Foundations7 minLesson 4 of 60
The Anatomy of a Build
A build is the setup you wrap around a coding model: the memory it reads, the rules that shape its style, the tools it can reach, and the helpers that run on their own. The model is the engine. The build is the rest of the car.
The parts
- Model: the reasoning engine.
- Memory: a file (CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md) loaded every turn so the agent knows your conventions.
- Rules: scoped style and architecture constraints.
- Tools / MCP: connectors that give the model live access to your code, browser, and services.
- Subagents and hooks: delegated specialists and lifecycle automation.
zsh - my-app
# a build is just files in your repo
$ls -a
AGENTS.md .cursor/ .mcp.json .claude/
$
Start small
Do not assemble everything at once. Start with one memory file and one tool you would actually use. Measure whether sessions get shorter and diffs get cleaner, then add the next piece.