Bots & Brews

Help me write custom instructions for a Claude Project dedicated to my role.

Here is my Context Block: [PASTE]
Here are the recurring outputs this Project handles: [LIST 4–6, e.g., weekly
updates, walkthrough prep, sub confirmations, punch lists]
Here are the files I will attach: [LIST: SOPs, checklists, templates]

Draft instructions that:
1. Set role, company voice, and standards (fold in my Context Block).
2. Tell the model which attached file to consult for which task.
3. Set default formats for my top 3 outputs so I never re-specify them.
4. State my constraints as hard rules (no unverified numbers, no auto-send
   language, client-safe tone).
5. End with: "When a request is ambiguous, ask up to 2 clarifying questions
   before drafting."
Keep it under 350 words so it stays maintainable.

I just set up this Project. Test yourself: here is a deliberately lazy
request I might send on a busy day:

"[LAZY REQUEST, e.g., 'update for hendersons']"

Show me what you would produce. Then tell me which instruction or attached
file you relied on for each choice you made. If you had to guess at
anything, list what instruction I should add so you never guess there again.

Here is a prompt I use that works well: [PASTE PROMPT]

Package it for our shared team library:
1. Title: [Role] · [Task] · v1
2. "Use when" line (one sentence).
3. The prompt, generalized: replace my project specifics with [BRACKETED
   PLACEHOLDERS] and add a one-line note for each placeholder.
4. One example of a filled-in placeholder set.
5. A "watch out" line: the one way this prompt goes wrong if misused.

Using the Sustainable 9 Design System, create a horizontal client-facing
infographic titled "THE SUSTAINABLE 9 JOURNEY" with the Playfair tagline
"For You + the Earth."

Content — our phases, in order, each with a 6–10 word plain-language
description of what the client experiences:
1. Discover — we listen: your vision, your site, your budget scope
2. Design — concepts take shape; you see your home for the first time
3. Define — selections, engineering, and a budget you can trust
4. Develop — permits, final drawings, and the build plan
5. Deliver — your home rises: construction, weekly updates, milestone
   walkthroughs, orientation, and keys

Design direction:
- One elegant horizontal spine with numbered phase markers; Terra accent
  for the current-phase marker, Driftwood for completed, Quartz for upcoming.
- Uppercase Trade Gothic phase names, generous letter-spacing.
- A "typical duration" band under each phase using ranges I will provide,
  shown as "months," never exact dates.
- Footer: S9 wordmark + "Design | Build | Interiors | Real Estate."
- Format: landscape for email/print, then a stacked vertical variant for
  mobile.
Ask me for the duration ranges before rendering.

Using the Sustainable 9 Design System, create a one-page project status
visual for [CLIENT FAMILY NAME] — [PROJECT NAME], dated [MONTH YEAR].

Inputs:
- Current phase: [PHASE] (of our 5: Discover, Design, Define,
  Develop, Deliver)
- This month's completed milestones: [3–5 BULLETS]
- Next month's focus: [2–4 BULLETS]
- Dates to hold: [ANY WALKTHROUGHS/DELIVERIES — mark soft dates "targeting"]
- Decisions we need: [ITEM + NEEDED-BY DATE]
- Overall status: [On track / Watching / Needs decision] + one-line reason

Layout:
- Top band: project name, month, and the 5-phase journey spine with a Terra
  "you are here" marker.
- Left column: "This Month" and "Next Month" lists with simple icons.
- Right column: "Hold These Dates" and a Terra-bordered "We Need From You"
  box — this box is the visual hero.
- Status chip top-right using our status words, not colors alone.
- No budget figures anywhere on this visual.
- Warm one-line closer in Playfair italic, e.g., "Your home, thoughtfully
  crafted."
Make it beautiful enough to print and pin to their fridge.

Using the Sustainable 9 Design System, create a celebratory single graphic
announcing that [CLIENT NAME]'s project has moved from [OLD PHASE] to
[NEW PHASE].

