Two-Machine Workflow — Rules of Engagement

Last updated: February 19, 2026

The One Rule

Only the Chromebook writes to the vault. Windows never writes to the vault.

If you create or update something on Windows, it goes in vault-inbox/ on Google Drive. Period.

What Each Machine Does

Chromebook (Build Mode)

• Claude Code + Claude Projects + terminal
• Vault lives at ~/advisory-os-vault/
• Creates skills, AISOPs, frameworks, client deliverables
• Pushes to GitHub → deploys to vault.advisoryos.ai
• Pushes to Google Drive via rclone

Windows (Operations Mode)

• Client calls, day-to-day work, LinkedIn, content production
• Claude Code reads vault files via Google Drive for Desktop sync
• Claude Projects for segmented client work
• Produces work-in-progress → saves to vault-inbox/ on Google Drive
• Never edits vault files directly

Where Things Live

Daily Workflows

Starting a Work Session on Windows

1. Open Claude Code, navigate to your Drive sync folder:

   cd "G:\My Drive\advisory-os-vault"
   claude

(Your drive letter may differ — check in File Explorer)

1. Claude Code can now read all vault files
2. Do your work — client sessions, content, analysis
3. Anything you produce that should go in the vault → save to vault-inbox/ on Google Drive

Starting a Work Session on Chromebook

1. Open terminal
2. Pull anything waiting in the inbox:

   cd ~
   rclone copy gdrive:vault-inbox ~/vault-inbox --progress

1. Check what's there:

   ls ~/vault-inbox/

1. Move each file to the right vault folder:

   mv ~/vault-inbox/whatever-file.md ~/advisory-os-vault/content/wherever/

1. Do your build work
2. When done, push everything:

   cd ~/advisory-os-vault
   git add -A
   git commit -m "description of what changed"
   git push origin master
   rclone copy ~/advisory-os-vault/content gdrive:advisory-os-vault --progress

1. Clear the inbox:

   rclone purge gdrive:vault-inbox
   mkdir -p ~/vault-inbox
   touch ~/vault-inbox/.gitkeep
   rclone copy ~/vault-inbox gdrive:vault-inbox --progress

After a Client Session (Either Machine)

1. Otter records → Relay processes → transcript + recap + JSON land on Google Drive
2. Review the recap, tweak, send email
3. When ready to build (constraint matrix, master plan update):

• If on Chromebook: pull files into Claude Project, build, save to vault, push
• If on Windows: pull files into Claude Project, build, save output to vault-inbox/

Common Terminal Commands (Chromebook)

Navigation

cd ~                          # Go home from anywhere
cd ~/advisory-os-vault        # Go to vault
ls                            # List files in current folder
ls -la                        # List with details and hidden files
pwd                           # Show where you are right now

File Operations

cp source destination         # Copy a file
mv source destination         # Move or rename a file
rm filename                   # Delete a file
mkdir -p folder/subfolder     # Create folder (and parents)
find ~/advisory-os-vault -name "*.md" -type f   # Find files

Git (Version Control)

cd ~/advisory-os-vault
git status                    # See what changed
git add -A                    # Stage everything
git commit -m "what you did"  # Save with a message
git push origin master        # Push to GitHub
git log --oneline -10         # See last 10 commits

rclone (Google Drive Sync)

# Push vault to Drive
rclone copy ~/advisory-os-vault/content gdrive:advisory-os-vault --progress

# Pull inbox from Drive
rclone copy gdrive:vault-inbox ~/vault-inbox --progress

# Check what's on Drive
rclone ls gdrive:advisory-os-vault | head -20

# Delete a Drive folder
rclone purge gdrive:vault-inbox

Pro Tips

• Always use full paths if you're unsure what directory you're in
• cd ~ gets you home from anywhere
• Tab key auto-completes file and folder names
• Up arrow recalls previous commands
• clear clears the screen

Google Drive Notes

• Google Drive does not store empty folders — folders only appear when they have files
• rclone is one-way: Chromebook → Google Drive (never reverse)
• .md files on Drive are plain files — Claude chat cannot read them
• .md files synced to Windows via Drive for Desktop — Claude Code CAN read them
• Relay outputs (transcripts, recaps, JSON) are native Google Docs — Claude chat can search and read these
• Google Drive keeps version history automatically (right-click → Manage versions)

Vault Client Folder Structure

Every client gets the same seven folders:

[client-name]/
├── brand/
├── constraints/
├── master-plan/
├── projects/
├── qc-agents/
├── reference-data/
└── skills/

Template at: content/clients/_templates/

New client setup:

cd ~/advisory-os-vault/content/clients
mkdir -p new-client/{brand,constraints,master-plan,projects,qc-agents,reference-data,skills}
for d in new-client/{brand,constraints,master-plan,projects,qc-agents,reference-data,skills}; do touch "$d/.gitkeep"; done

Troubleshooting

"Nothing to commit" — Files haven't changed, or you already pushed. Run git status to check.

"Directory not found" on rclone — The folder doesn't exist on Drive yet. Create it by pushing a file to it, or create it manually in Drive.

Can't find a file in the vault — Use find:

find ~/advisory-os-vault -name "*keyword*" -type f

Forgot which machine I'm on — If you have a terminal, you're on the Chromebook. If you see Windows, save to vault-inbox/.