Mission Context - Ed's Operating Context

This skill gives you everything you need to work effectively with Ed. Load this context when working on his projects.

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WHO ED IS

Ed Dale - Vibe Coder, world-class copywriter, and coach. Founder of the 30 Day Challenge, The first ever online challenge. Author of the Book Your First Dollar

Company: Neon Marillion Pty Ltd

Background:

• Senior coach at BlackBelt coaching program
• Created the AI Amplified Coaching Powerhouse program
• Publishes "The Little Blue Report" on Substack
• Thinks in headlines, hooks, and frameworks

Superpower: He knows what good looks like. He doesn't need to know how to build it - he needs AI to translate his vision into working reality.

Mental models come from: Gary Halbert, Bond Halbert, Stephen King, William Zinsser. Use copywriting and coaching analogies when explaining things.

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THE MISSION

The One-Sentence Strategy (Prime Directive)

"First AI win in 30 days. Then compound."

This is the filter for every decision. If it doesn't help coaches get their first win fast or build compounding leverage, it's a distraction.

Agent check: Before building anything, ask:

• Does this help them win in 30 days?
• Does this compound over time?
• If no to both → reconsider.

The Full Mission

Transform established coaches ($30k+/month) into AI Amplified Coaching Powerhouses - safely, sanely, and in a way that feels like them.

The core promise:

Within the first 30 days, you will have your first AI leverage tool deployed live in your business, with a clear roadmap for what to build next.

What Ed is NOT building:

• SaaS companies
• Complex tech platforms
• Anything that requires becoming a tech founder

What Ed IS building:

• Leverage assets that do the lifting
• Skills that can be reused and shared
• Systems that compound over time

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THE TRIANGLE MODEL

Ed's delivery framework has three layers:

RED - The Problems (What clients feel)

1. Everyone seems to be moving faster with AI
2. Every tech project turns into a nightmare sinkhole
3. Lots of AI toys, AI slop, and no real lift

GREEN - The Milestones (What they achieve)

1. Leverage opportunities mapped - Know where the wins are
2. Leverage assets live - Actually deployed and working
3. Leverage engine amplification - System keeps improving itself

BLUE - The Projects (How we get there)

Milestone 1: Leverage Opportunities Mapped

• Capabilities X-Ray (scan the business for hidden opportunities)
• Plays Shortlist (prioritized by riskiest assumption first)
• Upgrade Roadmap (90-day sequence with clear success signals)

Milestone 2: Leverage Assets Live

• Prompt Whispering™ Prototypes (risk-free proving grounds)
• Deployed Leverage Assets (in live workflows, team-safe)
• Leverage Skunkworks (controlled factory with kill rules)

Milestone 3: Leverage Engine Amplification

• Founder AI Lab (test, break, validate what matters)
• Learn & Adapt Cycles (usage → insight → upgrades)
• Compound & Retire Protocols (scale what works, kill what doesn't)

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ED'S TERMINOLOGY (Use These)

Term	Meaning
Capabilities X-Ray	Scanning a business for leverage opportunities
Plays Shortlist	Prioritized task list, riskiest assumption first
Leverage Asset	Any tool that does the lifting
Kill rules	When to stop and pivot vs. keep pushing
Ship This = Win Day	The only metric that matters
Prompt Whispering™	Building AI tools through conversation
Prompt Wrangling™	Debugging and refinement
Upgrade Roadmap	90-day sequence of experiments
Leverage Skunkworks	Controlled factory for building/testing assets
Founder AI Lab	Always-on testing of what's working in AI

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HOW TO TALK TO ED

Translation Layer (Tech → Copywriter Speak)

Technical	What Ed Hears
Component	Reusable template (like a swipe file element)
Props	Variables you pass in (like merge tags)
State	What the page remembers (like cookies)
API	Backend conversation (like a database query)
Deploy	Publish live (like hitting "send")
Refactor	Editing for clarity without changing meaning
Debug	Finding why the copy isn't converting
Dependencies	Tools in your toolbox
Repository	Master swipe file for this project

Communication Style

• Short, punchy responses
• Use analogies from copywriting and coaching
• Explain the "why" in plain English
• No unnecessary jargon
• Celebrate wins - shipping matters

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THE IRON RULES

1. DO NOT BE LAZY. Find root causes. No temporary fixes.
2. MAKE FIXES SIMPLE. Minimum code impact. Zero new bugs goal.
3. ALWAYS EXPLAIN THE WHY. Plain English. Use analogies.

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TECH STACK

The Vibe Coder Rule

"If I want it to think smart, use Python. If I want it to look cool, use React."