- Hero: the phase name in huge Trade Gothic with a Terra underline bar
  (echo our "9" mark).
- One Playfair line about what this phase means for them personally.
- A compact 3-item list: "What happens in this phase."
- A small journey spine at the bottom showing phases completed vs. remaining.
- Square format for email embed; also produce a 9:16 variant Nataliya can
  use if the client agrees to a social share.

[ATTACH DOCUMENT]

Extract from this [DOCUMENT TYPE, e.g., "vendor quote" / "plan set sheet" /
"spec sheet"] into a table with exactly these columns:
[DEFINE YOUR SCHEMA, e.g., Item | Manufacturer | Model | Finish | Qty |
Lead time | Notes]

Rules:
- One row per item; do not merge or summarize rows.
- If a field is not stated in the document, write "NOT STATED" — never infer.
- Preserve exact model numbers and units as written.
- After the table, add a section titled "VERIFY" listing: anything ambiguous,
  any handwriting or low-quality areas you may have misread, and the 3 fields
  I should spot-check first.

[ATTACH QUOTE A and QUOTE B]

Compare these two [bids/quotes/spec sheets] for [SCOPE, e.g., "cabinetry
package, Linden Hills"].

1. Alignment table: line items that appear in both, side by side.
2. DIFFERENCES ONLY table: scope included in one but not the other — this
   is the table I care about most.
3. Exclusions & allowances: what each explicitly excludes or carries as
   an allowance.
4. Questions to send each vendor to make this apples-to-apples (draft them
   as a short email I can adapt).
Do not tell me which to choose. Do not total or restate prices in any
client-facing language; this analysis is internal.

Below are my raw notes/emails/texts about [TOPIC, e.g., "outstanding
selections for the Weber project"]. Turn them into a clean schedule.

[PASTE THE MESS]

Output a table: Item | Room | Decision owner | Status | Needed by | Blocking
what. Then:
- Flag conflicts (two different dates or answers for the same item).
- List items mentioned but missing a date or owner.
- Draft a 4-line summary I can paste into my weekly update, no dates I
  did not give you.

[PASTE FATHOM TRANSCRIPT or ATTACH]

From this meeting transcript for [PROJECT], extract an action table:
Owner | Action | Due (only if stated) | Depends on | Source quote (short).

Rules:
- Only actions someone actually committed to. Ideas and maybes go in a
  separate "Discussed, not committed" list.
- If the owner is unclear, put "UNASSIGNED" — do not guess.
- Flag any numbers or dates in the transcript that sound garbled.
- Attendee names: [LIST CORRECT SPELLINGS] — correct the transcript's
  versions to these.

Same transcript. Extract only DECISIONS — choices that close a question.

Format each as one log entry:
[DATE] · [Decision] · Decided by [who] · Context (one line) · Supersedes
(if it reverses an earlier decision, note that explicitly)

Then list "Open questions raised but not decided" so nothing silently
becomes a decision that wasn't one. I will paste entries into the project
decision log after verifying.

[PASTE YOUR CONTEXT BLOCK if outside your Project]

Same meeting. Draft the client recap email:
- Warm 1-line opener acknowledging their time.
- "What we decided together" — 3–6 bullets in plain language.
- "What we're doing next" — our commitments with targets.
- "What we need from you" — their items, each with a needed-by date, bolded.
- Offer to walk through anything.
Constraints: no internal discussion, no sub names, no pricing talk unless
I paste verified figures, no tentative options presented as decisions.
After drafting, list anything from the meeting you deliberately left out.

Review my unread emails from the last 24 hours.

1. Sort into: CLIENT (anything from or about [ACTIVE PROJECT NAMES]) /
   VENDOR-SUB / INTERNAL / NOISE.
2. For CLIENT and VENDOR-SUB: one-line summary each + what they need from
   me + suggested urgency (today / this week / FYI).
3. Draft replies for the top 3 that need responses today, one at a time,
   for my review. Match my usual tone from my sent replies to that person.
4. Do NOT send anything. Do not archive or label anything.
End with: anything time-sensitive I might miss if I only skim your summary.

Look at my calendar for today and tomorrow.

For each meeting or site visit:
- Who is attending and which project it belongs to.
- Pull the most recent relevant thread or document from my email/Drive and
  summarize where things stand in 3 lines.
- One suggested goal for the meeting and one question I should be ready
  to answer.
- Flag conflicts, missing locations, or meetings with no agenda.
Format as a single brief I can read on my phone in 2 minutes.

Search my Drive for the [DOCUMENT, e.g., "latest selections schedule"] for
[PROJECT]. If multiple versions exist, list them by modified date, tell me
which appears current and why, and summarize what changed between the last
two versions if both are readable. Link, don't duplicate: I want the file,
not a recreation of it.

Here is one of my SOPs: [PASTE SOP]

Convert it into a guided workflow you can run with me:
1. Walk me through the steps in order, one at a time.
2. At each step, tell me what input you need from me (or which connected
   file/email to pull), then produce that step's output before moving on.
3. Steps a human must do physically or decide personally: present them as
   a checkpoint and wait for my "done."
4. At the end, produce the completion summary defined in the SOP's Quality
   Checks and a list of anything skipped.
Save this as a reusable prompt titled "[Role] · [SOP name] · Guided Run."

Research [DECISION, e.g., "thermally modified wood siding options that give
a cedar look for a Minnesota lakeside build"].

Requirements to score against:
[LIST 4–7: e.g., freeze-thaw durability, maintenance cycle, sustainability
certifications, regional availability, installed cost tier (low/med/high
only), warranty]

Output:
1. A matrix: Option | each requirement | Source link per claim.
2. "As of" date for your information; flag anything that may be stale.
3. Three questions I should ask suppliers that your research cannot answer.
4. What the marketing pages gloss over for each option (be blunt).
Cost tiers only — no dollar figures will be shown to clients from this
research.

Find [TYPE OF VENDOR/SUB/SUPPLIER, e.g., "custom steel staircase
fabricators"] serving the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro.

For each candidate: company, location, evident specialty, project examples
if public, certifications/licensing signals, and source links.
Then: a shortlist of the 3 strongest fits for luxury custom residential
work with one-line reasoning, and a draft intro email requesting portfolio
and references (our voice: warm, specific, artisan-to-artisan).
Note clearly what you could NOT verify (insurance, capacity, current
licensing) — that is our vetting work, not yours.

I have a code question: [QUESTION, e.g., "guard height and opening
requirements for an interior stair landing in a single-family home in
Minnesota"].

1. Identify which code and sections likely govern (name the code and the
   currently adopted edition in Minnesota, with source).
2. Summarize the general requirement in plain language, labeled
   "ORIENTATION ONLY — VERIFY WITH ADOPTED CODE AND AHJ."
3. List local-amendment risks: where Minnesota or the municipality commonly
   modifies the model code on this topic.
4. Give me the exact questions to ask the building official.
Do not present this as a final answer.

Using the Sustainable 9 Design System, create a client mood board for
[PROJECT / ROOM, e.g., "Weber primary suite"].

Design intent (from my notes): [PASTE: adjectives, materials, palette
direction, 2–3 anchor pieces already selected]

Layout:
- Title band: project name + a Playfair intent phrase (draft 3 options
  for me to pick from).
- 6–9 swatch/inspiration tiles in a broken grid with generous whitespace,
  single hairline borders per our photography style.
- A "Why this works" rail: 3 short rationale lines connecting the palette
  to how the clients said they want to live (I'll paste their words:
  [CLIENT QUOTES]).
- Materials strip along the bottom: named finishes, no pricing.
Round 1 is composition only — placeholder tiles are fine. I will
art-direct rounds 2 and 3.

