Automation Stack: Build System That Runs Itself

Individual automations are useful a connected stack of automations is a system that manages your workflow and lets Claude do the low-value work

This lesson shows you how to connect everything you have built so far into a coherent personal automation stack.

The Core Stack

Every builder in this community should have these four automations running.

Morning Brief using /morning-brief runs first thing every working day. Content Batch using /content-batch runs once a week. Project Kickoff using /kickoff followed by a description runs every new project. End-of-session rule lives in your CLAUDE.md and runs automatically at session end.

Those four systems together cover daily orientation, weekly content, project organisation, and session continuity.

Adding to Your Stack

Beyond the core four here are automation templates you can build.

Weekly Review Command

Save as ~/.claude/commands/weekly-review.md:

# Weekly Review

Review the week that just ended across all my active projects.

Check progress.md in each project folder Claude has access to.

Summarise:

1. WINS — what was completed or shipped this week
2. MOVES — what progressed but is not done
3. STUCK — anything that did not move and why
4. NEXT WEEK — top 3 priorities across all projects

Keep each section to bullet points. Under 200 words total.

End with one question: "What is the most important thing to stop, start, or change next week?"

Research Dump Command

Save as ~/.claude/commands/research.md:

# Research

Research this topic thoroughly: $ARGUMENTS

Use fetch to visit the top 3-5 most relevant URLs on this topic.

Use brave-search (if available) to find the current state of thinking.

Produce a research brief with:

1. WHAT IT IS — plain English explanation
2. CURRENT STATE — what is actually happening right now
3. KEY SOURCES — the URLs you visited and what each said
4. RELEVANT TO ME — how this applies to what I build or sell
5. OPEN QUESTIONS — what I still need to find out

Keep it under 400 words. Dense and useful, not padded.

Proposal Writer

Save as ~/.claude/commands/proposal.md:

# Client Proposal

Write a project proposal based on these details: $ARGUMENTS

Structure:

1. WHAT WE ARE BUILDING (clear description of deliverables)
2. HOW IT WORKS (process, timeline, what client needs to provide)
3. WHAT YOU GET (specific outcomes, not just deliverables)
4. INVESTMENT (pricing — I will fill this in, leave a placeholder)
5. NEXT STEP (one clear call to action)

Tone: direct and professional. No buzzwords. Write like a senior professional

who respects the client's time. Under 500 words total.

Organising Your Commands Folder

As your stack grows keep it organised:

~/.claude/commands/

├── morning-brief.md
├── weekly-review.md
├── kickoff.md
├── content-batch.md
├── research.md
├── proposal.md
├── review.md
└── [your custom skills from the Skills course]

All slash commands and custom skills live in the same folder. Type a forward slash in Claude Code to see all of them.

The Compounding Effect

Here is what happens after 90 days of running this stack.

Your progress.md files across all projects have become a detailed history of every decision and every build. Your MARKETING.md has a Used section full of 60 or more topics with the ones that worked clearly visible. Your CLAUDE.md files have been refined with every lesson learned. And your commands folder has 10 or more proven workflows you can run in any project.

Claude Code is not just a tool at that point. It is a system that gets more effective the longer you use it.

Each session teaches the next one. Each automation reduces the friction of the one after it.

Your Action Right Now

Look at your ~/.claude/commands/ folder. What do you have?

If you have fewer than four commands add the weekly review and the research commands from this lesson.

Then run /weekly-review right now even if it is not the end of your week. See what Claude surfaces from your existing progress.md entries. If the files do not exist yet Claude will tell you and that is your signal to start writing them at the end of every session.