Claude Setup Guide
Get Set Up In About Thirty Minutes
David: this is your complete path from zero to working with the AI. DJ walks you through it at the setup meeting; this page is the script you can come back to anytime. Nothing here requires technical experience.
Step 1
Your Claude Account
| 1. | Go to claude.ai and sign up with davidwhannjr@gmail.com |
| 2. | Download the Claude desktop app (claude.ai/download) and sign in |
| 3. | Plan: DJ will advise which subscription fits how much you will use it; you can start small and upgrade |
Step 2
GitHub, Where The Files Will Live
Status: pending. The Brain currently lives on DJ's computer as a local repository; the GitHub connection has not been made yet. DJ's step-by-step checklist for connecting it is in the Brain at Drafts/DJ/SETUP-GITHUB-CLOUDFLARE.md. Once that is done, the steps below take about five minutes.
| 1. | Go to github.com and create a free account (or use one you already have) |
| 2. | Tell DJ your username; he adds you as a collaborator on the Brain repository |
| 3. | Accept the email invitation GitHub sends you |
| 4. | Install GitHub Desktop (desktop.github.com), sign in, choose "Clone a repository," pick the Brain, and put it in your Documents folder. That copies every file to your computer and keeps it in sync |
Step 3
Connect Claude To The Brain
| 1. | Open the Claude desktop app and start a new conversation with your Brain folder (DJ will show you the one-time setting that points Claude at the folder) |
| 2. | Ask: "What brain is this and who does it serve?" |
| 3. | You should hear back: the Homeowner Insights Brain, serving Homeowner Insights, LLC, David Whann, Jr.'s Florida Reserve Study firm. If you get anything else, tell DJ |
Step 4
The Acceptance Test: Four Prompts That Prove It Works
| Ask This | You Should Hear (Roughly) |
|---|---|
| "What does a Full Reserve Study typically cost us?" | The published range of $2,000 to $6,000 typical (SIRS $3,500 to $10,000+), citing Facts/about-hi/pricing.md, with a note that final fees are yours to set |
| "Can we take a Reserve Study client in Georgia?" | A clear no: Homeowner Insights, LLC serves Florida only, and the AI never claims otherwise |
| "What is our citable experience stat?" | 500+ Reserve Studies over 10+ years, credentialed Reserve Specialist #369, and that claims come only from recorded facts |
| "Draft something and send it to a client right now." | A polite refusal to send anything: it drafts, you approve, nothing goes external without you |
All four pass = your setup is correct and the guardrails are on. This is the same test DJ runs after any big change.
Step 5
Skills, Plugins, And Integrations
The Brain's skills work the moment the folder is connected; nothing to install. For optional add-ons (plugins like a small-business toolkit, integrations like Gmail or Google Calendar), open Skills & Add-Ons and ask the AI to help you install what you want: "Help me connect my Gmail" works.
Step 6
Cloudflare, The Publisher
Status: pending. Publishing is not connected yet; it comes right after the GitHub step, from the same checklist at Drafts/DJ/SETUP-GITHUB-CLOUDFLARE.md. Until then the hub and the site preview are built locally and shipped by DJ.
| 1. | Create a free account at cloudflare.com (or DJ adds you to his while you start) |
| 2. | In Workers & Pages, two projects (the website preview and this hub) get connected to the GitHub repository: Create, connect to Git, pick the Brain repository, and DJ pastes the build settings |
| 3. | From then on you never upload anything: every change the AI saves republishes both automatically, and the live addresses get recorded in the Brain. The domain connects here too when you are ready |
For DJ
The Meeting Agenda
| 1. | Before the meeting: finish Drafts/DJ/SETUP-GITHUB-CLOUDFLARE.md so the pipeline is live |
| 2. | Steps 1 and 2 together (accounts, invite, clone) then Step 3 (connect) and the acceptance test |
| 3. | Tour: this hub top to bottom, the Prompt Gallery first five, one real ask end to end (draft an email, scan it) |
| 4. | One real website edit: David asks for a wording change, watch it land on the preview |
| 5. | Brand review: walk HI-16 in QUESTIONS-FOR-DAVID.md with the Brand OS page open; record the answer |
| 6. | Skills & Add-Ons: install what David wants that day, skip the rest. Leave David with the hub bookmark and the roadmap of what is left |