short for artificial intelligence. Here it means a program like Claude that reads what you write and writes back in plain words. All wordsinbox watcher A scheduled task in the Claude app that reads your new mail each morning and tells you what needs you. It changes nothing. All wordsread-only Allowed to look at things but not change, send or delete anything. All words
    That's not what I see
    I want it to handle a few things at once.
    Pick the one that costs you the most time or worry. Each of the others can have its own card later. The job is narrow; don't widen it.
    I've never done the job the same way twice.
    Do it by hand a few more weeks first, and write down what you check each time. Until you have, you don't know what a good result looks like.

  2. Start a new chat and have Claude interview you for the job card

    This has Claude ask you about the job one question at a time, then write the card. It's told not to add jobs of its own.

    1. Open the Claude app or claude.ai and start a new chat.
    2. Copy the prompt below.
    I own a small business, [what you do]. I want to hand one weekly job to an AI agent, and I need a job card for it first. The job: [the job in one line]. Interview me one question at a time, then write the card with these parts: the name of the agent; the one job, in one sentence; when it runs; exactly what it reads, by name; what it may never do; the one report it gives me, with what it says and how many lines at most; a last line it always ends with, even when there's nothing to report, saying when it ran and what it checked; and when I'd stop using it. Write FILL IN for anything I haven't told you. Don't add a second job, even if one seems useful. If I try to add one, tell me to make a second card.
    1. Paste it into the chat. Replace the parts in square brackets with what you do and the job you circled.
    2. Send it, then answer Claude's questions one at a time.
    prompt 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 asks its first question about the job, then, once you've answered them all, writes a card with each of those parts.

    That's not what I see
    Claude asked me everything at once.
    Type this and send it: One at a time, please. Then answer the first one.
    Claude suggested extra jobs it could do.
    Reply: One job only. Take the others out.

  3. Have Claude look for ways the card could go wrong

    This prompt rereads the card looking for anything wider than the job needs. It's a second pair of eyes, and the last check is yours.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Read the card as someone looking for ways this agent could cause trouble. List anything it reads that the job doesn't need. List anything it could do besides reading and writing its one report for me. List any word that's vague, like "handle", "manage" or "take care of", and suggest a plainer one. Check the never list covers sending, replying, deleting, paying, changing prices and contacting customers, and add any that are missing. Don't add a second job.
    1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
    2. Make the changes you agree with. Take out anything it reads that the job doesn't need.

    You should see:

    Short lists of things to take out, vague words to change and anything missing from the never list.

    That's not what I see

    Nobody has reported a snag on this step yet. Getting stuck is normal. Read the step again one line at a time, and compare your screen with the video.

  4. Do the job once by hand, from the card

    Running the job yourself shows whether the card is clear enough to follow. Use a new chat, so Claude works only from the card.

    Take customer names, emails and phone numbers out of anything you paste. Never paste passwords, keys or account numbers.

    1. Start a new chat.
    2. Copy the prompt below.
    Here's my agent job card, and below it this week's input for the job. Do the job exactly as the card says, using only what I've pasted. Give me the one report the card describes, in the format it gives, and end with its last line. If something you need is missing, write FILL IN. Don't do anything the card doesn't list. Card: [paste the card]. This week's input: [paste it, with names, emails and phone numbers taken out]
    1. Paste it into the chat. Replace the parts in square brackets with the card and this week's input, with the private details taken out.
    2. Send it, and check the report against what you'd have written yourself.

    You should see:

    One short report in the card's format, ending with the line that says when it ran and what it checked.

    That's not what I see
    The report was longer than the card allows.
    Reply: Keep to the card. Then add the line limit to the card in your own words, so it's clearer next time.
    The input is full of customer details.
    Type over each name with a plain word like Customer A, and delete emails and phone numbers. If that leaves nothing useful, pick a different job for your first card.

  5. Put the job card on one page

    This prompt saves the card with its rules underneath, so the next lessons can use it.

    1. Go back to the chat where you wrote the card.
    2. Copy the prompt below.
    Put the final job card on one page called Agent job card, with the agent's name at the top. Keep every FILL IN. Under it, write these rules: One agent, one job. It reads only what's on the card. It never sends, replies, deletes, pays or contacts customers. It writes one report, for me, and always ends with the line saying when it ran. A person approves anything with a price, a date or my name on it. Any change to the job means a new card.
    1. Paste it into that chat and send it.
    2. Copy the page into a note or a document called Agent job card.

    You should see:

    One page with the agent's name, the card's parts and the rules under it.

    That's not what I see
    The page looks messy when I paste it.
    Ask Claude for it as plain text, with a blank line between sections. Then copy it again.
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Your challenge

Write a job card for the one weekly chore you'd hand off first. Do the job by hand from the card for two weeks running. If you catch yourself wanting to add a second job, write a second card instead.

Last checked 2026-10-21

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