Build your own AI command center. Free.
A working personal AI cockpit on your computer: an Obsidian vault as your second brain, Claude Desktop with Cowork as the brain, and optional dashboards with voice as the Iron Man layer. Not theory. A real system that connects your files, your business context and your AI.
- 100% free, no email gate
- 14-page PDF + starter vault + templates
- The setup I run my own business on
Three layers. Built in order.
One cockpit for your entire business: clients, calendar, inbox, tasks, pipeline and AI agents on one screen, voice-driven if you want it. Start with Layers 1 and 2; many people stop there and get tons of value. Layer 3 is for the Iron Man feel.
- 01
Your second brain
An Obsidian vault on your computer: a folder of plain text files holding your notes, clients, tasks, templates and operating context.
- Obsidian installed and a Vault folder created
- Starter vault files dropped in: CLAUDE.md, templates, system folder
- Client profile, conversations, tasks and meeting-note templates
- Operating instructions tuned to your business and voice
- Everything plain text, local, portable, yours
- 02
Your AI brain
Claude Desktop with Cowork, the AI that reads and writes to your vault. Cowork mode is what makes the whole thing work, and it requires Claude Max.
- Claude Desktop installed with Cowork mode enabled
- Vault connected so Claude reads and writes your context
- Foundation skills: docs, productivity, schedule, mcp-builder
- Domain skills: operations, marketing, brand-voice, SEO
- Gmail, Calendar, Drive, your CRM and meeting recorders connected
- 03
The Iron Man cockpit optional
Dashboards with voice. Only build this once you've used Layers 1 and 2 for at least 30 days, so you know which panels you actually want.
- AI Ops dashboard: AI inventory, plugins, skills, token usage
- Agency Ops dashboard: clients, pipeline, tasks, deliverables
- The Bridge: master HTML console with voice control
- Cloudflare Pages free hosting + ElevenLabs voice
- Ambient voice capture that transcribes you locally
Foundation first. Then the brain. Then the cockpit.
A cockpit with nothing behind it is a pretty screen. The vault gives Claude your context; Claude makes the vault useful; the dashboards only earn their place once both are running. Building one of these is the fastest way to actually adopt AI.
Zero to running system. Step by step.
Eleven steps. Do them in order. Three hours of focused work gets you through the foundation, and the guide walks you through every click. Open the Drive folder in a separate tab before you start.
Install Claude Desktop 5 minutes
Download from claude.com/download, drag to Applications, sign in, confirm you are on Max or higher. Cowork mode requires Max, Pro is not enough.
Install Obsidian 5 minutes
Grab it from obsidian.md, drag to Applications, launch it. Do not create a vault yet, just confirm it opens.
Create the Vault folder 2 minutes
Open Finder, click Documents, create a new folder, name it
Vault. Lives at/Users/your-username/Documents/Vault/(on Windows,C:\Users\your-username\Documents\Vault\).Drop the starter files into your Vault 5 minutes
From the Drive folder, grab the Install for client folder. Unzip if needed. Select everything inside and drag into Vault.
CLAUDE.mdMUST be at the root.Open Vault in Obsidian 2 minutes
Launch Obsidian, click Open folder as vault, navigate to your Vault folder, click Open. You should see all the folders and files in the sidebar.
Customize CLAUDE.md 15-30 minutes
Open
CLAUDE.md, scroll to Business Context, fill in every bracketed section with your real information. Spend extra time on the Things you hate seeing in AI writing section; that alone makes Claude sound 10x better out of the box.Connect Vault to Claude 5 minutes
Enable Cowork in Claude Desktop, click Add folder, select your Vault folder (single-click, do not double-click), allow access. Test:
Read CLAUDE.md and summarize what you know about my business.Install foundation skills 15 minutes
Document handling (docx, xlsx, pptx, pdf), productivity, schedule, skill-creator, consolidate-memory. Builder tools: mcp-builder, watch, web-asset-generator, deep-research, viral-video-production.
Install domain skills 10 minutes
Operations (structured processes), marketing (you market your business), brand-voice (you produce content), searchfit-seo (you have a website). Tell Claude to update
System/TOOLS.mdwith the list and today's date.Connect your tools 30 minutes
Gmail (work account), Google Calendar, Google Drive, meeting recorder (Fathom or Granola), your CRM (GHL, HubSpot, Salesforce), work tools (Slack, Notion, Asana, Canva, Stripe). Test each connector with a real query before installing the next.
Use it daily for 30 days The most important step
Run morning briefings, client prep and file cleanup commands every day. Note what feels missing; that tells you what to build next. Most people quit at Day 4 because the system feels empty. Push through. Week 2 is when it clicks.
Everything you need to start. Already built.
Inside the Drive folder is every starter file, every template and every deep-dive doc that powers the build. No signup, no upsell, no spam.
What's in the folder, and where it goes.
| What | Where it goes | Why it matters | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter vault files | Drop into your Vault folder | 5 minutes to install | The "Install for client" folder. Drop these into Vault and you have a working second brain on day one, no guessing on structure. |
| CLAUDE.md | Root of Vault (not in a subfolder) | 15-30 min to customize | The operating instructions template. Tells Claude who you are, what your business does, your voice and how to talk to you. The brain of the brain. |
| Template files | Inside your Vault under templates/ | Pre-filled scaffolding | Client profile, conversations, tasks, meeting notes and more. Fill them in or let Claude write into them automatically. |
| System folder files | Vault/System/ | Operating context | CONTEXT, TOOLS, USER, IDENTITY and related system files. The reference docs Claude reads to stay grounded. |
| Deep-dive docs | Reference | Optional but powerful | The 11 phase documents with architecture-level detail, for builders who want to understand exactly how every layer connects. |
| Build Guide PDF | Read alongside the steps | 14 pages | Every step from install to Day 30, with the screenshots. |
Memory is the multiplier.
