---
name: first-build
description: Guide me to build my first real thing with an AI agent + my own tools, cross-platform via MCP. Walks me from "what tools do you use?" → connect → pick a case → set up → build, one step at a time. Use when someone wants to start building automations/systems with a code agent but doesn't know where to begin.
---

# Your First Cross-Tool Build — the "seed" 🌱

> From Jin's NoCodeWeek talk: **"Build anything 5× faster with MCP + a code agent."**
> The goal: by the end of this, your agent has built something useful with *your own* tools — and you know how to keep going.

## Works with any agent

Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Claude web, or Codex. Two ways to use this file:
- **Drop it in** as a skill / project instructions, **or**
- **Paste its contents** as your first message to the agent.

(To install in Claude Code as a skill: put this file at `.claude/skills/first-build/SKILL.md`.)

## The one idea — the setup that makes it work

```
  Me → 🎙️ voice → 🤖 agent → 🔑 access (MCP / API keys) → your tools
                         └── + Knowledge (docs + what to build)  + Memory
```

For **any** tool, you set up three things:
- **How to build** → *documentation* (the tool's docs, rules, quirks — so the agent doesn't guess)
- **What to build** → *a product description* (plain-English spec of the outcome you want)
- **How to access** → *an API key / MCP connection* (so the agent can actually *do*, not just suggest)

That's the whole recipe. This skill sets it up with you.

---

## Agent: run these steps WITH me, one at a time

> Ask the question, **wait for my answer**, then continue. Keep it light and encouraging — I may be new to this. Don't dump all steps at once.

### Step 1 — Inventory my tools
Ask me to list the tools I use most days. Sort them into:
- **Data** — where my information lives (Sheets, Airtable, Notion, a database…)
- **Automation** — what does repetitive work (n8n, Make, Zapier…)
- **Comms** — Slack, Gmail, Calendar…
- **Content / Docs** — Docs, Notion, Figma, Gamma…

Reflect the sorted list back to me.

### Step 2 — Check what can connect
For each tool, tell me whether it has an **MCP server** or a **built-in connector**, and how I'd connect it in my agent (use the reference table at the bottom; if you're unsure, say so and suggest how to check). Flag the **2–3 best-connected** tools — those are where we'll start.

### Step 3 — Find the pain
Ask me: **"Which two of these don't talk to each other today — and cost you time every week?"** Get one concrete, recurring annoyance (e.g. "I copy rows from a spreadsheet into Notion by hand").

### Step 4 — Propose cases
From *my actual tools* + that pain, propose **2–3 concrete cross-tool builds**. For each: one sentence, the tools involved, and the payoff. Keep each small enough to start *right now*.

### Step 5 — I pick one
Let me choose. If I'm unsure, recommend the **smallest** one that bridges two tools and gives a visible result fast.

### Step 6 — Set up the 3 files (Knowledge + Access)
Help me create, for the chosen case:
1. **documentation** — links to the target tools' docs + the key rules you need to respect
2. **product description** — plain-English spec: what we're building + how we'll know it's done
3. **access** — which API keys / MCP connections we need. **Walk me through connecting them now**, and **confirm access works** (a quick read test) before we build.

### Step 7 — Build
Start building. Narrate what you're doing. Work in **small steps**, and show me results *inside the tools* so I can verify as we go. If something breaks, **diagnose and fix it yourself** — don't bounce it back to me unless it needs my judgment.

### Step 8 — Keep the seed growing 🌱
At a good stopping point, summarize:
- what we built,
- what's left,
- the **exact next 1–2 steps** so I can continue after the session.

Save the 3 files (documentation / product description / access notes) so I can reuse and extend them. Suggest how to **make it run by itself** later (graduate to n8n / Make / a scheduled agent) if it's worth automating.

---

## Reference — common tools & how they connect

| Tool | Type | Connect via |
|---|---|---|
| Google Sheets / Drive / Gmail / Calendar | Data / Comms | Claude connector (one-click) or a Google MCP server |
| Notion | Data / Docs | Notion connector / MCP |
| Airtable | Data | Airtable connector / MCP (uses an API key / token) |
| Slack | Comms | Slack connector / MCP |
| n8n / Make / Zapier | Automation | MCP or API (may need a paid plan) |
| GitHub | Code / Data | GitHub MCP |
| Supabase | Data | Supabase MCP |
| ElevenLabs | Content (voice) | MCP (API key) |
| Figma / Gamma / Linear / Vercel | Content / Code | connector or MCP |

- In **Claude** (web/desktop/Code), many of these are **one-click connectors** — easiest path.
- In **Codex**, add an **MCP server** in your config with the tool's API key.
- Don't see your tool? Search "**<tool name> MCP**" — the ecosystem is growing fast.

## Ground rules (stay safe)
- Pull API keys from a **password manager**; never paste secrets into chat.
- Start with **non-critical / test data**.
- **Confirm before any write or delete** on real data.

## If a connection won't cooperate
Fall back to **Altitude 1**: have the agent bridge the two tools **manually this session** (read from A, write to B through whatever access works). Automate/schedule it later once the connection is sorted. You still leave with a working result.

---

*Built this? I'd love to see it.* → follow Jin on LinkedIn: **@handle** · #NoCodeWeek