Build Your Own

Part 1 of 4 · The container

Keep the whole Desktop Workspace in one folder.

The Local Folder for a Desktop Workspace keeps the Workspace 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 Desktop Workspace.

Let the Workspace Wizard plan this structure with you.

The Workspace Wizard asks what you want to build and creates a customized Markdown prompt for your AI Agent. Attach that prompt in your first chat and type “Build It.” Your AI Agent will use your answers to create the Local Folder structure around your needs.

Set up your AI Agent first

A simple starting structure

Give each kind of file a home.

You do not need to plan every folder or file yourself. Use the Workspace Wizard to explain what you need, and your customized prompt will tell your AI Agent how to create and organize the structure.

.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.

View the complete starting folder structureSee every recommended top-level folder and file and what each one owns.

Let the Workspace Wizard plan this structure for you.

Answer the guided questions, download and extract your generated Workspace package, open its folder in your AI Agent, and type “Build It.” Your AI Agent will continue from the included structure and plan.

Folderclient-document-follow-upThe bookkeeper’s whole Desktop Workspace lives here.
  • FileREADME.mdA simple guide for opening and using the Desktop Workspace.
  • FileAGENTS.md or CLAUDE.mdAgent Instructions in the filename your AI Agent reads automatically.
  • FolderdataThe Workspace Information used day to day.
  • FolderskillsSkills for focused tasks.
  • FolderworkflowsWorkflows for repeatable journeys.
  • FoldersiteThe readable view of the Desktop Workspace.
    • Fileindex.htmlThe home page that opens in your browser.
  • FolderoutputFinished reports and documents made from the Workspace Information.
  • FolderhistoryShort summaries of changes, not the current business records.
  • FolderbackupsDated copies made before risky changes.
View the filled-in bookkeeper exampleSee how the same structure holds real client records, instructions, output, history, and backups.

Let the Workspace Wizard plan this structure for you.

Answer the guided questions, download and extract your generated Workspace package, open its folder in your AI Agent, and type “Build It.” Your AI Agent will continue from the included structure and plan.

Filled-in example

The bookkeeper’s month-end document Desktop Workspace

Folderclient-document-follow-upTracks missing client documents each month.
  • FileREADME.mdHow the bookkeeper opens and uses the Desktop Workspace.
  • FileAGENTS.md or CLAUDE.mdAgent Instructions for handling client information and updating status.
  • FolderdataThe current client and document records.
    • Fileclients.mdClient names, contacts, and filing months.
    • Filedocument-status.mdWhat arrived, what is missing, and who needs a follow-up.
  • FolderskillsA Skill for one focused task.
    • Filerecord-received-document.mdHow to mark one document as received.
  • FolderworkflowsA Workflow for the whole follow-up journey.
    • Filemonth-end-follow-up.mdHow to review missing items and prepare follow-ups.
  • FoldersiteThe bookkeeper’s readable status view.
    • Fileindex.htmlThe status page that opens in a browser.
  • FolderoutputFinished documents created from current records.
    • Fileaugust-follow-up-list.mdA prepared list of clients to contact.
  • FolderhistoryA record of meaningful Desktop Workspace changes.
    • File2026-08-11-status-update.mdWhat changed and how the AI Agent checked it.
  • FolderbackupsVersion copies made before risky changes.
    • Folder2026-08-11-before-status-updateThe state before a broad update.
Where does the Local Folder go?Anywhere your AI Agent can access and you can back up.

Put the Local Folder anywhere your AI Agent can access it. That could be an 8bit Desktop Workspaces folder inside Documents, a shared network drive, or a file storage service such as Dropbox. If other people will use the Desktop Workspace, choose a shared location with access controls and version history.

How do you look at it?Use Finder or File Explorer for the folder and a browser for the Local Site.

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.

What goes in data?The current facts and records that the Local Site and finished reports use.

For the bookkeeper, clients.md holds client names and contacts, while document-status.md records every requested document and its current status. This Workspace Information is what the Local Site and finished reports use.

The one-home rule

Every important fact should have one dependable home.

Keep current facts in data, instructions in the instruction files, finished documents in output, and change summaries in history.

See what belongs in each areaUnderstand the dependable home for records, pages, instructions, output, and history.

Workspace Information

The current facts and records belong in data. This is where the bookkeeper keeps the client and document status.

Local Site pages

The Local Site makes the same information easier to read. It should never be the only place an important fact is saved.

Agent Instructions

AGENTS.md for Codex or CLAUDE.md for Claude Code, plus Skills and Workflows, explains how the AI Agent should work.

Output

Output holds finished reports or documents made from the Workspace Information. It is not the dependable home of the facts used to create them.

History

History explains what changed and how it was checked. It is not the current business record.

Keep everything in agreement

When something changes, the AI Agent should save it in the Workspace Information first, update the Local Site, check both, and tell you what changed.

Two kinds of safety

Protect changes and protect the whole computer.

Version 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.

Disaster safety

Keep a copy of the entire Local Folder somewhere off this computer. This lets you recover the Desktop Workspace if the drive fails or the laptop is lost.

An inside copy is not disaster protection

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

Know where client information goes.

What stays here and what leaves

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.

How do I keep the Local Folder healthy?Use four upkeep rules and one portability check.

Keep the Local Folder clean and understandable.

  • Do not let the Local Site become the only copy of important information.
  • Write lasting decisions into Agent Instructions instead of relying on chat history.
  • Ask the AI Agent to keep unnecessary work files out of the Local Folder.
  • Periodically ask the AI Agent to explain what each top-level folder owns.

Trouble opening or accessing the Local Folder?

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.