A live session walking through Claude Code + VS Code + the PARA method. From folder structure to API automations — everything you need to see this system in action.
A Personal OS is a local file system — running in VS Code with Claude Code — that holds everything about your work: brand guidelines, project files, meeting notes, task lists, and custom automations. AI reads these files directly, so every conversation starts with full context. No re-explaining, no copy-pasting, no switching between apps.
The structure follows PARA, a simple organizational framework created by Tiago Forte. Four top-level folders handle everything:
Active work with a defined outcome and deadline. Annual reports, app launches, event prep — anything with a finish line.
Ongoing responsibilities with no end date. People contacts, meeting notes, recurring operations like social media reporting.
Reference material you pull from repeatedly. Brand guidelines, design assets, webinar transcripts, research data.
Completed or paused work. Moves here when done — still searchable, but out of the active workspace.
Brand guidelines live inside the vault as structured markdown — colors, logos, typography, and usage rules. When Claude builds anything branded, it reads these files directly. No copy-pasting from PDFs, no guessing hex codes.
Asking "what are the next steps on the annual report?" triggers Claude to read through the project folder — past drafts, process notes, and deadlines — and surface exactly where things stand. The project folder is the single source of truth.
Janette dictates a prompt — "I want to make a carousel about building AI strategy for DMOs" — and Claude generates a slide-by-slide outline within seconds. Design preferences from previous carousels carry forward automatically.
The FY27 strategy presentation is a 25-slide HTML deck — fully branded, instantly deployable, and version-controlled in Bitbucket. Claude built it from strategy source documents and deploys it to Vercel with a single push.
For a webinar on evaluating RFPs with AI, Janette needed demo materials without exposing real vendor data. Claude created a fictional RFP from "Visit Beige County," a scoring rubric, and eight vendor responses — complete with the presentation to walk through them.
The carousel takes shape — and you can see where the content comes from. Webinar transcripts stored in the vault give Claude real material to draw on, so the slides reflect your actual expertise and talking points. This is the payoff of storing context locally: everything you've said and written becomes fuel for new content.
The /call slash command in action: it creates a call note, searches the People directory and prior meetings for context, and drops a pre-populated note ready for capture. All before the meeting starts.
The /today command scans the vault for tasks, deadlines, and project milestones — then builds a morning agenda inside Obsidian. Everything due today, overdue, or approaching a deadline surfaces in one view.
Asking "what's left with the global ambassador application?" pulls up process notes, open tasks, and blockers — giving a complete project status without opening a single project management tool.
The setup guide walks you through every step — from installing Claude Code to creating your first slash commands.
Follow the Setup Guide →