Set up Steven's AI Stack in 10 minutes

Install the Claude Desktop App

This is the only thing you install. It runs Claude Code natively — same engine as the terminal version, but as a regular Mac app you double-click to open.

Add the Skills Pack

The skills pack is 16 specialized capabilities — copywriting, ad creative, landing pages, email flows, performance analysis, offer design, and more. You drag the folder into Claude's skills directory and they activate automatically.

~/.claude/skillspaste this path

Install these three plugins:
- superpowers@claude-plugins-official
- playwright@claude-plugins-official
- frontend-design@claude-plugins-officialpaste in Claude chat

Claude installs them. Restart the app when it asks. Superpowers adds workflow discipline (planning, brainstorming, code review). Playwright lets Claude open a browser, click around, and screenshot. Frontend-design sets the visual quality bar for landing pages and ads.

What's in the Pack

Customize Your CLAUDE.md

CLAUDE.md is one file that tells Claude who you are, what you sell, and how you want to work. It auto-loads at the start of every session. Without it, every conversation starts cold.

Easy way: have Claude write it for you

Open Claude and paste this into the chat (fill in your real info):

Set up my CLAUDE.md.

I'm [your name]. My brand is [brand name].
We sell [product]. Our website is [URL].
Be direct, move fast, push back when you have better thinking.

Write the file to ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md and include:
- Who I am
- How to work with me
- Skill routing (use the ecommerce router for any ads/copy/funnel work)
- A section for my brand details
- A section for platform tokens (we'll fill in next)paste in Claude chat

Claude writes it, saves it, and confirms. You can keep editing it by asking Claude to update it — "Add a rule: never pause my Meta campaigns without asking first" — or open it directly in any text editor.

What a good CLAUDE.md looks like

# Context

## Who I Am
[Name] — DTC operator. We sell [product] at [URL].

## How to Work With Me
Be direct. Lead with the strategic frame. Move fast.
Push back when you have better thinking. No hedging.

## Skill Routing
**Ecommerce / DTC / Ads:** Invoke the `ecommerce` router skill.
It dispatches to the right sub-skill.

## My Brand
- Brand: [name]
- Hero product: [product]
- Website: [URL]
- Voice: [direct, founder-led, story-driven, etc.]

## Platform Tokens
- Meta: ~/.claude/meta-token.txt
- Shopify: ~/.claude/shopify-token.txt
- Klaviyo: ~/.claude/klaviyo-token.txt
- Gemini: ~/.env.googlereference template

Connect Your Platforms

To launch ads, edit your Shopify store, send emails, or generate images, Claude needs API tokens. The same trick works for all of them: get the token from the platform, paste it into Claude, ask Claude to save it.

The pattern (works for every platform)

Save my [Platform] token to ~/.claude/[platform]-token.txt:

[paste the token here]

Then add a [Platform] section to my CLAUDE.md
with my account ID and the token path.use this template for each platform

Claude saves the file with secure permissions, updates CLAUDE.md, and confirms.

Meta Ads

Required for: ad performance analysis, campaign launching, account audits, creative uploads.

Shopify

Required for: theme edits, product updates, page creation, deployment.

Shopify uses a CLI auth flow instead of a token. Tell Claude:

Connect my Shopify store: your-store.myshopify.com

Run the Shopify CLI auth flow, then list my themes
and tell me which one is live. Save the live theme ID
and store URL to my CLAUDE.md.replace store name

Claude opens the auth window in your browser, you approve, and it stores everything it needs.

Klaviyo

Required for: email flow creation, campaign sends, list management, subscriber data.

Google / Gemini (AI Image Generation)

Required for: generating product images, lifestyle photos, ad backgrounds.

Onboard Your Brand

This is the step that makes Claude write like your brand instead of generic DTC fluff. Skip it and every ad sounds like every other supplement / skincare / apparel brand on the internet. Spend 20 minutes here and everything Claude builds for you over the next year is grounded.

Step 1: Create a workspace for your brand

Open Claude. Paste this (replace my-brand with your actual brand name, lowercase, hyphens-not-spaces):

Create a workspace at ~/Documents/my-brand for all my
brand assets, drafts, and exports.

Also set up project memory at
~/.claude/projects/my-brand/memory/ with the standard files:
- session-state.md
- brand-states/my-brand.json
- proven-patterns-my-brand.md
- MEMORY.md

Use empty stubs for now. We'll fill them as we go.replace my-brand

Claude creates the folders. Future sessions auto-load from here so you never have to re-explain your brand.

Step 2: Have Claude study your store

This is the single most important prompt in the entire onboarding. Don't rush it.

Go to https://mystore.com and study everything.
Crawl the homepage, all product pages, the about page,
and the top 20 customer reviews.

I want you to understand:
- Brand voice (how do we actually talk?)
- Hero product (what's the flagship?)
- Pricing structure (one-time, subscribe, bundles)
- Ingredients / features (what's actually in or on it?)
- Customer language (what words do they use in reviews?)
- Visual design (color, typography, vibe)
- Pain points the product solves
- Differentiators vs competitors

Save the complete brand profile as a SEPARATE FILE at
~/.claude/projects/my-brand/memory/brand-profile.md.
Then add ONE line to MEMORY.md pointing to that file.
Do NOT inline the full brand profile into MEMORY.md
— keep MEMORY.md as a thin index only.

