Every productive AI interaction follows the same five phases.

PROTOCOLLOADCLARIFYEXECUTERECORDREFLECT
Start with the Basics
Your First 30 Minutes

This Is What My First Day Looked Like

Four steps. Thirty minutes. After this, my AI never started from scratch again. Yours won't either.

1

Create CLAUDE.md

2 minutes
# My Project

## Tech Stack
- React 18, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS
- Supabase for auth and database

## Architecture
- Feature-based folders
- API routes in /api, components in /features

## Current State
- Auth working, dashboard empty
- Next: build the task list feature

You just gave your AI a memory. It'll read this every session.

2

Create TODO.md

3 minutes
## Active
- [ ] Build task list feature
  - AC: Users can create, edit, delete tasks
  - AC: Tasks persist in Supabase
  - AC: Drag-and-drop reordering

## Done
- [x] Set up auth with Supabase

Your AI now knows what you're working on today.

3

Run your first session

5 minutes

AI Response

I've read your project context. You're building a task management
app with React 18 and Supabase. Auth is done. The next priority
is the task list feature with create, edit, delete, and
drag-and-drop reordering.

I notice you're using feature-based folders. I'll create the
task list under /features/tasks/ with a clean separation
between the UI components and the Supabase queries.

Ready to start with the data model, or would you prefer
to begin with the UI?

That's the moment. Your AI just read your project without you explaining a thing.

4

Session 2, the compound moment

next day

AI Response

I see from PROGRESS.md that you shipped the task list CRUD
yesterday. The drag-and-drop reordering from TODO.md is still
open.

Based on DECISIONS.md (DEC-002: "Keep UI state local, persist
on blur"), I'll use React state for drag positions and only
write to Supabase when the user drops. This avoids the
flickering issue you noted in PROGRESS.md.

Ready to tackle the reordering?

You didn't tell it any of that. It read it. That's the compound effect.

That's it. Four files. Thirty minutes. I did this over a year ago and haven't re-explained my project since.

What I Do Differently Now

Four Habits I Use Every Day

These aren't abstract ideas. They're four things I changed about how I work with AI, and they reinforce each other.

01

Plan in Markdown, Not Jira

How it was

You keep tickets in Jira and context in Slack. Your AI can't read either, unless you've given it MCP access.

How it is now

Move the plan into the repo as TODO.md and your AI reads it every session. No board, no grooming, no re-explaining what you're working on.

Your AI reads the plan because it lives where the code lives.

02

Protect Decisions, Not Code

How it was

You guard your code because rebuilding feels expensive.

How it is now

Here's what's funny. With AI, building is the cheap part. The wrong architecture is what kills you. DECISIONS.md and CONSTRAINTS.md protect the choices that are actually expensive to get wrong.

I've rewritten a component in an afternoon. A wrong data model followed me for sprints.

03

Align with Files, Not Meetings

How it was

Your AI drifts from your goals. You catch the violation three sessions later.

How it is now

Point it at your PRFAQ, principles, and constraints before it touches a line of code, and every session starts aligned. The drift stops.

It can't drift if it reads the destination every time it starts.

04

Measure Compound, Not Output

How it was

Every session starts with re-explaining the project. Same effort, same output. The flat line.

How it is now

Now today's session builds on yesterday's. PROGRESS.md carries what happened, DECISIONS.md carries why, and the flat line bends into a curve.

If your sessions compound, you're moving. If they re-explain, you're burning tokens.

These reinforce each other. Markdown planning feeds alignment. Protected decisions enable compound sessions. It works because it's one loop, not four separate habits.

Marek is sharing these while they're working, so you can skip the months of figuring them out.

Pick Your Protocol

Three Protocols I Use

I use different protocols depending on the task. Here's how they break down.

📋

uno

Operate

AI works FOR you. Clear task, trust output.

  • → I use it for trip planning
  • → Documentation projects
  • → Research tasks

Habits 1 & 4: plan in markdown, measure compound

Get Template →
Guided Practice
🤝

duo

Construct

AI works WITH you. Iterative, role-switching.

  • → Code projects
  • → Product builds
  • → Team handoffs

All 4 habits: planning, decisions, alignment, compound

Learn duo
⚙️

tre

Automate

AI works AMONG systems. Quality gates, approvals.

  • → Pipelines
  • → Compliance checks
  • → Automated workflows

Habits 2 & 3: protect decisions, enforce alignment

Coming soon

Not sure? Here's the simple version: If you write code, start with duo. If you don't, start with uno. You can always switch later. The files are the same, the protocol is different.

One Cycle, Three Protocols

The atomic cycle is the same everywhere. What changes is scope. How much context you load and how AI collaborates with you.

AI Basics 101

Start here

The memory myth, files as ground truth, hallucination prevention, and token economics.

Read the basics

uno / Operate

AI works FOR you

Trip planning, documentation, research. Habits 1 & 4: plan in markdown, measure compound.

Learn uno
Guided Practice

duo / Construct

AI works WITH you

Software projects, product builds. All 4 habits: planning, decisions, alignment, compound.

Learn duo

tre / Automate

AI works AMONG systems

Pipelines, quality gates, approval workflows. Habits 2 & 3: protect decisions, enforce alignment.

Coming soon

The 4 Levels

From Jet Ski to Direct Intent

Most people explore with AI before directing it. Learn the 4-level model: when to build jet skis, when to add the strategic roof, and how to graduate from exploring to executing.

Read the guide

AI Readiness Check

DIY maturity assessment

12 production-ready AI capabilities across 4 categories. Check off what your team has solved. The result tells you whether uno, duo, or tre fits your organisation.

Take the assessment

Not Sure Which Protocol?

Do you need AI to write code?

  • Yesduo (Construct)
  • No → What kind of work?
    • • Work projects with deadlines → uno/ea
    • • Personal logistics (travel, events) → uno/pa
    • • Documentation, knowledge → uno/km

New to all this? Start with AI Basics 101. It takes 10 minutes and covers the fundamentals.

Ready to Go Deeper?

The duo/ab protocol is the Construct-mode protocol for software development. Clone the template, follow the guide, and start compounding.