# The Safety Checklist

*Run this before you build, test, share, or change a tool. Thirty seconds now saves hours later.*

## Before you build or change a tool
- [ ] **Save point made.** I have a labeled snapshot of this tool as it is right now (or a backup copy of the folder).
- [ ] **Spec in hand.** I've written down goal, inputs, outputs, rules, and what "done" looks like.
- [ ] **Right folder.** Claude is pointed at the tool's project folder — not my whole computer.
- [ ] **Nothing secret in view.** No passwords, bank details, or confidential files sitting in the working folder.

## While Claude builds
- [ ] **I read each proposal** before approving it, so I know what it's about to change.
- [ ] **I'm in a mode that asks first** (Manual/ask), not one that acts without me.
- [ ] **I build and approve in small steps**, so I can stop early if it's heading the wrong way.

## Before I trust the tool (test before you rely)
- [ ] **I tested it** on a normal input, a messy edge case, and a deliberately bad input.
- [ ] **I checked the output myself** — especially any numbers — before relying on it or sending anything.
- [ ] **A wrong result that looks right** is the one I'm watching for. When in doubt, I don't send it.

## Before I share a tool (privacy — what not to put in a tool you share)
- [ ] **I stripped real and sensitive data** and replaced it with a small, fake sample.
- [ ] **No secrets are baked in** — no passwords, keys, account numbers, or private details in the tool or its files.
- [ ] **No client, employee, or personal information** rides along in a spreadsheet, note, or template.
- [ ] **I wrote a five-line how-to** so the next person can run it without me.

## The Book 3 boundary
- [ ] My tool works on files and data **on my own computer** and runs **when I ask it to**. If I want it to connect to a live service or run on its own, that's **Book 3, *Connect & Automate*** — not something to bolt on here. Self-contained and local is what keeps a Book 2 tool private and low-risk.

## Cost
- [ ] I'm on a flat plan, or I've set usage alerts. (Prices and limits change — check claude.com/pricing.)

## If a tool misbehaves
- [ ] I stop and name the symptom precisely.
- [ ] I ask "what changed?" and hand it to Claude to diagnose.
- [ ] If needed, I **restore from a save point** — no drama.

> The golden rule: **you are always in control.** Claude proposes; you approve. When in doubt,
> save a point and slow down.