Builder Tools Setup Guide

Two parts. Part 1 is everything you need to start getting real value — your AI platform plus one add-on that lives inside it. Part 2 is optional, for power users who want advanced capabilities (local files, version control, voice input, a workflow registry) that work alongside their AI platform.

Already have an AI platform set up?

If you’ve already completed your platform’s Getting Started checklist, skip straight to Hands-on AI Skills below. If not, pick one:

→ Claude · → OpenAI · → Gemini · → M365 Copilot

Why These Tools Matter

Real AI workflows — the kind that save time, ship work, and scale beyond one-off chats — need more than a chatbot. Two parts: Part 1 is what you need to start getting real value — your AI platform plus one add-on that lives inside it. Part 2 is for power users who want advanced capabilities that work in collaboration with their AI platform.

Each tool below was chosen intentionally. Here’s what each one unlocks for you.

Part 1 — What You Need

Your AI platform is the reasoning engine that powers every workflow you build — one account is enough. One add-on then runs inside it: the Hands-on AI skills, which give you step-by-step framework guidance.

Capability	What it is	Why it matters to you
Account + Apps	A paid subscription (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot) plus the web, desktop, and mobile apps	Paid plans unlock the features you’ll use here — longer conversations, file uploads, connectors, and stronger reasoning models
Personalization	Custom instructions that tell the AI about your role, industry, and style	Every conversation starts with context — you stop re-introducing yourself and answers arrive tailored from message one
Memory	The AI remembers facts about you and your work across conversations	Your AI becomes a returning assistant who knows your projects, not a stranger every time you open a new chat
Connections	Links your AI to apps you already use (Google Docs, Slack, Notion, GitHub, etc.)	AI can read and write inside your real systems — no more copy-paste between tools
Hands-on AI Skills	Skills that walk you through the AI Workflow Framework for building AI workflows	Learn how to go from “I think AI could help with this” to a shipped, improving workflow — with step-by-step guidance at every stage

Part 2 — For Power Users

Optional tools that work in collaboration with your AI platform to build and manage your AI building blocks — prompts, skills, agents, and more — as files you can version, back up, and share. Pick any combination; you can come back and add more later.

Capability	What it is	Why it matters to you
Code Editor	Cursor or VS Code, with AI extensions installed	An organized home for every building block you create — browse them in folders, edit them in place, and let the built-in AI assistants read and update them directly as you work
Git	Automatically tracks every change to every file	You’ll constantly create and refine your building blocks — Git keeps the full history for you, so you never have to manage versions manually, and it connects to GitHub so everything gets backed up in the cloud
GitHub	Cloud storage and backup for your files, built on top of Git. Two pieces: a GitHub account (in your browser) and the GitHub CLI (a small program on your computer that logs Git and your AI tools in as you)	Your work is safe, versioned, accessible from any machine, and easy to share
Voice to Text	Dictation software (Wispr Flow or your system’s built-in voice input)	Talk instead of type — faster for long prompts and more natural when you’re thinking out loud
AI Registry	A knowledge-bundle inventory of your workflows, processes, and insights — Markdown in your workspace, maintained by your AI assistant	The single source of truth for what you’ve built, who’s using it, and how it all connects — essential once you’re scaling beyond one-off experiments

Setup Order

Start with Part 1 and complete the steps in order. Part 2 is optional — pick any combination of tools when you need them. Each link opens the full setup guide with step-by-step instructions and verification criteria. For students working through a course, the Tools Setup Checklist adds per-step “Done when” criteria and troubleshooting prompts.

Part 1 — What You Need (~55 min)

#	Tool	Time	Status	Why it matters
1	AI Platform (see Platforms)	~45 min	Required	The reasoning engine that powers every workflow — one account is enough
2	Hands-on AI Skills	~10 min	Recommended	Step-by-step guidance for building AI workflows, right inside your AI tool

Part 2 — For Power Users (~85 min total)

Pick any combination — each row names the specific capability it unlocks. Rows 4–7 are one sequence: do them in order.

#	Tool	Time	Requires	Install this if you want to…
3	AI Code Editor + Extensions	~15 min	Nothing	Store building blocks as files on your computer and edit them with AI assistance
4	GitHub Account	~10 min	Nothing	Have a place in the cloud for your building blocks — done entirely in your browser
5	Git	~10 min (Mac: up to 30 while Apple’s tools download)	Nothing	Keep a full version history of your building blocks automatically
6	GitHub CLI	~10 min	GitHub Account + Git	Log your computer and AI tools in to GitHub once, so files sync without passwords
7	Create & Clone Your First Repository	~5 min	Editor + GitHub CLI	Prove the three pieces above work together, and get a folder to build in
8	Voice to Text	~10 min	Nothing	Talk instead of type when writing prompts
9	AI Registry	~25 min	AI platform	Track every workflow, skill, agent, and connected app in your workspace — pure Markdown, no external tools
10	Knowledge Graph	~40 min	AI platform + a folder	Give your AI a knowledge graph of your work — clients, offerings, processes — that it reads before answering and keeps current for you

If you’re taking a Hands-on AI course, Step 9 (AI Registry) isn’t optional — the AI Workflow Framework’s Analyze step reads it, so set it up before you run Analyze.

Git & GitHub at a glance

Steps 4–6 are three separate prerequisites. Here’s how you know each one is done:

Prerequisite	Done when
1. GitHub account	You can sign in at github.com, there is no “verify your email” banner, and Settings → Password and authentication shows two-factor authentication Enabled
2. Git installed	git --version prints a version number, and git config --global user.name and git config --global user.email each print back the value you set
3. GitHub CLI installed and logged in	gh --version prints a version number, and gh auth status prints ✓ Logged in to github.com account <your-username>

End-to-end proof (optional, ~3 min): create a private repository, clone it, cd into it, run git status → On branch main. That’s the Repository Creation & Cloning guide.

New to Markdown?

Everything you build here — skills, prompts, context files, your registry — is stored as Markdown. If that word is unfamiliar, read Markdown Basics first. It takes about ten minutes and requires nothing installed.

New to the terminal?

Some Power User tools (Editor, Git, GitHub CLI) involve running commands in the terminal. If that’s unfamiliar, skim Terminal Basics first — it’s a ~15-minute fluency primer, not a setup step.

Heads up

• AI Registry: The registry lives in your workspace as Markdown — there’s nothing extra to install beyond the Hands-on AI skills from step 2 (see the AI Registry setup guide).
• Knowledge Graph: Also pure Markdown, built by the Hands-on AI skills from step 2, but it needs a tool that writes files on your computer (see the Knowledge Graph setup guide).

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What’s Next?

With your builder tools in place, you’re ready to start building with AI.

Next Step	What it is
Learn the Building Blocks →	The eleven components of every AI workflow — models, prompts, context, projects, skills, agents, and more
Install Plugins →	Pre-built Claude Code agents and skills you can install in one command
Take a Course →	Structured learning that walks you through building with AI step by step