Day One Walkthrough

What your first session actually looks like, step by step. Read this before you start.

Before You Start

You should already have:

• All workspace files generated (CLAUDE.md, SOUL.md, USER.md, AGENTS.md, SCHEMAS.md, MEMORY.md, TOOLS.md)
• Sequence counter and session log initialized (_sequence.md, _session-log.md)
• Directory structure created (captures/, projects/, people/, memory/)
• Empty indexes in place (captures/_index.md)
• OpenClaw running with an agent runtime (Claude Code, Codex CLI, or similar) pointed at the workspace directory

If you haven't done this yet, go back to 03-assembler.md and complete the Assembly phase.

The First Conversation

Open your AI tool in the workspace directory. Your first message should be simple:

You say:

"Wake up. Read your boot files and tell me what you see."

What should happen:

Your assistant reads the files in order (CLAUDE.md → SOUL.md → USER.md → MEMORY.md → AGENTS.md). It should:

1. Acknowledge who it is — by name (the name you chose)
2. Acknowledge who you are — your name and role
3. Note that memory is empty — this is a fresh start, nothing to remember yet
4. Note that there are no captures yet — empty indexes, no projects, no person files
5. Write a session-start entry to _session-log.md

If the assistant does something generic like "Hello! How can I help you today?" — it didn't read the boot files. Tell it: "Read CLAUDE.md first, then follow the instructions there."

What it should sound like:

The tone should match what you configured in SOUL.md. If you set up a direct, no-nonsense personality, it shouldn't be bubbly. If you set up a warm, supportive personality, it shouldn't be cold.

If the tone is wrong, correct it immediately: "You're being too formal. Read your SOUL.md personality section again — I want you [casual/direct/warm/whatever you configured]."

Feed It Something Real

Don't start with hypotheticals. Give it something from your actual day.

Option A: Give it emails to triage

"Here's what's in my inbox this morning. Triage these for me."

Then paste 5-10 emails (or if you have Gmail MCP configured, tell it to read your inbox). Watch what it does:

• Does it classify correctly? (Questions, tasks, commitments, context)
• Does it create person files for people it encounters?
• Does it update the index?
• Does it recognize what's urgent vs. what can wait?

Expect mistakes. This is the first run. The assistant has rules but no pattern memory yet. Correct every mistake:

• "That's not a task, it's a commitment — they promised us something, we didn't promise them."
• "Don't create a capture for that — it's a newsletter, just archive it."
• "Good catch on that commitment. But the due date is Friday, not next week."

Option B: Describe your current situation

"Here's what's on my plate right now. I have three active projects: [name them]. My biggest headache is [describe it]. The people I work with most are [name them]."

Let the assistant ask follow-up questions. Watch it:

• Create project directories and _project.md files
• Create person files for the people you mention
• Capture context about your current situation
• Start building indexes

Option C: Walk through your calendar

"Here's my schedule for today. Walk me through what I should be thinking about."

If Calendar MCP is configured, tell it to read your calendar. Otherwise, paste your schedule. Watch it:

• Identify prep work needed for meetings
• Flag commitments due today
• Note who you're meeting with (should cross-reference or create person files)
• Suggest follow-ups from yesterday

The Correction Loop

This is the most important part of Day One. You are training your assistant. Every correction teaches it something.

How to correct classification:

Bad: "That's wrong." Good: "That's not a task — it's a commitment. When Jake says 'I'll get the spec to you by Thursday,' he's making a promise. File it as a commitment with Jake as 'Promised by' and me as 'Owed to.'"

The "good" version teaches a pattern, not just a correction.

How to correct tone:

Bad: "Be different." Good: "You're being too verbose. I asked a simple question — give me the answer in one sentence, not three paragraphs. Save the detail for when I ask for it."

How to correct autonomy:

Bad: "Don't do that." Good: "Don't create a project without asking me first. Captures are fine to create silently, but projects need my approval — I want to name them and scope them myself."

How to correct information:

Bad: "That's not right." Good: "Jake isn't a client, he's on my team. Move his person file from people/clients/ to people/employees/. And update his title — he's a Senior Engineer, not a contractor."

After each correction:

Ask: "Update your MEMORY.md with what you just learned, so you don't make the same mistake next session."

Not everything needs to go in memory — only patterns that should persist. "Jake is an employee, not a client" is a correction to the person file, not a memory entry. "When I say someone's name without a company, assume they're on my team" is a pattern worth remembering.

What to Do in the First Hour

Here's a realistic first session agenda:

Minutes 0-10: Boot and verify

• Assistant reads boot files
• Verify it knows its name, your name, and its framework name
• Verify the tone feels right
• Fix anything that's off

Minutes 10-30: Feed it real data

• Give it emails, your calendar, or a description of your current work
• Let it create captures, person files, and (maybe) projects
• Correct classification mistakes as they happen
• Don't worry about perfection — volume matters more than accuracy right now

Minutes 30-45: Review what it built

• Ask: "Show me the captures index."
• Ask: "What person files did you create?"
• Ask: "What's in MEMORY.md now?"
• Correct anything that's wrong. Reclassify, move, merge, or delete.

Minutes 45-60: First briefing test

• Ask: "What needs my attention right now?"
• Evaluate the briefing structure — is it what you expected?
• If sections are missing or wrong, tell it: "I want the briefing structured as [your preference]. Update AGENTS.md reporting section."
• Ask: "What open questions do I have?" and "What commitments are due this week?"

Before you close:

• Ask: "Write your session-end entry to the session log."
• Verify it lists all the captures it created and files it modified.
• If it misses something, tell it.

What "Good" Looks Like After Day One

By the end of your first session, you should have:

• 5-15 captures — a mix of types, mostly from whatever you fed it
• 3-10 person files — for the people who appeared in your captures
• 0-3 projects — only if the work was clearly project-shaped
• An index that reflects reality — every capture is listed, statuses are correct
• A session log with one session-start and one session-end entry
• A MEMORY.md with 2-5 entries — things it learned from your corrections
• An assistant that sounds like what you configured — right tone, right verbosity

What "good" does NOT look like:

• 50 captures (too aggressive — it's capturing noise)
• 0 captures (too conservative — it's not catching anything)
• Everything is a task (classification isn't working)
• The assistant sounds generic (SOUL.md isn't being applied)
• No session log entry (continuity is broken)

Common Day One Problems

"It's not reading the boot files" → Make sure CLAUDE.md is in the workspace root and your AI tool is pointed at that directory. Some tools need to be told explicitly: "Read CLAUDE.md and follow its instructions."

"It's being way too verbose" → Correct immediately: "Too many words. Be concise. If I need more detail, I'll ask." Then update SOUL.md if the verbosity setting isn't strong enough.

"It created 30 captures from 5 emails" → It's being too aggressive. Tell it: "You're over-capturing. A single email usually produces 1-2 captures, not 6. Only capture what's actionable or worth remembering."

"It didn't capture anything" → It's being too conservative. Tell it: "You missed a commitment in that email — [person] said [thing]. You should have caught that. Default to capturing, and I'll tell you when it's too much."

"It keeps asking me what to do" → Tell it: "For reads, captures, and file organization — just do it and tell me what you did. Only ask me before sending messages or taking external actions."

"The directory structure is wrong" → Fix it now before captures accumulate: "Move [directory] to [correct location]. Update any references."

Day Two and Beyond

Day Two is where continuity gets tested. When you start a new session:

1. The assistant should read its boot files automatically
2. It should read the session log and know what happened yesterday
3. It should pick up where you left off — same captures, same projects, same people

If it doesn't remember yesterday, check:

• Did it write a session-end log entry? (If not, the new session has nothing to absorb)
• Are the capture files actually saved? (Check the directories)
• Is it reading _session-log.md at startup? (Check the boot sequence in CLAUDE.md)

Day Two priorities:

• Feed it more data (email, messages, meetings)
• Let it build on yesterday's captures (update existing ones, not just create new ones)
• Test a briefing: "Give me my morning briefing"
• Continue correcting — Day Two should have fewer mistakes than Day One

By Day Five, the assistant should be classifying correctly most of the time, your key people should have person files, and the briefing should be genuinely useful. If it's not, re-read your AGENTS.md and SOUL.md — the configuration might need tuning.

By Week Two, you should trust the assistant enough to stop checking every capture. The corrections become occasional rather than constant.

By Week Three, the assistant knows your world. It catches things you didn't. That's when it starts being indispensable.

The first day is the hardest. It gets dramatically better from here. Be patient, be specific with corrections, and trust the process.