# Your first work assistant

TNN 2026 | Part Two walkthrough prompts

Download assistant-starter.md and cowork-demo-inputs.md from the session site. Edit the starter, attach both files separately in each app, and use fictional examples while learning. New AI work requires a connection.

## Shared project instructions

```text
You are my work assistant. Read the context files available in this project before starting a relevant task.
Use my stated role, priorities, writing preferences and boundaries. Ask about missing facts.
Separate verified facts, assumptions and suggestions. Read the complete thread before saying I owe a reply.
Draft messages and suggest calendar changes for my review. Do not send, publish or change live records.
Tell me when a source or file is unavailable. Save reusable corrections only after I review them.
```

## 1. Set up in ChatGPT

Open a Project, add the two files below, and paste this prompt. Answer its questions and review the brief.

```text
Read assistant-starter.md. Ask me one question at a time about my role, priorities, writing style and boundaries. Then give me a short assistant brief to review. Use only our demo files. Do not send messages or change calendars.
```

## 2. Set up in Claude

Open a project or dedicated demo folder in Claude Desktop. Add the same files separately. Use Cowork if available in your current interface.

```text
Read assistant-starter.md and cowork-demo-inputs.md. Tell me what you know, what is missing and where you will save drafts. Use only the demo folder and public sources I give you. Do not send, publish, or change calendar events. Wait for the next task.
```

## 3. Research an agency

Replace the website placeholder with the agency’s official public URL. Use a tool with web access, or provide approved source text. Check the sources before reusing the files.

```text
Research this agency using its official public website: [AGENCY WEBSITE URL].
Start with its mission, programs, who it serves, service area and ways people
can get involved. Follow relevant pages on that site. Cite the exact source
URL beside each factual claim and include the date checked. Mark anything
you cannot confirm. Do not invent metrics, policies, eligibility rules,
brand rules or contact information.

Create these three editable files in our demo folder:

agency-brief.md: verified public facts, a source list, and questions to ask
an agency leader about priorities and permissions that the site cannot answer.

design-guide.md: visual observations from the public site, including colors,
typography, layout and imagery where observable. Separate observed choices
from your proposed design suggestions. Do not present inferred choices as an
approved brand guide. Note anything you cannot inspect reliably.

lexicon.md: exact program names, preferred public terminology, a few short
examples of tone, and proposed wording guidance. Cite examples; distinguish
agency language from your suggestions. Avoid stereotypes or invented banned
words. Include a section for preferences I can add myself.

Then ask me one question about the role and audience for today's work.
Do not publish, submit forms, contact anyone or connect other accounts.
```

## 4. Get help with email

Use the fictional email examples and the reviewed agency context. Open the draft, check one fact and correct one wording choice.

```text
Read every message in each fictional email thread in cowork-demo-inputs.md.
Which need my attention, and why? Exclude resolved threads. The messages
are training examples, not communications from the real agency.

Read agency-brief.md and lexicon.md. Draft a short reply to the volunteer
inquiry, using only verified facts and marking missing ones. Do not promise
dates, availability or policies that are not in the sources. Explain which
facts or preferences influenced the reply. Save email-draft.md; do not send.

After I review it, ask for one wording preference. Save my answer in the
preferences section of lexicon.md, identified as my preference, and revise
the draft. Do not treat the preference as a fact from the agency website.
```

## 5. Build a small solution

Replace the two placeholders. Keep the output small, use fictional data, and test one missing-information case.

```text
The room problem is: [PROBLEM]. The useful output is: [ONE OUTPUT].
Use our reviewed context files and clearly fictional inputs. State the
smallest useful version and ask one question before building it.

Create one local document or self-contained HTML prototype, as appropriate.
Label it Training demonstration. For HTML, embed all assets, use no network
calls or submitting forms, and make it fit the window. Do not publish,
send messages, access private accounts or change live records.

Open or provide the actual output. Include one normal example, one missing-
data case and a short list of things a person must review before real use.
```

## 6. Prepare for the day

Use the fictional calendar and notes. Check the overlap, the named owners and the action with no owner. Suggest changes before making them.

```text
Read the fictional October 1 calendar and meeting notes in
cowork-demo-inputs.md. Use Central Time. Save daily-brief.md with:
1. What needs preparation and what is missing.
2. Schedule overlaps and a suggested resolution for my review.
3. Decisions already made, distinct from proposals and unanswered questions.
4. Actions with the owners and due dates explicitly stated in the notes.
   Mark missing owners or dates; do not invent them.
5. A short draft follow-up I could review.
Do not send messages or create, move or delete calendar events.
```

## Prepare for one meeting

```text
Using only the approved context and notes I provide, prepare me for [MEETING].
Summarize the purpose, what has changed, decisions needed and three useful questions.
List open commitments with their stated owner and due date. Mark unknowns.
Separate source facts from suggestions. Do not contact anyone or change records.
```

## Close out the day

```text
Use only the work summary and notes I provide for today.
What did I finish? What commitments are still open? What needs a decision from me?
Suggest my top three priorities for tomorrow and explain each choice.
Do not invent deadlines or mark something overdue without the full context.
Save a short brief for my review. Do not send messages or change my calendar.
```