Module 1 · Learn to drive: how to tell AI what to build
What a tool actually is
Every tool you’ll ever build — in this course or after it — is the same simple shape: something goes in, something happens to it, and something comes out. Learn to see that shape and you can describe any tool clearly enough to build it.
Watch — hand-picked
The clearest walkthroughs of this step, from creators we rate. Each one’s credited — go give them a follow.
How Claude Code Works
The CLAUDE.md file
Claude Code - Full Tutorial for Beginners
Input → processing → output
Forget code for a minute. A tool is just a small machine with three parts: the stuff you feed it (the input), the work it does (the processing), and the thing you get back (the output). That’s it. Once you can name those three parts for a job you do, you can build a tool for it.
You already know the three tools you’ll build in this course. Here they are in that exact shape:
| Tool | In | Out |
|---|---|---|
| Proposal Generator | Deal details from a short interview | A polished, branded PDF |
| Client Hub | Everything you know about a client | A clear picture on demand |
| Numbers Dashboard | CSV exports you already have | A one-page view of the business |
Same shape every time. When a tool feels overwhelming, it’s almost always because the three parts aren’t named yet. Name them and it shrinks to something buildable.
The two patterns every tool follows
Underneath that shape, there are only two kinds of tool you’ll build. Knowing which one you’re after is half of describing it well.
- Pattern A — a Claude-driven tool. A folder on your computer holding a “playbook” — a plain-English file that tells Claude how you like a job done — plus any templates it needs. Claude Code is the brain at runtime: you open the folder, say the trigger phrase (“new proposal”), and it runs the routine. Right for anything that needs writing, judgment, or a conversation. It uses your Claude plan and nothing else — no extra accounts, no extra cost. The Proposal Generator is Pattern A.
- Pattern B — a standalone app. A small program — usually a web page that opens on your computer — that runs entirely on its own once it’s built. No AI at the moment you use it. Right for storing, showing, and calculating: trackers, calculators, dashboards. Once built, it’s free to run forever. The Dashboard is Pattern B — and so is the warm-up tool you’ll build in a few minutes.
Pattern A — Claude-driven
- A playbook Claude follows
- Right for writing & judgment
- Runs on your Claude plan, nothing else
Pattern B — standalone app
- A page that runs itself
- Right for storing & calculating
- Free forever once built
The best tools often blend the two: a standalone app to hold the data, with Claude-driven routines sitting on top to read and update it. The Client Hub is exactly that — don’t worry about choosing perfectly, you’ll feel the difference by the time you’ve built all three.
…you can say a tool’s input, processing, and output in one sentence — “bill total and number of people go in, and each person’s share comes out.” If you can say that, you can describe it to Claude. That’s the whole skill of this module, and it’s next.