Build a how-to library your agents follow
Turn the things you've figured out into a tree of how-tos that you, Claude Code or Codex can look up, follow step by step, and improve each time.
Every fix you've figured out once is worth writing down: the router reset, the deploy steps, the tax form. Written down in the right shape, an agent can find it, follow it, and point out the step that no longer works.
What you need
- The Knowledge pack in your Data Base (see Your first 30 minutes).
- An AI connected to it. For technical how-tos, a coding agent such as Claude Code or Codex can follow them directly.
How the Knowledge pack is shaped
| Table | What it holds | Useful fields |
|---|---|---|
knowledges | One note or how-to per row | title, context, knowledge_type, knowledge_parent (a note can sit under another), related_knowledge (linked both ways) |
knowledge_type | Your categories, nestable | title, parent_type |
With the Progress pack installed too, goals, projects and tasks can link to the notes they rely on.
1. Set up a few types (5 min)
Keep it small. You can always split a type later. A made-up example:
| Type | Under |
|---|---|
| How-to | (top level) |
| Home | How-to |
| Work | How-to |
| Deploy | Work |
| Reference | (top level) |
Ask your AI to create them:
Create these knowledge types: How-to, with Home and Work under it, Deploy under Work, and Reference at the top level.
2. Write how-tos an agent can follow (15 min)
A how-to works for an agent when it says when it applies, the exact steps, and how to know it worked. Ask for that shape:
Save a how-to under Deploy called "Deploy the website". When: after merging to main. Steps: run the tests, build, upload the out folder to the server, check the home page loads. Done when: the new version shows in the footer. Gotcha: the server needs the build folder, not the source.
Then add the one you'll need when it goes wrong, and link the two, so one leads to the next:
Save a second how-to under Deploy, "Roll back a bad deploy": put the previous build folder back on the server and check the home page. Link it to "Deploy the website" as related knowledge.
3. Let an agent follow one (5 min)
In a coding agent, inside the right project:
Find my how-to for deploying the website and follow it. Stop and ask me before uploading anything.
The agent looks it up (query_records), reads the linked notes (get_record_neighbors), and works through the steps, pausing where you told it to.
4. Keep it alive (ongoing)
How-tos rot. The fix is to update them at the moment you notice:
That step was wrong: the server wants the folder copied, not synced. Update the deploy how-to and add the reason as a gotcha.
Check it worked
- Asking "how do I deploy the website?" returns your note, not a generic answer.
- Opening a how-to shows its type, its parent, and its related notes.
- One how-to has been corrected after real use.
Next
See how all of it connects: Explore your knowledge graph.