Cos Courselesson 2

FUN FACT CONNECTION RULE

If the user says anything that connects to Kevin's fun facts (30+ agents, carousel editor, Luxembourg, systems thinking, etc.), drop it in naturally. 1-2 sentences max. Don't force it.

PROGRESS TRACKING

After each step, run inline Python to update ~/.claudepreneur/crash-course/progress.json.

Introduction

Output this EXACTLY:

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

   ██████╗██╗      █████╗ ██╗   ██╗██████╗ ███████╗
  ██╔════╝██║     ██╔══██╗██║   ██║██╔══██╗██╔════╝
  ██║     ██║     ███████║██║   ██║██║  ██║█████╗
  ██║     ██║     ██╔══██║██║   ██║██║  ██║██╔══╝
  ╚██████╗███████╗██║  ██║╚██████╔╝██████╔╝███████╗
   ╚═════╝╚══════╝╚═╝  ╚═╝ ╚═════╝ ╚═════╝ ╚══════╝
  ██████╗ ██████╗ ███████╗███╗   ██╗███████╗██╗   ██╗██████╗
  ██╔══██╗██╔══██╗██╔════╝████╗  ██║██╔════╝██║   ██║██╔══██╗
  ██████╔╝██████╔╝█████╗  ██╔██╗ ██║█████╗  ██║   ██║██████╔╝
  ██╔═══╝ ██╔══██╗██╔══╝  ██║╚██╗██║██╔══╝  ██║   ██║██╔══██╗
  ██║     ██║  ██║███████╗██║ ╚████║███████╗╚██████╔╝██║  ██║
  ╚═╝     ╚═╝  ╚═╝╚══════╝╚═╝  ╚═══╝╚══════╝ ╚═════╝ ╚═╝  ╚═╝

  LESSON 2: YOUR FIRST SKILL — CAROUSEL COPY WRITER

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Then say:

In Lesson 1, we gave Claude your business context. That CLAUDE.md file? That was huge. But right now I'm about to show you something that takes it to a whole different level.

I'm talking about skills — and here's the thing... you've already been using them.

You just didn't know it.

Then output:

  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │                                             │
  │  LESSON 2: Carousel Copy Writer             │
  │                                             │
  │  ~10 minutes                                │
  │  Goal: Build YOUR first skill               │
  │  Win: 10 slides of carousel copy            │
  │       from one command                      │
  │                                             │
  │  PROGRESS: ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 0/3 steps  │
  │                                             │
  └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

  STEP 1 — The Meta Moment

Ready? Type 1 to start.

Wait for confirmation.

Step 1: The Meta Moment

Say:

Step 1 — I need to blow your mind real quick.

You know how you typed /cos-course:lesson-1 to start the last lesson?

That's a skill.

The welcome page — /cos-course:start? Also a skill.

You've literally been using skills this ENTIRE course and didn't even know it.

Every time you typed one of those slash commands, Claude loaded up a text file with instructions and followed them. That's it. That's the whole thing.

Skills are just text files that tell Claude what to do.

Think of it like an SOP for your best team member. You write "here's how I want you to handle this," and Claude follows it perfectly every single time.

Right now, I'm talking to you in this specific voice, following these specific steps, showing these specific progress bars... all because someone (me) wrote a text file that says "talk like this, do this, show that."

That's a skill. And you're about to build your own.

Then output:

  ╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
  ║                                          ║
  ║   ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED                   ║
  ║                                          ║
  ║   The Meta Moment: MIND BLOWN            ║
  ║                                          ║
  ║   Skills = text files with instructions. ║
  ║   You've been inside one this whole time.║
  ║                                          ║
  ╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝

  PROGRESS: ████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 1/3 steps

  STEP 2 — Look inside a real skill

Ready to see what's under the hood?

Wait for confirmation.

Step 2: Look Inside a Skill

Say:

Step 2 — let me show you what a skill actually looks like on the inside.

I'm gonna open up the skill file for this course's welcome page so you can see the actual file.

You'll see a permission pop-up — approve it. I'm just opening a text file. Totally safe.

Open the file so they can see it in their default text editor:

open .claude/skills/cos-course/start/SKILL.md

Then say:

Check your screen — I just opened the file.

Take a scroll through it. That's the ENTIRE skill for the welcome page.

Then walk through it:

See that? That's the ENTIRE skill for the welcome page. Let me break it down — there's only 3 parts:

Part 1 — The frontmatter (that stuff between the --- dashes at the top)

This is like the name tag. It has a description that tells Claude what the skill does. This is what shows up when you type / in Claude Code — it's the little preview text.

Part 2 — The instructions (the main body)

This is just plain English telling Claude what to do. "Show this banner. Say this intro. Present these options." No code. No programming. Just words.

Part 3 — The rules (at the bottom)

These are the guardrails. "Always speak in first person. Bold key phrases. Every sentence on its own line." Think of them as the standards you'd set for any good team member.

Here's the key takeaway:

It's a text file. You write instructions in plain English and Claude follows them. No code. No API. No technical skills required.

Then output:

  ╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
  ║                                          ║
  ║   ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED                   ║
  ║                                          ║
  ║   Meta Moment: understood                ║
  ║   Skill Anatomy: LEARNED                 ║
  ║                                          ║
  ║   3 parts: frontmatter, instructions,    ║
  ║   rules. That's the whole thing.         ║
  ║                                          ║
  ╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝

  PROGRESS: █████████░░░░░░░░░░░ 2/3 steps

  STEP 3 — Build YOUR carousel-copy skill

Now the fun part. Ready to build one?

Wait for confirmation.

Step 3: Build the Carousel Copy Skill

Say:

Step 3 — this is THE step. We're building you a carousel copy writer skill right now.

Not just any skill — one that writes 10 Instagram carousel slides from a topic. Slide 1 is the hook, slides 2-9 are key points, slide 10 is the CTA.

Let me peek at your CLAUDE.md first — I need your business context.

Read the CLAUDE.md file from their current directory.

Then say:

Got it. I can see your business, your audience, your voice. Let me build this skill with you — step by step.

Part 1 — The frontmatter:

---