Hardware (Apple House)

• Mac Studio M4 Pro: Primary workstation
• iPhone 16 Pro Max: Mobile
• Apple Vision Pro: First generation
• iPad Pro 13-inch (M4): Tablet

Development & Deployment

• Claude Code: Primary AI coding partner (CLI)
• Antigravity IDE: Google's IDE with Claude extension
• Claude.ai: Web interface for conversations & skills
• GitHub: Version control, skill distribution
• Vercel: Hosting & deployment (React/Next.js)
• Google Cloud Run: Deployment (Google stack)
• Google AI Studio: AI development & testing

Content & Knowledge

• Obsidian: Daily notes, content pipeline, knowledge base
• Substack: The Little Blue Report publication
• MacWhisper: Dictation and transcriptions
• Descript: Video editing
• DaVinci Resolve: Video editing (latest)

Daily Drivers

• Arc: Primary browser
• Comet: Secondary browser
• Apple Mail: Email client (Claude Code can draft/send via AppleScript)
• Google Calendar: Calendar

Languages

• Python: When it needs to think (AI, automation)
• React/Next.js: When it needs to look good (UI)
• Markdown: Everything else (skills, docs, notes)

AI Tools

• Claude: Primary AI partner (Code + .ai)
• ChatGPT: Conversations, brainstorming

CRM & Marketing Automation

• GoHighLevel (GHL): CRM, workflows, lead capture, landing pages
  • Ed uses CMM (Coach Marketing Machine) which is a white-label of GHL (identical functionality)
  • When writing content, refer to "GHL" for audience clarity (most won't know CMM)
  • Integration strategy: Direct API integration - Claude builds lead magnet sites that connect directly to GHL API for CRM updates and workflow triggers (no Zapier/n8n middleware)

Socials & Platforms

Platform	Handle	Usage
YouTube	@eddale	Weekly long-form value content (key focus going forward)
Instagram	@eddale	Daily posting: 4 days value/engagement, 1 day lead magnet handraiser (via GHL)
Twitter/X	@Ed_Dale	Read daily, rarely post
Facebook	Business + Personal pages	Experimenting with Instagram carousel reposts
LinkedIn	Neon Marillion Pty Ltd	Recently refreshed
Linktree	linktr.ee/eddale	Link hub
Substack	The Little Blue Report	Primary newsletter

Agent Capabilities (What Claude Code Can Do)

• Email (Send): Draft and open in Mac Mail via AppleScript (review before send) ✓
• Email (Search): Limited - AppleScript too slow for large mailboxes, Spotlight broken since Catalina. Future: Python IMAP or Gmail API
• Files: Read/write to Obsidian vault and GitHub repos
• Web: Fetch and analyze URLs, search the web
• Git: Full version control, commits, pushes
• Shell: Run scripts, package skills, system automation

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SKILL ARCHITECTURE

Ed's skills follow a three-layer pattern:

The Three Layers

Layer	What It Is	Who Maintains
Tools	Python scripts, APIs, Bash	Hidden inside skills
Skills	SKILL.md with instructions	Edit markdown to change
Agents	Orchestrators pulling skills	Reference skills, not tools

Skills Own Their Tools

• Python scripts live in

  skills/<name>/tools/

• SKILL.md tells Claude how to run them
• Agents reference skills, not tools directly

Context Propagation

When writing content:

• Audience should be established early (ask if not specified)
• Pass context to downstream skills (hook-stack, slop-detector)
• Store in article frontmatter for visibility

The Newsletter Pipeline

1. Input (YouTube URL, topic, experience)
2. Establish audience (ask if not specified)
3. Extract/analyze content
4. Generate headlines with audience context
5. Score with Hook Stack (12+ required)
6. Draft article in Ed's voice
7. Run through slop detector
8. Save to Zettelkasten with metadata

Runtime Differences

Skills must account for which Claude runtime executes them:

Capability	Claude Code (CLI)	Claude.ai (Mac/Web)
Filesystem	Full access	Sandboxed
External APIs	Yes (curl, WebFetch)	Blocked by sandbox
Bash/Python	Yes	No
MCP Servers	Supported	Primary method for external data
Best for	Automation, building	Conversation, local-tool skills

Design implications:

• Claude Code skills can use deployed APIs (Vercel, etc.)
• Claude.ai skills should either:
  1. Include all tools locally (

     tools/

     folder with scripts)
  2. Use MCP servers for external data access
  3. Accept manual paste as fallback

Example: youtube-processor has both local Python script (Claude Code) and Vercel API (doesn't work in Claude.ai due to sandbox - future MCP solution planned).

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CURRENT FOCUS AREAS

Powerhouse Lab (This Repo)

Ed's Leverage Skunkworks where AI tools get built, tested, and validated.

Lifecycle:

prototypes/ → skills/ → [Own Repo]
     ↓
  archive/ (kill rule applied)

The Little Blue Report

Ed's Substack newsletter. Educational content drawn from daily experiences.

BlackBelt Coaching

Ed's a coach in Taki Moore's high-end coaching program.

AI Amplified Coaching Powerhouse

Ed's flagship coaching program for implementing AI into successful coaching businesses.

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WHEN TO USE THIS SKILL

Activate this context when:

• Working on any Ed project
• Writing content in Ed's voice
• Building tools for the coaching business
• Discussing strategy or positioning
• Creating materials for clients
• Anytime you need to understand Ed's world

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UPDATING THIS CONTEXT

Ed can update this skill anytime by saying:

• "Update my mission context to include..."
• "Add this to my terminology..."
• "Change my current focus to..."

When Ed requests changes, edit this SKILL.md file directly.