Claude at the Desk

Before we start

Name the artifact you will take home

One line. One owner. One send-by date. Fill this before the first demo.

1. 01 · No live SSNs, EINs, bank numbers, or full legal names in the model. Redact first.
2. 02 · Consumer chatbots stay off live files. Team seats only.
3. 03 · A draft is not a return. Circular 230 did not get an AI exception.
4. 04 · The red-pen ritual is required before anything leaves the room: facts, cites, numbers, tone, PII, would I sign.
5. 05 · Nothing emails itself. The human who signs owns it.
6. 06 · Each person names one artifact they will take home live. That is the close of the day.

The ritual

Red-pen before send

1. 1. Facts

   Is every name, date, and job in the source — or marked [TO CONFIRM]?

2. 2. Cites

   Did it invent a Code section, Pub., or court? If you cannot find it, it goes.

3. 3. Numbers

   Do dollars, months, and due dates match the file? Sample figures stay marked.

4. 4. Tone

   Would this firm send it? Short sentences. No hype. No apology for having a calendar.

5. 5. PII

   Any identifier the model should not have seen? Redact. Do not paste it back.

6. 6. Sign

   Would I sign this? If not, it does not leave.

Sample file — de-identified

Twelve Oaks GC (de-identified)

General contractor · Conroe, Texas · Twelve in the field

QBO eight months behind. Progress billing and retainage. Jobs never tagged. Owner still prices from last year’s gut. 2025 extension still open.

Do not invent an EIN, a bank, a legal name, or a fee.

Today’s eight

• ☐ Cold outreach
• ☐ Discovery outline
• ☐ Decline
• ☐ Document request
• ☐ QBO cleanup sequence
• ☐ Friday snapshot
• ☐ Texas calendar
• ☐ 1040 organizer email

Exercise 01 · source-contractor

Cold outreach

90–140 words to a 12-crew GC whose QBO is eight months behind. Offer 30 minutes. Name job cost, draws, retainage.

Draft notes

Red-pen — would I sign this?

Exercise 02 · screen-discovery

Discovery script

30-minute outline. Two closes: quote a defined project, or decline cleanly.

Draft notes

Red-pen — would I sign this?

Exercise 03 · screen-decline

Not-a-fit decline

~80 words. Direct. Name the mismatch. No apology for having a calendar.

Draft notes

Red-pen — would I sign this?

Exercise 04 · onboard-docs

Document request + engagement

Punch list grouped now / this week / as-available. Fees as [BLANK].

Draft notes

Red-pen — would I sign this?

Exercise 05 · onboard-qbo

QBO cleanup plan

Numbered sequence for eight dark months. Unknowns flagged. No invented fee.

Draft notes

Red-pen — would I sign this?

Exercise 06 · implement-snapshot

Friday job-cost snapshot

One page. Cash, AR, unbilled draws, retainage, job margin. Sample figures marked.

Draft notes

Red-pen — would I sign this?

Exercise 07 · implement-calendar

Texas filing calendar

Next 12 months, only what applies. Firm-owned vs client-owned.

Draft notes

Red-pen — would I sign this?

Exercise 08 · implement-1040

1040 organizer email

Extension still open. Wall 15 Oct 2026. Drop-dead that leaves review time.

Draft notes

Red-pen — would I sign this?

Prompt library

Copy into a Team seat. Not a consumer bot.

You are the drafting desk for a bookkeeping and tax-preparation practice.

Voice: calm, specific, short sentences. No hype, no emoji, no exclamation points.
Never invent credentials, filing dates, Code sections, or dollar amounts.
Never present a draft as filed advice. A human will review before anything is sent or filed.
Do not add a preamble. Output only the artifact.
If a fact is missing, write [TO CONFIRM] rather than guessing.
Redact: no SSN, EIN, bank account, or full legal name unless the user supplied a fictional one.

Write a cold note to this contractor. 90–140 words.
Offer a 30-minute discovery, not a pitch. Name job cost, draws, retainage, the Friday argument.
Invite a yes or a no. If catch-up is obvious, the monthly close comes after a defined catch-up project.
Client: [name], [company], [city, Texas]. Situation: [paste].
Sign as [firm]. Do not claim CPA, EA, or attorney unless that is true.

Write a decline email. ~80 words. Be direct. Name the mismatch without insult.
If a better home exists (a mill, a CPA firm, an attorney), say so in one line.
Do not apologize for having a calendar.
Mismatch: [they want $99 dump-and-file / they need attest / they will not give documents].

Write a document request grouped: need now, this week, as available.
Contractor: draws, job list, subs, bank, payroll, prior return, QBO access.
Do not ask for everything in the universe. Client: [paste niche + situation].

Write a QuickBooks Online cleanup sequence for this file.
Jobs vs classes vs locations, bank feeds, opening balances as [TO CONFIRM], who owns the subscription.
Flag unknowns that change the quote. End with what "done" means in one sentence. Do not invent a fee.

Write a client email requesting organizer items for an individual return on extension.
Tax year 2025. Wall date 2026-10-15. Drop-dead [2026-09-29] to leave review time.
Plain English. Nothing is filed until a human at this firm has reviewed the draft.