personal os
a claude-code-native operating system for thinking, writing, and shipping. opinionated, lean, easy to fork.
what it is
a folder of markdown files plus a stack of skills (slash commands) that turn claude code into a thinking partner. journal, todos, projects, knowledge, rituals — all in plain text, all in one place.
notion is a database. a personal os should be a workshop. files i can grep, fork, and rewrite — with an ai that already knows me sitting next to them.
install
open a terminal, cd into an empty directory, run claude, and paste:
i want to set up a personal operating system in this directory — a folder of markdown files that turns claude code into my thinking partner. create this structure: AGENTS.md your instructions (template below) TODO.md current week, markdown checkboxes BACKLOG.md quick capture, input-only IDEAS.md half-formed thoughts, input-only GOALS.md focus areas, refreshed monthly Journal/ daily reflections, input-only Knowledge/ durable reference notes Working docs/ ephemeral drafts AGENTS.md should encode: - philosophy: priority not priorities, first-principles thinking, bias to action with 80% confidence, embrace uncertainty via thin slices - what goes where: a table mapping intent to file - file permissions: writable = TODO.md, GOALS.md, Knowledge/, Working docs/. read-only = Journal/, BACKLOG.md, IDEAS.md. - proactive behaviors: suggest todo additions, flag decisions worth logging. then ask me three questions to seed your understanding: 1. what's my current role and focus? 2. what's one problem i'm trying to solve right now? 3. what's one rule i want you to never forget? save my answers as memory. don't fabricate context — when you don't know, ask.
answer the three questions. claude writes the structure, seeds the memory, and you're running.
what you get
- · a journaling habit that doesn't feel like one — voice or text, claude asks the next good question.
- · a todo file that is also a planning surface — claude pulls in context from meetings, decisions, and goals when you ask "what should i work on today?"
- · atomic notes for durable knowledge — refresh dates, source links, opinionated voice baked in.
- · a memory layer — claude remembers what you correct it on, who's on your team, your working hours, the rules you live by.
more
a public template repo with skills, hooks, and example knowledge is being prepared at github.com/nikspr. until it lands, the prompt above is the canonical entry point.