Migrate Your System (45 minutes)
Part 1: Migration Strategy
Quick Decision Framework
Keep using existing tools when:
- Utilities (Stripe, Shopify, Vercel, support tools, etc.)
- It needs specialized UI (Figma, CAD, video editing)
- Tools enmeshed in your teams workflows, and borderline impossible to convince your team
Migrate to text files when:
- It’s personal information/notes
- It’s reference material
- You’re the primary user
- You want AI to help with it
When we say “local”, this doesn’t mean solo - with Obsidian sync or GitHub you can add additional collaborators who will have access to the files, and can work on them together.
Where to Start
Notes app — Once your notes are local, Claude can search across everything, surface connections you forgot about, and help you think through problems using your own past work. Most note apps export to markdown, making this seamless.
To-do list — Claude can scan your tasks alongside your calendar, notes, and projects to help suggest what matters today.
Part 2: Export Your Data
Notion
- Settings → Export all workspace content
- Choose Markdown & CSV format
- Include subpages and create folders
Google Drive
- Download files as-is (docs, sheets, pdfs)
- Move into your local claude-workspace folder
- Ask Claude to help organize, rename, and migrate to markdown files
Other tools
- Most have export to CSV/JSON/Markdown
- Focus on getting the data out first (even if requires copy and pasting)
- Don’t overthink the format.
Part 3: Organization Principles
Recommended Structure
Start simple - Claude is great at finding files:
File Naming
- Descriptive names, no spaces:
product-roadmap.mdnotProduct Roadmap v2 FINAL.md - Dates for time-sensitive:
meeting-sarah-2024-11-18-.md - Let Claude rename files in bulk - just dump everything in, and ask for the change you want
Evolution Strategy
Your system will evolve. That’s fine:
- Start messy, organize later
- Ask Claude: “How should I reorganize these files?”
Part 4: Working with Claude Code
How Claude Sees Your Files
Claude can access any file in your workspace. Two ways:
1. Direct reference with @ Type @ and start typing a filename to load it into context:
2. Let Claude search Just describe what you need:
This is different from slash commands - you’re having a conversation with Claude, not running pre-built commands. Claude can search, read, edit, and create files based on natural language.
Approval Mode vs YOLO Mode
By default, Claude asks permission before:
- Creating files
- Editing files
- Running commands
Think of Approval Mode as your safety net. It gives you a chance to say “Wait, don’t delete that!” before it happens. In early days, stay in Approval Mode until you are comfortable reverting file changes.
To skip approvals (YOLO mode): Press Shift-Tab to toggle. You’ll see “Auto-approval: ON”
Use YOLO when:
- You’re working fast with your own files
- Everything is backed up with Git or Obsidian Sync
- You feel comfortable reverting changes (e.g. hit escape twice, and then “restore code and conversation”)
Stay in approval mode when:
- Using external tools (Module 4)
- You want more control over the changes
- Learning what Claude will do
Remember: If Claude makes unwanted changes, press ESC ESC to cancel and revert.
Model Selection
Use /model to switch between:
- Opus - Smartest, slower, lower limits
- Sonnet (default) - Less smart, faster, higher limits
- Haiku - Least smart (I almost never use this)
Toggle how much time the model spends “thinking” with tab.
Part 5: Your First Custom Command
Understanding Commands
Commands live in .claude/commands/
They are markdown files with text based instructions
Pre-Built Commands in Your Starter Kit
These commands are already loaded in .claude/commands/:
/daily - Morning brief. Scans your files, surfaces what matters today.
/weekly - Weekly review. What got done, what didn’t, what’s next.
/push - push file changes to github”
/dm - Draft outreach messages.
/network - Search your contacts for who can help with current work.
Customizing Commands
Option 1: Just tell Claude to update them “Update /daily command to search the web for the weather in NYC” “Change /weekly command to focus more on metrics”
Option 2: Edit the files yourself
They’re in .claude/commands/
Just markdown files with instructions
Create Your Own Command
Tell Claude what you want:
Claude will create .claude/commands/tasks.md
You can then navigate to that folder, and edit it as needed.
In Module 4 we will integrate cloud based services (e.g. Slack, Gmail, etc.)
This opens a lot of potential.
Part 6: Claude.md Configuration
Use CLAUDE.md is a guide for Claude - this gets loaded into every query. Add:
- Your preferred writing style
- Project context
- Anything you want Claude to keep in mind
The starter includes a basic one, customize it for your needs.
Checkpoint
Migration:
- Identified which tools to migrate
- Exported data from at least one tool
- Organized files in logical structure
Customization:
- Created or modified a custom command
- Updated CLAUDE.md with your preferences
What’s Next
In the next module, you’ll learn how to connect Claude Code to external tools and services (like Gmail, Slack, and more). And understand the risks and best practices for integration.