The Install: requirements checklist

How this works

• You book. You get this checklist as a form.
• You complete Tier 1 and Tier 2. Takes about an hour, mostly waiting on other people. Start immediately, because item 1 is the one that takes the longest.
• We do the prep call, one week out. Thirty minutes. I log into two or three things myself and confirm they work. We pick your agent.
• 48 hours out, Tier 1 is confirmed or we move the date. No exceptions, and no hard feelings.
• We run the day.

Tier 1: Blocking

No day without these.

1. Domain registrar access, at the owner level

Where your domain name is actually registered. GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, Cloudflare, somewhere else.

It has to be your login, not your former developer's, not an agency's. Log in and confirm you can see the DNS settings before you tick this box.

If you can't: Start now. This is the item that takes days, not minutes. Recovering a domain from an unresponsive former developer or a defunct agency can take a week or more. If you don't know where your domain is registered, look up your domain on a public WHOIS lookup and it will tell you the registrar.

2. Hosting or platform admin access

Wherever the site actually lives. WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, Shopify, a hosting account, a server.

Owner or admin level, not editor. Editor access can't do what we need to do.

3. A laptop you can install software on

This kills more days than anything else. If your laptop is managed by an IT department or has restricted admin rights, confirm now that you can install new software without filing a ticket. Not "I think so." Try installing something small and see what happens.

Also required:

• macOS 13 or later, Windows 10 (version 1809) or later, or a recent Ubuntu or Debian
• 4 GB of RAM minimum
• A reliable internet connection

4. A paid Claude account, logged in and working

Claude Code requires a Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise, or Console account. The free plan does not include access. A Pro plan is enough to start.

Confirm you can log in at claude.ai and that your payment method is current.

You do not need to install Claude Code before the day. We do that together. You just need the account working.

5. A GitHub account, with me invited

• Create a free account at github.com if you don't have one.
• If your business needs its own space, create an Organization and put the business name on it.
• Invite me as an admin. I'll send the exact username at booking.

6. A terminal you can open

On Mac it's called Terminal. On Windows it's PowerShell. Open it once, confirm it opens, close it. That's the whole task.

You do not need Node.js. Older guides say you do. The current installer includes everything it needs. On Windows only, if you want the native setup rather than WSL, you'll need Git for Windows installed. I'll confirm which path you're on during the prep call.

If a terminal is genuinely a non-starter, say so on the prep call. There's a desktop app that does this without the command line and the day works the same. This is a preference, not a failure.

7. The day is actually blocked

Nine to four, out of office on, notifications off. No standups, no "quick" calls, no school pickup at two.

If you can only give me half a day, tell me before you book. Half a day is a different offer and I'll say so.

Tier 2: Needed

The day works without these. You'll lose an hour and get less done.

8. Google Search Console and Google Analytics access

Owner level on both. If you don't have Search Console set up at all, that's fine, we'll do it. If somebody else set it up years ago, find out who.

9. Where your email lives

Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, your host, somewhere else. If we touch DNS during the day, I need to know what not to break. Email going down because of a DNS change is the worst possible outcome of this day and takes thirty seconds of prep to prevent.

10. Any existing source files or repository

If a developer ever handed you a folder, a zip file, a Dropbox link, or a repo, find it. If nothing exists, that's normal and fine. Just tell me which it is.

11. A code editor installed

VS Code, free, five minutes. Download it and open it once. We won't spend much time in it, but having it there beats installing it at 10am.

12. Which site we're working on

If you have more than one, pick one. We do one properly rather than three badly.

13. Your agent, chosen

Picked together on the prep call from the menu. Come with a sense of what task you personally do every week that you resent. That question usually answers it.

Tier 3: Smooths it

• Two people maximum, and one of them is on the keyboard the whole day. Three or more and it becomes a demo, and demos don't stick.
• A second monitor if you're remote. One screen for the call, one for your work.
• Full screen sharing enabled, not single-window. On a Mac this needs a screen recording permission that requires a restart, so do it the day before.
• Lunch sorted in advance. The break is forty-five minutes and it should be a real one.

Quick self-check

Answer these honestly. If any answer is "I think so," treat it as a no and go check.

• Can I log into my domain registrar right now and see DNS settings?
• Can I log into my website as an owner or admin?
• Can I install software on my laptop without asking anyone?
• Is my Claude account on a paid plan, and can I log in?
• Do I have a GitHub account and have I invited Shane?
• Have I opened a terminal window at least once?
• Is the full day blocked and protected?

Seven yeses and you're ready to book.