Be thorough in the brand-profile.md itself. That file
is the source of truth Claude reads on demand when
working on copy, ads, or landing pages.replace URL

Claude crawls (a few minutes), pulls the data, and writes a full brand profile. Read it. Correct anything off. The accuracy of this profile determines the quality of every output that follows.

Step 3: Import your Story Codex

The Story Codex is your brand's narrative DNA — enemy, identity pain, belief gaps, transformation arc, proof points. It's the difference between copy that lists features and copy that lands emotionally.

If Steven built one for you during coaching, you already have it. Import it now — this is the single highest-ROI step in the onboarding.

If you have a Codex file (PDF, DOCX, MD, or Google Doc)

Drop the file into ~/Documents/my-brand/, then paste:

Read my Story Codex at ~/Documents/my-brand/story-codex.[ext]
(it's a [PDF / Word doc / markdown file / Google Doc export]).

Parse the full document and save the structured Codex as a
SEPARATE FILE at ~/.claude/projects/my-brand/memory/story-codex.md.
Add ONE line to MEMORY.md pointing to it. Do NOT inline the
Codex content into MEMORY.md.

Use story-codex.md as the foundation for all copy and creative
going forward. Reference it on demand — not auto-loaded.replace path + file type

If you have it pasted in a doc, email, or Notion page

Just paste the entire Codex directly into Claude:

Here's my Story Codex from coaching with Steven:

[paste the entire Codex here]

Save it as a SEPARATE FILE at
~/.claude/projects/my-brand/memory/story-codex.md.
Add ONE line to MEMORY.md pointing to it (don't inline).
Use it as the foundation for all copy and creative.paste Codex inline

If you don't have a Codex yet

Have Claude build one from scratch using your site study:

Build a Story Codex for my brand using the
copywriting-engine skill. Use what you learned from
the site study in Step 2.

Walk me through it section by section. Show me each
part and ask me to confirm or correct your interpretation
before moving on. I want this right, not fast.paste in chat

Edit any section that doesn't sound right. Then ask Steven to review it on your next call — he'll spot what's missing.

Step 4: Anchor your hero product

One product anchors everything. Make it explicit:

My hero product is [product name].

Update CLAUDE.md and my brand state file to mark
it as the hero. From now on, default all ad creative,
landing pages, and email flows to this product
unless I specifically say otherwise.replace product name

Step 5: Load proven patterns (if you have ad data)

If you've already spent on Meta, mine the data so future creative biases toward what's already worked:

Here's my Meta ad performance data:
[paste CSV inline OR upload the file].

Run it through the performance-decoder skill.
Identify Winners, Promising, Learners, Losers,
and Fatigue ads. Save the winning angles, formats,
hooks, and audiences as a SEPARATE FILE at
~/.claude/projects/my-brand/memory/proven-patterns-my-brand.md.
Add ONE line to MEMORY.md pointing to it (don't inline).

Note any anti-patterns (things that consistently
flopped) so we don't repeat them.paste in chat

Every future creative request will read this file first. The system gets smarter with every batch you test.

Step 6: First validation test

Prove the onboarding worked before you build anything serious:

Write 3 primary text variations for a Meta ad
promoting my hero product.

Use the Story Codex, the brand voice from the
site study, and any proven patterns we've loaded.
Don't generate generic copy — this should
sound unmistakably like MY brand.paste in chat

Read the output. Does it sound like your brand? If yes, you're done onboarding. If it sounds generic, the site study or Codex needs more detail — go back and tighten before moving on.

Maintenance (5 minutes a week)

The brand state isn't set-and-forget. Update it as things change:

• After a winning ad batch: "Add this winning angle to proven-patterns"
• After a launch / new product: "Update my brand state — we just launched X"
• After a coaching session with Steven: "Here's what we decided. Update the brand state."
• End of any work session: "Update session-state with what we did and what's next."

How to Use It

You don't write commands. You don't memorize syntax. You talk to Claude like you'd talk to a smart contractor who knows your business.

Just ask

Build a creative diversity matrix — 20 static ad concepts.

Write a welcome email flow for new subscribers.

Audit my Meta ad account.

Build a landing page for my hero product.

Analyze last month's ad performance — here's the CSV.

Write copy for a 3-bottle bundle offer.copy any of these into Claude

The ecommerce router automatically picks the right skill. You don't have to know which one.

Useful slash commands

Working with files

Claude can read and modify files anywhere on your computer:

Read the file at ~/Downloads/ad-report.csv and analyze it.

Open the landing page at ~/Documents/brand/index.html
and tighten the headline.

Working with the browser

Claude can drive a browser via the Playwright plugin:

Open my website and screenshot the homepage at mobile size.

Navigate to my Shopify store and check the product page.

Take a full-page screenshot of the landing page.

