You don't need a better prompt every time you open AI. You need a place for everything it should already know. An AI file system is one ordinary folder on your computer that Claude and Codex read before they help you: who you are, how you like things done, what you're working on right now. My free AI File System plugin interviews you and builds the whole thing, then keeps it up to date as you work.
The plan · 4 steps
- 1Make one empty folder called Your Name OS.
- 2Install the free AI File System plugin in Claude or Codex.
- 3Open the folder and say "Set up my AI file system."
- 4Answer its questions. It builds and checks every file.
Before you start
Your app:
The Claude desktop app on a paid plan (Pro or higher), Claude Code, or Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app.
Your time:
About 20 minutes. You can talk your answers instead of typing them.
Your history (optional):
A ChatGPT or Claude data export, if you want it to start out knowing what you've already told AI.
What an AI File System Is
Imagine hiring an assistant with no notes. Every morning you'd explain what you do, which project matters and how you like things written. That's what using AI without a file system feels like.
An AI file system fixes that. It's a normal folder of plain-text notes that any AI assistant can read. You never have to write the files yourself. The plugin does it.
| File or folder | What it holds |
|---|---|
| AGENTS.md | The rulebook every assistant reads first (Codex reads it automatically) |
| CLAUDE.md | Points Claude at the same rulebook (Claude Code reads it automatically) |
| CURRENT.md | What matters right now |
| MEMORY.md | A short list of lasting preferences |
| FOLDER-MAP.md | Which workspace each kind of task goes in |
| context/ | About you, your work, your preferences and your writing voice |
| workspaces/ | One folder per area of your life or work, each with its own guide and status |
Which app should you use?
- Beginners: the Claude desktop app. Start a chat, choose your folder, and talk.
- Experts: Claude Code (or the desktop app's Code tab) in your folder.
- ChatGPT users: Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app, with your folder as the project.
The best part is that it's the same folder for all of them. Set it up once and switch between Claude and Codex whenever you want.
Make Your Folder
Make a new, empty folder somewhere easy, like Documents. Call it Your Name OS (for example Alex OS). Keep it separate from everything else, so the AI only touches what's inside it.
Maverick's tip
Don't point the AI at your whole Desktop or Documents folder. One dedicated folder keeps things tidy and keeps your other files out of it.
Install the Free Plugin
In the Claude desktop app (beginners)
- Open Plugins. In the left sidebar, open Customize, then go to Plugins.
- Add the marketplace. Click Add, then Add marketplace, then Add from a repository.
- Paste this address and confirm:
https://github.com/maverickmaltin/mavgpt-plugins
- Add AI File System. Find it in the list and add it.
Plugins you add here are saved to your Claude account, so they also work in the Code tab and in Claude Code.
In Claude Code (experts)
Type these two lines:
/plugin marketplace add https://github.com/maverickmaltin/mavgpt-plugins.git /plugin install ai-file-system@mavgpt
In Codex
Open Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app and paste this. Codex installs it for you:
Install the ai-file-system plugin from the GitHub marketplace maverickmaltin/mavgpt-plugins. Run: codex plugin marketplace add maverickmaltin/mavgpt-plugins and then codex plugin add ai-file-system@mavgpt. If the codex command isn't available, clone https://github.com/maverickmaltin/mavgpt-plugins and copy each folder inside plugins/ai-file-system/skills into ~/.agents/skills/ instead. Then tell me to restart the app.
Then restart the ChatGPT desktop app so it loads.
Start the Setup
Open your folder, then say this:
Set up my AI file system.
- Claude desktop app: start a new chat, choose your folder from the message box, then send it.
- Claude Code or the Code tab: open the folder (in the Code tab: Local, then Select folder) and send it, or type /ai-file-system:setup.
- Codex: open the folder as your project and send it.
Use the best model you have (Opus 5.5 in Claude) and a high effort level. Setup is a big job and it plans better that way.
What happens next
- It checks the folder and makes sure it can read and write there.
- It explains the idea in three sentences and asks what to call your system.
- It offers to bring in your history from a ChatGPT or Claude export. Totally optional.
- It interviews you a few questions at a time: who you are, your work, what's going on now, how you like it to work, and what it must always ask permission for. Ramble, it's fine.
- It builds every file and checks that everything links up.
- It does one real task with you so you can see it reading your files.
Maverick's tip
Talk instead of typing. Your phone or computer's dictation works great, and you'll say more than you'd ever type.
Using It Every Day
Open Claude or Codex in your folder and just say what you need. It reads your rulebook and the right workspace first, and at the end of every task it saves what it learned.
| Say this | What it does |
|---|---|
| "Remember this: ..." | Saves a fact or preference to the right file |
| "Add a workspace for my new client" | Sets up a new area with its own guide and status |
| "Tidy my file system" | Cleans up duplicates and stale notes (once a month) |
| "Import my ChatGPT history" | Brings in an export later, in batches |
| "What's on my plate?" | Reads everything active and tells you |
One setting for Claude app chats
Claude Code and Codex read your rulebook automatically. For regular chats in the Claude desktop app, add this once in Settings > General > Instructions for Claude (the plugin gives you the exact text with your folder name):
When I work in my [YOUR NAME] OS folder, read AGENTS.md and CURRENT.md there first, then the relevant workspace files.
