playbook

Playbook

An operating playbook for non-technical founders working with Claude Code.

Most Claude Code configs are built for developers. This one is built for operators — people who use Claude as their technical co-founder to build and run products without writing code themselves.

What's included

File	What it does
templates/CLAUDE.md	Core rules: quarterback model, session discipline, verification, context management
commands/start.md	/start — session kickoff with project briefing
commands/end.md	/end — session closeout with handoff documentation
commands/plan.md	/plan — brainstorm + plan in one command (auto-detects complexity)
commands/chess.md	/chess — adversarial strategy (Human Mode: opponent-modeled; System Mode: failure-traced)
commands/future.md	/future — scenario planning via three futures, surfaces the decisions that matter most
commands/debug.md	/debug — 4-step systematic debugging
commands/quick.md	/quick — lightweight mode for small fixes
commands/new-project.md	/new-project — full project setup with guided interview
commands/handoff.md	/handoff — generates parallel session prompts (Claude invokes this, not you)
settings.json	Permission allowlist for common tools
update.sh	Handles updates when a new Playbook version is available
VERSION	Current Playbook version number
CHANGELOG.md	What changed in each version (only impactful updates)

Prerequisites

Before installing Playbook, you need Claude Code — Anthropic's command-line tool that lets Claude work directly on your computer.

How is this different from the Claude app? The Claude chat app (claude.ai) only sees what you paste into it and forgets everything between conversations. Claude Code can see your entire project, run commands, make changes to files, and — with Playbook — pick up exactly where you left off between sessions. It's the difference between texting a contractor photos vs. handing them the keys to the building.

Mac

1. Open Terminal — it's already on your Mac. Press Cmd + Space, type "Terminal", and hit Enter.
2. Install Claude Code — paste this into Terminal and press Enter:

   curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
   

   That's it. No other software needed.

Windows

1. Install VS Code — download it free from code.visualstudio.com
2. Install the Claude Code extension — open VS Code, click the Extensions icon in the left sidebar, search "Claude Code", and install the official Anthropic extension.

Alternatively, open PowerShell and run:

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Account

You need an Anthropic account with a Claude Pro ($20/month), Max, Teams, or Enterprise subscription. Sign up at claude.ai if you don't have one.

When you first launch Claude Code, it will open your browser to log in. After that, you're authenticated automatically.

For full details, see Anthropic's Claude Code documentation.

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Install Playbook

Option 1: npm (recommended)

npx playbook-ai install

That's it. Works without installing anything globally.

Option 2: Plugin

/plugin install playbook

Run this inside Claude Code. The plugin gives you the same commands as skills (/playbook:start, /playbook:end, etc.) and includes a SessionStart hook that kicks off your session automatically.

Option 3: Manual (git clone)

git clone https://github.com/bluemax713/playbook.git
cd playbook
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh

Don't have git? Download the latest release, unzip it, and run ./install.sh from the folder. Updates will still work — they'll use direct downloads instead of git.

After installing

1. Edit ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md — Replace generic references with your name and preferences
2. Set up MCP servers — Connect your project management tool (ClickUp, Linear, etc.), database, and any other services in ~/.claude.json
3. Run /new-project to set up your first project — Claude will interview you and create everything you need
4. Run /start in Claude Code to verify everything works

New to all of this? Read the Beginner's Guide — a plain-English walkthrough of how to use Claude Code and Playbook, with examples.

Updates

Playbook checks for updates automatically every time you run /start. If a new version is available, you'll see a summary of what's new and can choose to update or skip. No surprises — you're always in control.

Your customizations are always safe. Updates will never delete or overwrite anything you've personalized: