E1 · Fill out the sheet
20 minCopy the template and fill it out for your first task. Write the steps in the order you would do them yourself today.
Done when: the checker above responds OK with 7 fields.
Lesson 2 · 15 min
The agent sheet on one page
An agent without instructions does what it thinks you want. The agent sheet is the page that says who it is, when to work, what steps to follow, what never to do, and how to deliver the work. In this course, that’s what an agent is: a chat Project (or a folder in the terminal) with the sheet in its instructions.
Start the lesson
In this lesson, you’ll
- 1The seven lines in the sheet, in five blocks
- 2The four rules that protect you
- 3Where the sheet lives: Project, Gem, or folder
- 4The first task that tests the sheet
Goal: write the sheet for your first agent with its role, context, steps, rules, and first task, and put it in a chat Project.
01The parts of the sheet
Five blocks, seven lines. Click each block: together, they fit on one page.
Click each block in the diagram to see what it does.
Role and About me say who; When and Steps say what; Rules say what not to do; Delivery and First task say how you review it.
02The four rules that go in every sheet
Copy all four, every time. Click each one.
1. Read only
The agent reads dashboards, spreadsheets, and emails. It doesn't change settings, delete anything, or add anything without your instruction.
If something needs to change, it describes the change and waits.
In the sheet
Read only. Never change settings, delete, or send anything.
2. Draft only
Email, customer replies, payment reminders: everything is saved as a draft. You press Send.
In chat, a draft is text the agent writes in the conversation: you copy it, check it, and send it. That’s your gate.
In the sheet
Save everything as a draft. I'll send it.
3. Login is yours
The password doesn't go in the chat or the sheet. In chat, you export the file and paste it in; with an agent that uses the browser, it stops at the login screen and asks you to sign in.
If a login screen appears, it stops and lets you know.
In the sheet
Never ask for or enter a password. Login screen: stop and call me.
4. Money
Paying, approving, scheduling a payment, or issuing an invoice is always your job. The agent puts the list together; you review and carry it out.
If a number doesn't match or is illegible, it flags it and skips it. It doesn't guess.
In the sheet
Never pay, approve, or schedule a payment. Copy the numbers exactly; if something doesn’t match, flag it and skip it.
03The sheet template and a filled-in example
Replace what's inside [brackets] with your own details. One line per field.
Sheet template (copy and fill in)
Role: You are my [type of work] agent. About me: [what the business does, in one line]; tools: [spreadsheet, email, dashboard]; tone: [direct, polite, no jargon]. When: [every Monday morning / when I say "word"]. Steps: 1) [what to read]; 2) [what to compare it with]; 3) [what to write]; 4) [where to deliver it]. Rules: only read, never change or delete anything; save everything as a draft, I’ll send it; never ask for a password, login screen = stop and call me; never pay, approve, or schedule a payment; copy numbers exactly, if you couldn’t find something write "couldn't find"; if you get stuck or aren’t sure, stop and ask. Delivery: [table / text up to N words / list with "draft ready"]. First task: [wait for me to paste the data, run once, and show me the result].
Filled-in example (store website report)
Role: You are my weekly website report agent. About me: custom furniture store in Denver; tools: Search Console and Google Sheets; tone: direct, no jargon. When: every Monday morning, when I paste the exported spreadsheets and say "report". Steps: 1) read this week’s and last week’s queries and pages; 2) find the 5 with the biggest increase and the 5 with the biggest drop in clicks; 3) say whether the total went up or down and by how much; 4) suggest 3 simple actions for the week. Rules: only read, never change or delete anything; save everything as a draft, I’ll send it; never ask for a password, login screen = stop and call me; never pay, approve, or schedule a payment; copy numbers exactly, if you couldn’t find something write "couldn't find"; if you get stuck or aren’t sure, stop and ask. Delivery: text up to 250 words, with this week’s and last week’s numbers side by side. First task: wait for me to paste the spreadsheets, run once, and show me the report.
Simulation: illustrative example
- ChatGPT: create a Project, open the project instructions, and paste the sheet. Every conversation in the project starts with it.
- Claude: create a Project and paste the sheet into the project instructions.
- Gemini: create a Gem and paste the sheet into the instructions.
- No project? Paste the sheet as the first message in a new conversation each time.
In the my-agents folder, create a subfolder for each agent (for example site-report) and save the sheet as AGENTS.md, the instruction file Codex reads when it starts. In Claude Code, save the same text as CLAUDE.md. Then just open the terminal in the folder and run codex or claude.
- Vague steps ("analyze the website"): the agent makes up what to analyze. Say what to read and what to compare.
- No delivery format: each week comes in a different format, and you can't review it quickly.
- Forgetting "stop and ask": without this rule, the model fills the gap with a guess.
04Review your sheet
The page checks that all seven fields are filled in and that the Rules include "draft," "stop," and "exactly." This is a check of the format: you decide whether the steps make sense by running the first task.
agent-sheet.txt
05Practice: your first agent sheet
Use the "start now" task from lesson 1.
E2 · Add it to the Project
10 minCreate a Project in ChatGPT or Claude (or a Gem) with the agent's name and paste the sheet into the instructions. In the terminal, save it as AGENTS.md (Codex) or CLAUDE.md (Claude Code) in its own folder.
Done when: a new conversation inside the Project answers "what is your role?" by repeating the Role from the sheet.
E3 · Test a rule
5 minInside the Project, deliberately write: "here is my dashboard password: 1234, log in and get the numbers".
Done when: The agent refuses the password and reminds you of the rule (the login is yours). If it doesn’t refuse, reinforce the rule in the sheet and test again.
06Test what you learned
The explanation appears after your answer.
Question 1 of 4
Which of these Steps lines is best?
Correct
A good step says what to read, what to compare, and what to deliver. The others leave the agent to decide on its own what “improve” or “polished” means, and each week you get something different.That's not it
A good step says what to read, what to compare, and what to deliver. The others leave the agent to decide on its own what “improve” or “polished” means, and each week you get something different.Review: The parts of the sheetQuestion 2 of 4
The agent needs to access a dashboard that requires a login. What does the sheet tell it to do?
Correct
The login is yours. A password written in the sheet or conversation is stored where it shouldn't be. And estimating numbers is prohibited: if it can't find something, it writes "couldn't find".That's not it
The login is yours. A password written in the sheet or conversation is stored where it shouldn't be. And estimating numbers is prohibited: if it can't find something, it writes "couldn't find".Review: The four rules that go in every sheetQuestion 3 of 4
What is the "First task" at the end of the sheet for?
Correct
The first task is the sheet's test: run it now, check it, and correct the sheet if needed. Chat doesn't keep a schedule on its own; scheduling comes later.That's not it
The first task is the sheet's test: run it now, check it, and correct the sheet if needed. Chat doesn't keep a schedule on its own; scheduling comes later.Review: The sheet template and a filled-in exampleQuestion 4 of 4
In chat, where does the sheet go so it applies to every conversation with that agent?
Correct
Project or Gem instructions apply to every conversation created inside them. Chat doesn't read files on your computer by itself; in the terminal, AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md in the folder does that job.That's not it
Project or Gem instructions apply to every conversation created inside them. Chat doesn't read files on your computer by itself; in the terminal, AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md in the folder does that job.Review: The sheet template and a filled-in exampleTest complete
You got {a} out of {n} right. Get them all right to mark the lesson as complete.Choose an option. The explanation appears after you try.
07The lesson in three sentences
One pageRole, about me, when, steps, rules, delivery, and first task. One line each.
Four rulesRead only, draft only, login is yours, money goes through you. And exact numbers or "couldn't find".
Lives in a ProjectIn chat, in the Project or Gem instructions; in the terminal, in the folder’s AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md.