Skills & Triggers Reference

You don't have to memorize this. Just say what you need; the router fires the right skill. Use this as a cheat sheet for what's possible.

The router pattern

You say:    "I need ad creative for my supplement"
Router:     ecommerce → creative-diversity-matrix
Result:     22-format static ad gallery with your product

What unlocks what

Brand memory (optional, recommended)

If Steven sets up a memory folder for your brand, Claude remembers context across sessions:

~/.claude/projects/[project]/memory/
  session-state.md              # What was worked on, what's next
  brand-states/brand.json       # Current phase, campaigns, blockers
  brand-states/proven-patterns.md  # What the market validated
  reflections.md                # Operational learnings
  MEMORY.md                     # Index of all memory files

Claude reads these at session start so you pick up exactly where you left off — no need to re-explain.

Extending the system — add your own workflows

The router (ecommerce skill) is just a markdown file. You can add new workflows to it as your business evolves — no coding needed. Three levels of customization:

Level 1: Add a new workflow to the existing router

Easiest. Tell Claude:

Add a new workflow to the ecommerce router skill at
~/.claude/skills/ecommerce/SKILL.md.

Workflow name: SMS Marketing
Triggers: "SMS", "text marketing", "abandoned cart text"
Action: Load the ecommerce-email-engine skill (it covers
SMS too) and adapt the email flow patterns for SMS character
limits.

Add it as Workflow #10 under the Decision Tree section.paste in chat

Claude edits the router. From that point on, anytime you say "SMS" or "text marketing," the router fires that workflow automatically.

Level 2: Build your own sub-skill

For specialized domains the existing skills don't cover. Tell Claude:

Build a new skill at ~/.claude/skills/wholesale-pitch/SKILL.md.

Purpose: writing pitch emails to wholesale buyers (Whole Foods,
Erewhon, regional grocery chains).

Triggers: "wholesale pitch", "buyer email", "trade show outreach"

Include:
- Frontmatter with name, description, triggers
- The structure of a great wholesale pitch (subject, hook,
  social proof, traction, ask, P.S.)
- Examples for grocery vs specialty retail vs distributor

Then add a workflow to the ecommerce router that loads
this skill when those triggers fire.paste in chat

Claude builds the SKILL.md file with proper frontmatter and instructions, then wires it into the router. You've just extended the system permanently.

Level 3: Build a parallel router for a different domain

If you run something outside DTC ecom — B2B SaaS, a service business, a course — build a parallel router. Same pattern as ecommerce: triggers in frontmatter, decision tree dispatching to sub-skills.

Build a router skill called b2b-saas at
~/.claude/skills/b2b-saas/SKILL.md.

It should follow the same pattern as the ecommerce router:
- Frontmatter with triggers (cold email, demo script, ABM,
  pricing tiers, churn analysis, etc.)
- Decision tree mapping common SaaS tasks to sub-skills
- Reusable shared context (CRM config, ICP definitions)
- Inline reference for common SaaS frameworks

I'll build out the sub-skills over time. For now scaffold
the router and add 3-5 placeholder workflows.paste in chat

Troubleshooting

Skills aren't firing

Quit Claude (Cmd+Q) and reopen it. If still missing, check that the folders are in the right place: open Finder, Cmd+Shift+G, paste ~/.claude/skills, hit Enter. You should see folders for each skill (ecommerce, copywriting-engine, etc.). Each folder needs a SKILL.md file inside.

Claude is asking for permission on every action

You haven't clicked Always allow on the common tools yet. Approve them as they come up; it's a one-time thing. If you want to skip the prompts entirely, ask Claude: "set up my permissions to auto-approve standard tools" — it'll write the right settings file.

Sign-in issues

In the app: settings → account → sign out, then sign back in.

Claude is slow

Type /model sonnet in chat. Opus is the smartest but slowest. Sonnet handles 90% of work fine. Haiku is fastest for simple stuff.

Something feels off — restart fresh

Type /clear. Wipes the conversation but keeps your skills, settings, and memory intact.

Token expired

Just paste the new token into Claude with the same template from Part 4. It overwrites the old one.

Sessions feel slow / context bloated

Check the size of your auto-loaded files:

What's the size of my CLAUDE.md and MEMORY.md?
If either is over 3KB, refactor: move detail content
into separate files (brand-profile.md, story-codex.md,
proven-patterns.md, reflections.md), and leave only
one-line pointers in MEMORY.md.

CLAUDE.md should be identity + voice + skill routing.
Nothing else. Strip anything that isn't essential.paste in chat

Target: CLAUDE.md under 2KB, MEMORY.md under 1KB (just pointers). Anything bigger is hurting every session.

If You Want More

Run multiple Claude sessions side-by-side

Steven uses an internal tool called Claude Dashboard — a tiled GUI that runs multiple sessions at once (one for ads, one for email, one for your store). It's a power-user setup, not needed for most people. If you want it, ask Steven.

Use the terminal CLI instead of the desktop app

If you're a developer and prefer a terminal, install via:

brew install node
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
claude

Same engine, same skills, same ~/.claude/ folder. The desktop app reads from the same place — you can switch between them and pick up where you left off.