Try my setup

If you read the main post and want to run something similar, there is a public starter kit you can clone today.

Repository: github.com/timtrailor-hash/claude-code-starter

What you get

• The four core skills: /review, /debate, /autonomous, /dream.
• Twelve generic hooks covering credential-leak detection, protected-path enforcement, rename guards, session-manifest tracking, configuration integrity, and audit logging.
• The memory server: dual-tier semantic plus keyword search over your own Claude Code session history. Empty on first run.
• Control-plane scripts: deploy.sh with atomic deploy and auto-rollback, verify.sh with pytest scenarios that feed real Claude Code JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) payloads into the hooks and assert the correct allow or deny behaviour.
• Two rule templates (operational and security) you edit for your own context.
• A CLAUDE.md template, a credentials loader pattern using macOS Keychain, an MIT license, and a .gitignore calibrated for this kind of project.

How it is intended to be used

Clone the repository. Open a Claude Code session in it. Say: "read docs/setup-for-claude.md and walk me through the setup". The document is written for Claude to read and execute interactively with you, asking the right questions and doing the right things at each stage.

If you prefer to do it by hand, start with docs/architecture.md for an overview, then docs/setup-for-claude.md for the steps, then docs/first-use.md for what to do once you are running.

What you need to know before starting

• macOS. Parts of this assume macOS launchd, Keychain, and Homebrew. Linux users can adapt, but it is real work.
• Python 3.11+ and Node.js 20+.
• A Claude Code Pro or Max subscription for day-to-day use.
• Application Programming Interface (API) keys for at least Anthropic, Gemini, and OpenAI if you want the /debate skill to work. Perplexity is optional.
• Optional: an Apple Developer account if you want the companion iOS terminal application at some later point. The starter kit does not require it.
• Time. Installing the scaffold is about an hour. Getting real value from it compounds over several weeks of use.

Honest warnings

• This is a snapshot, not a project. I am not maintaining it. Issues are unlikely to be addressed.
• It is opinionated. Everything reflects decisions I made for specific reasons. You will disagree with some of them. Good. Change them.
• It is macOS-shaped. Some of it will not work on Linux without effort.
• The patterns matter more than the code. If you take only one thing, take the principle that text rules fail under pressure and structural enforcement is the fix. The specific hooks here are examples; your hooks will differ.

What is not in the starter kit

By design, nothing in the repository is personal to me. No credentials, no memory content, no hardware-specific skills (printers, in my case), no proprietary logic, no iOS app source. The full version of my own system, with all the specifics, is described in the technical manual.

Can you use this? Yes. You can copy it, modify it, run it, share it, use it commercially, or build on it for your own project. No attribution required. The LICENSE file in the repository has the formal version.