Using the Sustainable 9 Design System, build a reusable client design
presentation shell (10 pages):

1. Cover: project name, family name, date, Playfair tagline.
2. "Where we are" journey spine (our 5 phases, Terra marker).
3. Design story: one page, big statement, one hero image slot.
4–6. Concept pages: image-dominant, short captions, option A/B framing.
7. Selections summary table page (Item | Room | Status | Decision needed).
8. "Decisions today" page — the meeting's purpose, unmissable.
9. Next steps + dates to hold.
10. Closing page with our wordmark and service lines.

Every page: uppercase Trade Gothic headers with wide tracking, image
borders per brand, no clutter. Build it with placeholder content clearly
marked [PLACEHOLDER] so any designer can duplicate and fill it.

We are telling one story: [STORY, e.g., "the Linden Hills project reaching
Deliver phase" or "our annual client appreciation event"].

From this story, create a coordinated set using the Sustainable 9 Design
System:
1. Instagram square announcement.
2. 9:16 story version with a bolder crop.
3. Email header banner.
4. One-page print piece (event) or blog header (project story).
Shared elements: same headline treatment, same image, same tagline from
our bank ("[PICK: For You + the Earth / Environmentally Cozy / High Impact
Design, Low Impact Development]"), Terra used exactly once per piece.
Deliver as a set so the campaign reads as one voice across channels.

[ATTACH SANITIZED ESTIMATE or PASTE ASSUMPTIONS LOG]

You are a skeptical senior estimator reviewing this estimate for a luxury
custom home in the Twin Cities. Do not recalculate anything. Instead:

1. List the assumptions this estimate silently makes (site conditions,
   allowances, escalation, schedule, scope boundaries).
2. Rank the 5 assumptions most likely to move the final number, with the
   scenario in which each one bites us.
3. Scope-gap scan: what is commonly missed on projects like this
   ([DESCRIBE: e.g., walkout lot, pool-ready, high glass area]) that I
   should confirm is included or explicitly excluded?
4. Draft the "Assumptions & Exclusions" section for the client budget
   document in plain, confident, non-defensive S9 language.
Label all output DRAFT — UNVERIFIED.

[ATTACH SANITIZED COST REPORT: budget vs. actual by cost code]

Using ONLY the figures in this export (do not compute new totals; if a
total seems needed, tell me to add it to the export):

1. Identify the 5 largest variances by dollar and by percent.
2. For each, draft a one-paragraph narrative in two versions:
   (a) internal — direct, cause-focused;
   (b) client-facing — clear, calm, no jargon, framed around choices made
   and value delivered, per our voice.
3. Flag any lines that look like data problems rather than real variances
   (duplicates, sign errors, miscodes) in a separate review list.
Label everything DRAFT — UNVERIFIED. I will verify against the accounting
system before anything is shared.

Draft the cover memo for draw #[N] on [PROJECT] to [LENDER NAME].

Inputs (verified by me before this prompt):
- Draw amount and period: [PASTE]
- Work completed this period: [PM'S BULLETS]
- % complete by major division: [PASTE]
- Inspections passed: [LIST]
- Next period preview: [BULLETS]

Format: professional lender memo, one page. Confident, factual, zero
fluff. Include a completeness checklist footer of attached exhibits
(invoices, lien waivers, inspection reports, photos) I can check off.
Flag anything in my inputs that a lender reviewer would question so I can
pre-empt the call.

Facilitator setup (Chad, before session): take a real (sanitized) project
summary and plant 8 errors: 2 invented facts, 2 subtly wrong numbers,
1 misattributed decision, 1 stale product claim, 1 wrong name spelling,
1 over-promise ("we guarantee..."). 

