Part 1 of 4 · The container
The Local Folder for a Local App keeps the App Information, Agent Instructions, Skills, Workflows, Local Site, and backups together. A desktop AI Agent reads these files and works with you.
If you copy the Local Folder, you copy the Local App.
The Starting Template is a great way to begin. Create an empty folder, open it as a project in your desktop AI Agent, include build_your_own.md in the first chat, and type “Build App.” The AI Agent will ask what you want to build and create the Local Folder structure around your answers.
From guide words to folder names
The main folder that holds every part of the Local App.
Two separate folders named skills and workflows, plus the Agent Instructions file for rules that apply to all work.
A folder named site containing the index.html page you open in your browser.
The desktop software outside the Local Folder that reads these files and works with you.
The remaining areas hold App Information, finished documents, change summaries, and safety copies.
A simple starting structure
The badges show what is a folder and what is a file. Every entry has one clear job.
Filled-in example
.md files are plain text you can open and edit in any text editor. .html is the page that opens in your browser. Nothing here requires special software, and you can open and read any of these files yourself.
Put the Local Folder anywhere your AI Agent can access it. That could be an 8bit Apps folder inside Documents, a shared network drive, or a file storage service such as Dropbox. If other people will use the Local App, choose a shared location with access controls and version history.
The Local Folder is an ordinary folder you open in Finder on a Mac or File Explorer on Windows. Open the Local Site’s index.html file in your browser for the friendlier view.
For the bookkeeper, clients.md holds client names and contacts, while document-status.md records every requested document and its current status. This App Information is what the Local Site and finished reports use.
The one-home rule
The current facts and records belong in data. This is where the bookkeeper keeps the client and document status.
The Local Site makes the same information easier to read. It should never be the only place an important fact is saved.
AGENTS.md for Codex or CLAUDE.md for Claude Code, plus Skills and Workflows, explains how the AI Agent should work.
Output holds finished reports or documents made from the App Information. It is not the dependable home of the facts used to create them.
History explains what changed and how it was checked. It is not the current business record.
When something changes, the AI Agent should save it in the App Information first, update the Local Site, check both, and tell you what changed.
Two kinds of safety
Before a risky change, the AI Agent makes a dated copy inside the backups folder. Use it to undo something the AI Agent changed.
Keep a copy of the entire Local Folder somewhere off this computer. This lets you recover the Local App if the drive fails or the laptop is lost.
A backup inside the Local Folder is lost if the whole Local Folder is lost. Set an automatic backup to copy it to a trusted backup service or an external drive every day, and keep that copy separate from the computer.
Privacy and upkeep
The Local Folder and files stay on your computer and are not automatically published. When the AI Agent works, it may send your request and relevant file content to its model provider for processing. Review that provider’s privacy, retention, and account settings before adding client records.
Part 4 explains what to do when the AI Agent cannot see the Local Folder or you opened the wrong one. Open the full troubleshooting guide.