Verify It Works

A quick checklist to confirm your system is set up correctly. Run through each check and mark it off.

Time: About 15 minutes.

Core System Checks

These verify the essential components are working. Open your terminal and run each check:


  Check core tools ──▶ Check your vault ──▶ Check your profile ──▶ Test a workflow

1. Claude Code is installed and working


claude --version

What you should see: A version number (like 1.x.x).

If not: Go back to Step 1: Install Claude Code.

2. GitHub is connected


gh auth status

What you should see: “Logged in to github.com as [your-username]”

If not: Run gh auth login and follow the prompts.

3. Your vault exists and has structure


ls ~/Vault

What you should see: 0_InnerContext 1_Projects 2_Areas 3_Resources 4_Archive _System

If not: Go back to Step 2: Set Up Your Vault.

4. Your personal profile exists


ls ~/Vault/0_InnerContext/Self_Context/

What you should see: At least a few files (like identity.md, preferences.md, or master_context.md).

If not: Go back to Step 3: Tell It About You.

5. Claude Code can read your profile


claude

Then type:


Read my profile from ~/Vault/0_InnerContext/Self_Context/ and tell me my name and one of my preferences.

What you should see: Claude correctly states your name and a preference from your profile.

If not: Check that the profile files contain actual content (not just empty templates).

Connection Checks (Optional)

Run these for each tool you connected in Step 4:

Connection	Test	What You Should See
Google Calendar	Ask Claude: “What’s on my calendar tomorrow?”	Tomorrow’s events listed
Gmail	Ask Claude: “Check my recent emails”	Recent email subjects
1Password	Type `op vault list` in terminal	List of your vaults
Task Manager	Ask Claude to check tasks	Your current tasks

Don’t worry if some connections aren’t set up yet. You can add them anytime — each one just makes the system more capable.

The Real Test

The best verification is using the system for something real. Try this in your Claude session:


I'd like you to help me plan my day. Use everything you know about me from my profile -- my goals, my constraints, my preferences. Then give me a prioritized plan for today.

What a good result looks like:

It addresses you by name
It references your actual goals (not generic ones)
It respects your constraints (energy patterns, schedule preferences)
The communication style matches what you specified

What a bad result looks like:

Generic advice with no personalization
Ignores your constraints
Doesn’t know your goals or priorities

If the result is generic, your profile files may be empty or not loading correctly. Go back to Step 3 and make sure the files have real content.

Summary

Check	Status
Claude Code installed	[ ]
GitHub connected	[ ]
Vault structure created	[ ]
Personal profile exists	[ ]
Claude can read your profile	[ ]
Calendar connected (optional)	[ ]
Email connected (optional)	[ ]
Credential manager set up (optional)	[ ]
Real-world test passed	[ ]

What’s Next?

Your system is ready. Here’s where to go from here:

Daily Operations — Set up your morning brief, email triage, and daily planning
Weekly Reviews — Automate your weekly review and planning cycle
Build Your Own Workflows — Create custom workflows for your specific role
Thinking Partner — Use the system as a thinking and decision-making tool

Congratulations — you’ve built your personal AI operations system.