Team prompt during session:
"Here is a project summary: [PASTE]. Cross-examine it against the source
documents attached. Produce a claims audit: every factual claim | supported
by source? (yes/no/partial) | evidence line. Then list the claims you
CANNOT verify from the sources at all."
Score: teams get points per planted error caught, minus points per false
accusation. Debrief: which error types survived longest?

Here is a draft I am about to send: [PASTE]

Red-team it before it leaves:
1. CLAIMS: list every verifiable claim (dates, numbers, names, commitments,
   product facts). Mark each: source I gave you / assumed / unknown.
2. PROMISES: list every explicit or implied commitment. Which would we
   regret in a dispute?
3. TONE: anywhere it drifts from purposeful-optimistic-collaborative into
   defensive, vague, or robotic?
4. READER TEST: as [THE RECIPIENT, e.g., "an anxious client mid-build"],
   what is the worst reasonable misreading of this message?
5. Give me the revision that fixes 1–4, with changes listed.

[CONTEXT BLOCK + warranty intake SOP in Project]

A homeowner reports: [PASTE REQUEST, e.g., "hairline drywall cracks above
two doorways, second winter in the home; they are frustrated and mention
'shoddy work'"].

Draft my response:
- Acknowledge the frustration genuinely in the first two lines; zero
  defensiveness.
- Explain the likely cause in homeowner language (seasonal movement,
  normal material behavior) WITHOUT diagnosing remotely or promising a
  coverage determination.
- Lay out exactly what happens next: inspection scheduled, what we will
  look at, when they will hear from us.
- Close warm and confident, our voice.
Constraints: no coverage decision, no cause stated as fact, no timeline
promises beyond the inspection. Then red-team your own draft with the
5-point QA pass.

Here is one of my SOPs or checklists: [PASTE]

Help me turn the repetitive part of this into a small interactive tool.

1. Propose the ONE job the tool should do (resist scope; a v1 does one
   thing well).
2. Draft the plain-language spec:
   - Purpose: one sentence.
   - Users: who touches it and in what situation (desk? phone on site?).
   - Inputs: every field, with type (text/date/choice/number) and which
     are required.
   - Rules: what the tool computes, sorts, flags, or hides — including
     what happens with missing or weird inputs.
   - Screens: what I see first, and what changes as I use it.
3. Ask me up to 3 clarifying questions where my SOP leaves the spec
   ambiguous, then finalize the spec.

Build the tool from this spec as an interactive artifact I can use in my
browser: [PASTE FINAL SPEC]

Requirements:
- S9 look: clean, uncluttered, our palette (Onyx, Forest, Driftwood,
  Quartz, Terra accents used sparingly), generous whitespace, uppercase
  tracked headers.
- Phone-friendly: I may use this standing on a job site.
- Obvious empty state: when nothing is entered yet, tell me what to do
  first.
- A visible note in the footer: "Working tool — not a system of record."
Build v1 now. I will iterate one change at a time after I try it.

Before I share this tool, audit it:
1. What will a first-time user try to do that the tool does not handle?
2. Which input will people most often enter wrong, and what happens
   when they do?
3. What is unclear in the first 10 seconds of looking at it?
4. If this tool quietly gave a wrong answer, where would it come from?
Fix the top issue from each question, then summarize what changed.
(Then the human test: hand it to a teammate with zero explanation and
watch them for 60 seconds. Every hesitation is a finding.)

You are facilitating Sustainable 9's AI roadmap session. Here is what we
built this year: [PASTE: the year-in-numbers summary + capstone list]

Here is everyone's raw wishlist from today: [PASTE STICKY-NOTE IDEAS]

1. Cluster the ideas into themes (automation depth, client experience,
   CraftBuilt.ai integration, new capabilities, training gaps).
2. For each theme, propose 1–2 concrete Year 2 initiatives with: what it
   is, who benefits, effort (S/M/L), and the risk if we skip it.
3. Sequence a suggested Q1–Q4 roadmap assuming one 2-hour session per
   month continues.
4. Tell us the one thing we built this year that we are underusing.