The system feels empty on day one because it hasn't met your business yet. Every note, meeting and client detail you add makes Claude's answers more specific to you. By Day 30 it knows your operation better than most of your team does.
The guide is complete. Help is optional.
You can build the whole thing yourself with zero outside help; if you do, tag me when you finish. If you'd rather not go it alone, there are two very different ways to work with us.
Build it with me: AI coaching
Live 1-on-1 Zoom sessions where I remote into your computer, build with you and teach as we go. Best if you want to learn and own the build.
- $200 per 1-hour session, pay as you go
- No retainer, no setup fee, no minimum
- Every session recorded, yours to keep
- One hour usually saves a week of trial and error
Have it built: a business command center
A custom command center we build around your company, connecting the platforms we agree on into one intelligent dashboard. Best if you want it done, not a project. New to the idea? Read what an AI command center is.
- $497/month with an agreed initial scope
- A free live demo of a working command center
- A written proposal before any commitment
Hi, I'm Corey.
I run Launch Automation, a done-for-you agency based in Boca Raton. I specialize in helping insurance agents scale and automate their sales and marketing, and I help business owners across other industries adopt AI and actually implement it in a way that makes them money.
AI is my passion. The same systems I run my own business on are the ones in this guide. I'm not gating it: no email, no upsell, no spam. The only thing I ask is that you follow me on one platform. Every follow tells me to keep dropping free resources like this.
Straight answers.
Is the guide really free?
Yes. No email gate, no upsell, no spam. The whole 14-page PDF, the Drive folder, the starter vault, the templates, the system files and the 11 deep-dive architecture docs are free. If it saves you a week of fumbling, follow me and share one video; that's the deal.
What do I actually need before I start?
A computer (Mac or Windows, most steps work the same), a Claude account on the Max plan (Cowork requires Max, roughly $100-200/mo), and a microphone if you want voice later. The rest is free or already in the Drive folder. Do not buy ElevenLabs or Anthropic API credits yet; you don't need them until Step 10 or later.
Why does Cowork require Claude Max instead of Pro?
Cowork mode is what gives Claude Desktop the ability to read and write to your vault. It's the bridge that turns Claude into your AI brain instead of just a chat window. Cowork requires the Max plan; that's by design from Anthropic.
Where does the Vault folder need to live?
Inside your Documents folder, named exactly Vault, so the path is /Users/your-username/Documents/Vault/. The starter files from the Install for client folder go INSIDE Vault. CLAUDE.md MUST be at the root of Vault, not inside a subfolder.
How long does this actually take to build?
The foundation (Layers 1 and 2) is usually one focused Saturday morning: three hours, coffee, no distractions. Layer 3, the Iron Man dashboards, is a separate project I recommend you wait on for at least 30 days.
What if I get stuck?
Give it 15 minutes. If you're still stuck, screenshot the error and DM me on Instagram or TikTok; I answer questions publicly. If you want hands-on help getting unstuck, book an AI coaching session.
What's in the Drive folder?
The Install for client starter vault folder, the CLAUDE.md operating-instructions template, template files (client profile, conversations, tasks, meeting notes), the System folder files (CONTEXT, TOOLS, USER, IDENTITY), the 11 phase documents, and the 14-page Build Guide PDF.
What's a 1-on-1 coaching session and what does it cost?
A live 1-hour Zoom where I remote into your computer and we build it together while I teach you. $200 per session, pay as you go, no retainer, no setup fee. Every session is recorded and yours to keep. Details on the AI coaching page.
What's the difference between coaching and the command center?
Coaching is done-with-you: live sessions where we build your own system together and you learn. The business command center is a custom dashboard we build around your company on a $497/month plan, connecting the platforms we agree on.
What if I'm not technical at all?
The guide is written for non-technical builders. The hardest "technical" step is dragging a folder, naming files and following the screenshots. If you hit something that needs terminal commands or wiring up APIs, that's when a coaching session is worth it.
Does this work on Windows or do I need a Mac?
Both. Claude Desktop, Obsidian and everything in the guide run on Mac and Windows. Path examples are Mac-style (/Users/your-username/Documents/Vault/); the Windows equivalent is C:\Users\your-username\Documents\Vault\.
Why Claude instead of ChatGPT or Gemini?
For business automation, Claude is the most capable model right now: long context, strong reasoning and coding, and the cleanest MCP and tool ecosystem. Cowork mode, reading and writing files on your computer, is unique to Claude Desktop. You can add other LLMs as fallbacks later.
Will my setup keep working after I build it?
Yes. Everything runs on your machine with your own accounts, with no subscription to me. It keeps working as long as you pay for those services directly.
Why is the system "empty" when I first build it?
Because you haven't used it for 30 days yet. Most people quit at Day 4 because they expect magic on day one. Week 2 is when it clicks. Push through Day 4; by Day 30 it knows your business better than most of your team does.
You have everything you need.
The blueprint, the files, the steps. Free. The people who pick this up and run with it will be in a different place in six months than the people who never opened the Drive folder. Build something, and tell me what you build.
Questions before you build? Email me or comment on any of my Instagram or TikTok posts.