Fill the brain. Point the agent.

Unzip the kit into your project folder

That folder is your repo — the box that holds the project. PROJECT.md should sit in the root (the top of the box), not buried in a subfolder.

Fill Vision like you are texting a friend

Who it is for, what they can do, what “done” looks like. If you write “an AI platform,” the agent will invent a startup. If you write “a page to log gym sets in 60 seconds,” it has a job.

Pick a stack you can actually open

First site: HTML, CSS, JavaScript. No npm unless you enjoy extra moving parts. Write that in Tech stack so the agent does not “helpfully” add React.

Core features = the build list. Out of scope = the leash.

Agents love adding login, chat, and dark mode. Out of scope is how you say no in advance.

Environment variables: labels only

Environment variables are named settings. Put the name and the purpose in PROJECT.md. Never the secret.

Right: STRIPE_SECRET_KEY — Stripe server authentication credential
Wrong: STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_actual_secret_here

Read the “never without approval” list. Keep it.

Deploy, database wipes, deleting files, auth changes, billing, secrets, force-push. The agent may propose. You type the yes.

Copy one adapter. Only one you will launch today.

Claude Code → CLAUDE.md in the root. Codex → AGENTS.md in the root. Grok reads PROJECT.md; GROK.md is a reminder, not a second spec.

Open the folder in VS Code and say this

Read PROJECT.md. Do not write code yet. Write a numbered Phase 1 plan.
After each step include: what will be built, how I will test it, and any command.
Wait for my approval.

Terminal tutorial if you have never opened that panel. VS Code setup if the app is not installed.