Free · by Timothy Gaull
The AI Foundation Kit
Get how your business actually runs out of your head and into something AI can use. You don't have to write it. The kit has AI interview you for it.
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If it didn't, download the kit here. The link works for 15 minutes.
Start with the README, then open file 01 in your AI tool of choice.
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Free to use and share under CC BY 4.0.
Why it works
You can't automate what isn't written down.
Most AI adoption stalls for the same reason. The tools are fine, but every chat starts cold, because the real process, the pricing rules and the judgment calls live in the owner's head. This kit builds that missing foundation first, then turns it into AI skills one at a time.
Map
Two or three 45-minute interviews. You talk through real jobs; the AI asks and writes.
Write it down
Pull out the rules and numbers you carry in your head, once, into files everything reads.
Build a skill
Start with your most frequent task. Test it on five past cases before you trust it.
Bank corrections
Every fix becomes a dated edit, so it applies to every future run and every new hire.
What's inside
Six plain files, plus a Claude Skill.
Everything is plain text, so it works in any AI tool today and in whatever you use in two years.
01 · Service delivery map
The interview. The AI asks you one question at a time about real jobs you have done, and writes down how work actually moves through your business, stage by stage.
02 · Context pack
The facts every stage assumes but nobody wrote down: what you take on and what you turn away, your standing assumptions, your shorthand, what “done” means.
03 · Skill extraction
Turns one mapped task into a written skill an AI can run and a new hire can learn from, in one fixed format so skills chain together.
04 · Example: quote request triage
A fictional worked example for a small fabrication shop, showing what a draft skill looks like, holes and all.
05 · Verification and retro
How to test a skill against five of your own past decisions before you trust it, and the 15-minute weekly habit that makes it better.
06 · Example: deal intake
A second fictional example, for a real estate investor screening new deals.
How to use it
Three ways to run it.
Claude
Install it as a skill
In the Claude app's settings, find Skills and upload the zip as it is. In Claude Code, unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/. Then say “Run the AI Foundation Kit with me.”
ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot
Paste one file
Open file 01, paste the whole thing into a new chat, and say “Run the service delivery map interview with me. Start with session one.” Keep a real job file open in front of you.
With help
Run it with me
It works on its own. It goes faster with someone facilitating, because the hard part is asking the questions that surface judgment you can't see because it's yours.
A preview
The eight rules the AI interviewer follows.
These come straight from file 01. They're what make the difference between a useful map of your business and a generic chat.
- One question at a time. The AI waits for your answer. It never sends a list of questions.
- Real work, past tense. "Walk me through the job you finished last month" gets the truth. "What's your process?" gets the version nobody follows.
- Stop at every soft verb. When you say "I look at it and decide," that's hidden judgment. The AI asks what you looked at first and what would have changed your answer.
- Numbers, word for word. Prices, thresholds, lead times and limits are written down exactly as you say them.
- Ask for the exception. Every rule gets a follow-up: "When do you break that?" The exceptions are where the expertise lives.
- Never invent. Anything the AI inferred rather than heard is marked [UNCONFIRMED]. A visible hole beats a hidden guess.
- Record first, improve later. Fixes go in a separate list, so you describe the process instead of defending it.
- 45 minutes, then stop. Tired answers are vague, and vague answers make bad AI skills.
Questions
Common questions
What is the AI Foundation Kit?
A free set of plain-text files that turns any AI chat tool into an interviewer. It asks a business owner how work actually moves through the business, writes down the rules and numbers only the owner knows, and turns the most repetitive task into a tested AI skill.
Who is it for?
Owners and operators of businesses with roughly 5 to 200 people, such as trades, shops, manufacturers, professional services firms and real estate investors, where most decisions still run through the owner.
Which AI tools does it work with?
Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot or any AI chat tool that accepts a long message. In Claude it also installs as a skill.
What does it cost?
Nothing. It is licensed CC BY 4.0, so you can use, adapt and share it, including with clients, as long as you credit Timothy Gaull.
How long does it take?
Two or three 45-minute interview sessions produce the first map. Most owners have a first tested skill within a few weeks.
Why do you ask for my email?
To keep the download from being scraped. If you check the box, you'll also get the follow-up on how owners are using their first AI skill, plus occasional notes. Your email is never sold or shared, and you can unsubscribe anytime.