Bootstrap Soul
bytedance/deer-flow
Runs a short adaptive conversation with you and writes a personalized SOUL.md that defines your AI partner's name, personality, communication style and boundaries.
Indie maker playbook for bootstrapped apps inspired by Pieter Levels' MAKE: The Indie Maker Blueprint.
MITAuto-check passed
Install Make Playbook
$ npx skills add tamdogood/builder-essential-skills --skill make-playbook -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install tamdogood/builder-essential-skills make-playbook --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/tamdogood/builder-essential-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/make-playbook .claude/skills/make-playbook && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "make-playbook" agent skill from https://github.com/tamdogood/builder-essential-skills/tree/main/skills/make-playbook into .claude/skills/make-playbook/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "make-playbook", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/tamdogood/builder-essential-skills/tree/main/skills/make-playbookType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add tamdogood/builder-essential-skills --skill make-playbook -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install tamdogood/builder-essential-skills make-playbook --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/tamdogood/builder-essential-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/make-playbook .agents/skills/make-playbook && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "make-playbook" agent skill from https://github.com/tamdogood/builder-essential-skills/tree/main/skills/make-playbook into .agents/skills/make-playbook/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "make-playbook", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add tamdogood/builder-essential-skills --skill make-playbook -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install tamdogood/builder-essential-skills make-playbook --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/tamdogood/builder-essential-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/make-playbook .cursor/skills/make-playbook && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "make-playbook" agent skill from https://github.com/tamdogood/builder-essential-skills/tree/main/skills/make-playbook into .cursor/skills/make-playbook/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "make-playbook", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/tamdogood/builder-essential-skills.git --path skills/make-playbook--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add tamdogood/builder-essential-skills --skill make-playbook -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install tamdogood/builder-essential-skills make-playbook --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/tamdogood/builder-essential-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/make-playbook .gemini/skills/make-playbook && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "make-playbook" agent skill from https://github.com/tamdogood/builder-essential-skills/tree/main/skills/make-playbook into .gemini/skills/make-playbook/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "make-playbook", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install tamdogood/builder-essential-skills make-playbookInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add tamdogood/builder-essential-skills --skill make-playbook -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/tamdogood/builder-essential-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/make-playbook .github/skills/make-playbook && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "make-playbook" agent skill from https://github.com/tamdogood/builder-essential-skills/tree/main/skills/make-playbook into .github/skills/make-playbook/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "make-playbook", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add tamdogood/builder-essential-skills --skill make-playbook -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install tamdogood/builder-essential-skills make-playbook --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/tamdogood/builder-essential-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/make-playbook .opencode/skills/make-playbook && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "make-playbook" agent skill from https://github.com/tamdogood/builder-essential-skills/tree/main/skills/make-playbook into .opencode/skills/make-playbook/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "make-playbook", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
make-playbook- GitHub stars
- 220
- Token cost
- ~932 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 471 words
- Files
- 12 (incl. references)
- Skills in repo
- 18
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Indie maker playbook for bootstrapped apps inspired by Pieter Levels' MAKE: The Indie Maker Blueprint.
- Works in 6 steps: Identify the app and current stage. If… → Load the current stage reference. Load… → Apply the reference to the user's… → …
- A user is starting
- SKILL.md covers Stage Model, Workflow, Reference Routing and Tracker Handling, plus 1 more section
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Make Playbook is an agent skill from tamdogood/builder-essential-skills. Indie maker playbook for bootstrapped apps inspired by Pieter Levels' MAKE: The Indie Maker Blueprint. Use when a user is starting or sizing an app idea, choosing what to build next, building a minimal product, preparing a launch, diagnosing stalled growth, deciding pricing or monetization, automating operations, maintaining a per-app MAKE.md tracker, or evaluating whether to sell a product.
Its SKILL.md is about 930 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 14 other files, including reference files (for example `README.md`, `agents/openai.yaml` and `references/automate.md`).
The repository describes itself as: A repository for skills that are essential to my daily work. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- A user is starting
- Sizing an app idea
- Choosing what to build next
- Building a minimal product
Example prompts
- “/make-playbook”
Workflow steps
6 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- Identify the app and current stage. If the user has not named the app or the
- Load the current stage reference. Load one adjacent stage when the question
- Apply the reference to the user's specific app. Use the diagnostic questions
- Push toward shipping. When the user is stuck in abstraction, give the
- Offer to create or update a tracker. For a new app, copy
- End with action, not advice. Close every response with a short, time-boxed
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 1be9984. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Make Playbook loads about 932 tokens when it runs, and up to ~12k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 102 tokens; SKILL.md has 471 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from tamdogood/builder-essential-skills at commit 1be9984, republished under its MIT licence (© tamdogood). 471 words, ~932 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/make-playbook/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 11 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- make-playbook
- description
- Indie maker playbook for bootstrapped apps inspired by Pieter Levels' MAKE: The Indie Maker Blueprint. Use when a user is starting or sizing an app idea, choosing what to build next, building a minimal product, preparing a launch, diagnosing stalled growth, deciding pricing or monetization, automating operations, maintaining a per-app MAKE.md tracker, or evaluating whether to sell a product.
MAKE Playbook
Use this skill as a stage-specific operating system for solo and bootstrapped software products. It is an original checklist and diagnostic system inspired by Pieter Levels' MAKE: The Indie Maker Blueprint; it is not a substitute for the book. Keep attribution intact when reusing the references.