Already using Claude Cowork?
Cowork is now part of the main Claude app. Choose your folder in a chat and everything above works the same. If you followed my Claude Cowork setup guide and already have a folder with a claude.md, run the setup in that folder. It builds around what you have and asks before moving anything.
No Plugin? Use the Master Prompt
Prefer not to install anything? Open your folder in Claude or Codex and paste this. It does the same job and asks you the questions in the chat.
You're my onboarding coach. Build my AI file system in this folder: one organized set of plain-text files that Claude and Codex read before every task. Talk in plain words, ask a few questions at a time with suggested answers, and do all the file work yourself. 1. CHECK: Confirm you can read and write files in this folder and tell me its full path. If it's my whole Desktop, Documents or home folder, stop and ask me to make a dedicated folder called [MY NAME] OS. Never delete or reorganize files that are already here without asking. 2. EXPLAIN: In three sentences, explain that this folder becomes my AI's memory: a short rulebook, what's going on now, and a workspace for each area of my life or work. 3. HISTORY (optional): Ask if I have a ChatGPT or Claude export. If yes, unzip it into a private imports folder, read it in batches, and pull out who I am, my work, projects, preferences, corrections and real examples of my writing. What the AI suggested isn't what I did. Newer corrections win. Never copy passwords, card or account numbers, ID numbers or health details into any file. Tell me honestly how much you reviewed. 4. INTERVIEW: Ask me to describe myself and my work like I'm briefing a new assistant. Then fill gaps: my main areas (these become workspaces), what's active now, repeated tasks, important people (names and roles only), my tools, how I like you to work, two or three real writing samples, and what you must always ask permission for. 5. BUILD: Create START-HERE.md (plain-language guide for me), AGENTS.md (the rulebook, under 150 lines, with my rules, how to start every task, and how to save at the end of every task), CLAUDE.md (one line, @AGENTS.md, plus "read AGENTS.md first"), CURRENT.md, MEMORY.md, FOLDER-MAP.md, context/about-me.md, context/work.md, context/preferences.md, context/voice.md, and a workspaces/[area]/ folder for each area with guide.md, CURRENT.md, outputs/ and resources/. One home per fact, no duplicates, nothing private. 6. RULES TO INCLUDE IN AGENTS.MD: Never send, post, publish, buy, delete or change anything outside this folder without my OK for that exact action. Start every task by reading CURRENT.md and the right workspace. End every task by saving finished work to outputs/ and anything new and lasting to its one home. 7. FINISH: Check that every file and link exists, do one real task with me using the folder, and tell me the daily habit: open Claude or Codex in this folder and just say what I need.
Common Mistakes and Quick Fixes
| If this happens | Try this |
|---|---|
| It says it can't see your files | In the Claude app, choose the folder in the message box. In the Code tab, pick Local and Select folder. In Codex, open the folder as the project. |
| You don't see Plugins in Customize | Update the Claude desktop app and check you're on a paid plan. |
| The plugin doesn't respond in Codex | Restart the ChatGPT desktop app after installing, then try again. |
| It built files in the wrong place | Make sure the session is opened on your OS folder, not your Desktop. |
| It forgot something you told it | Say "remember this" so it saves it to a file. Chat alone isn't memory. |
| The files are getting messy | Say "tidy my file system." It asks before deleting anything. |
| Claude app chats ignore your files | Add the line from "One setting for Claude app chats" to Settings > General > Instructions for Claude. |
| The history import stopped halfway | Say "continue the import." It saves its progress after every batch. |
| You want to start over | Make a new empty folder and run the setup there. Your old folder stays as it is. |
Keep it honest
It's files the AI reads, not perfect memory. Anything in the folder is sent to the AI service when it's read, like anything else you share with it. Keep passwords and account numbers out of it.
Quick Reference: Your AI File System
| What you want | What to do |
|---|---|
| Install (Claude app) | Customize > Plugins > Add > Add marketplace > Add from a repository, paste the address, add AI File System |
| Install (Claude Code) | /plugin marketplace add, then /plugin install ai-file-system@mavgpt |
| Install (Codex) | Paste the Codex install prompt, restart the app |
| Set it up | Open your OS folder and say "Set up my AI file system" |
| Use it | Open the folder and say what you need |
| Save something | "Remember this: ..." |
| New area | "Add a workspace for ..." |
| Monthly cleanup | "Tidy my file system" |
DO THIS TODAY
Make a folder called Your Name OS, install the AI File System plugin, open the folder in Claude or Codex and say "Set up my AI file system." Give it 20 minutes and every chat after that starts already knowing you.
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