Stage Model
Idea -> Build -> Launch -> Grow -> Monetize -> Automate -> Exit
Always treat references/ethos.md as the standing frame for bootstrapping,
persistence, and ethical constraints. Load it once per session when it has not
already been read. Its constraints override stage tactics: no fake engagement,
fake reviews, dishonest growth hacks, user-hostile monetization, or selling user
data.
Workflow
- Identify the app and current stage. If the user has not named the app or the
current situation, ask one concise question. If a
MAKE.mdfile exists in the project root, read it first because it may already contain this state. - Load the current stage reference. Load one adjacent stage when the question is on a boundary, such as build/launch for "is this ready to launch" or grow/monetize for "traffic but no revenue."
- Apply the reference to the user's specific app. Use the diagnostic questions at the end of each reference to get missing facts, then convert the checklist into a concrete action list for this product and this week.
- Push toward shipping. When the user is stuck in abstraction, give the smallest next action that creates market evidence.
- Offer to create or update a tracker. For a new app, copy
templates/make-tracker.mdto the project root asMAKE.mdand fill in what is known. For an existingMAKE.md, update the relevant section as decisions are made. - End with action, not advice. Close every response with a short, time-boxed next step unless the user explicitly requested only analysis.
Show full SKILL.md (176 more words)Show less
Reference Routing
| User situation | Load |
|---|---|
| "I do not know what to build", idea feels broad, niche is unclear | references/idea.md |
| Stuck choosing stack, overbuilding, outsourcing before proof | references/build.md |
| Built something but nobody knows, launch plan is vague | references/launch.md |
| Traffic plateaued, retention unclear, growth depends on paid ads | references/grow.md |
| Users but no revenue, pricing/model is unclear | references/monetize.md |
| Revenue exists but founder is the bottleneck | references/automate.md |
| Acquisition offer, sale timing, valuation, or diligence questions | references/exit.md |
Tracker Handling
- Prefer
MAKE.mdin the project root for per-app state. - Preserve user-written sections and update only the stage details relevant to the conversation.
- Keep the tracker factual: current stage, niche, decisions, launch dates, pricing, repeat tasks, and post-mortem notes.
- When copying the template, replace obvious placeholders rather than leaving a blank scaffold if the conversation already contains the answers.
Response Shape
For most requests, return:
- Stage diagnosis in one or two sentences.
- The key constraints or evidence gaps.
- A numbered plan of concrete actions.
- Tracker updates made or recommended.
- The next action to take today or this week.
© tamdogood, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
SKILL.md and 11 other files (references) in skills/make-playbook of tamdogood/builder-essential-skills.
- SKILL.md
- README.md
- agents/openai.yaml
- references/automate.md
- references/build.md
- references/ethos.md
- references/exit.md
- references/grow.md
- references/idea.md
- references/launch.md
- references/monetize.md
- templates/make-tracker.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 1be9984
Compare with similar skills
Make Playbook next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Make Playbook this skilltamdogood/builder-essential-skills | 220 | — | ~932 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Bootstrap Soulbytedance/deer-flow | 84k | 2 repos | ~1.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Diagram Makeropenclaw/openclaw | 392k | 2 repos | ~589 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Meme Makeropenclaw/openclaw | 392k | 1 repos | ~641 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Tabler Bootstrap Component Rulestabler/tabler | 42k | — | ~2.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Bootstrap Diagnosticskunchenguid/firstmate | 7.7k | — | ~3.6k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT |
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Questions about Make Playbook
What does Make Playbook do?
Indie maker playbook for bootstrapped apps inspired by Pieter Levels' MAKE: The Indie Maker Blueprint. Make Playbook is an agent skill from tamdogood/builder-essential-skills. Indie maker playbook for bootstrapped apps inspired by Pieter Levels' MAKE: The Indie Maker Blueprint.
When should I use Make Playbook?
Make Playbook fits situations like: A user is starting; sizing an app idea; choosing what to build next; building a minimal product.
How do I install Make Playbook in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add tamdogood/builder-essential-skills --skill make-playbook -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/make-playbook in tamdogood/builder-essential-skills) into .claude/skills/make-playbook in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Make Playbook in Codex?
Run `npx skills add tamdogood/builder-essential-skills --skill make-playbook -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/make-playbook in tamdogood/builder-essential-skills) into .agents/skills/make-playbook in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Make Playbook in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add tamdogood/builder-essential-skills --skill make-playbook -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/make-playbook, .gemini/skills/make-playbook, .github/skills/make-playbook and .opencode/skills/make-playbook in your project.
What does Make Playbook need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Make Playbook is instructions for the agent only.
Does Make Playbook access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Make Playbook safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Make Playbook use?
Make Playbook is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Make Playbook use?
About 932 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.7k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 11k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.
What are the alternatives to Make Playbook?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Make Playbook: Bootstrap Soul (bytedance/deer-flow, 84k stars), Diagram Maker (openclaw/openclaw, 392k stars), Meme Maker (openclaw/openclaw, 392k stars) and Tabler Bootstrap Component Rules (tabler/tabler, 42k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Make Playbook?
tamdogood (a GitHub user) maintains it in tamdogood/builder-essential-skills, which has 220 GitHub stars. The repository holds 18 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 16, 2026.
Source: tamdogood/builder-essential-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.