adam@akdarrah~/posts$cat build-a-local-software-factory.md
Build a local software factory in 10 minutes
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{}factory-prompt.txt L1–34text ▣fig.1 · Matrix theme: green code rain behind every stepimg {}theme-matrix.txt L1–2text ▣fig.2 · Assembly line theme: a crate is stamped at every stationimg {}theme-assembly.txt L1–2text ▣fig.3 · 8-bit theme: one level per stepimg {}theme-arcade.txt L1–2text ▣fig.4 · Mission control theme: GO/NO-GO for every stageimg {}theme-mission.txt L1–2text ↓ download all code (.zip)or rss. no spam, one-click out.
Almost everything I build goes through the same lifecycle: read the ticket, plan, build, review, QA, and decide whether it's safe to ship. I was doing those steps by hand with my local Claude agent every time, so I turned them into a factory: a skill that runs the process, and a Claude Code mod that shows me where any session is in it.
It takes one prompt and about ten minutes to set up.
The prompt
Paste this into Claude Code. I use Linear and CircleCI; swap in your own tracker and CI where noted.
1I want a local "software factory": a skill plus a Claude Code mod that walks every piece of2work through the same lifecycle and shows me where we are at a glance.3 4Create a skill called /factory that takes a ticket from my issue tracker (I use Linear; swap5in Jira, GitHub Issues or whatever you use) and runs these steps in order:6 71. Ticket. Read the ticket and restate the problem. Then verify it independently. Tickets8 are often incomplete or out of date, so check every claim and proposed solution against9 the code before trusting it.102. Plan. Propose a solution using the normal planning flow. I'll review it, and we iterate11 until I approve the plan.123. Build. Implement the approved plan on your own, without checking in, and open a pull13 request.144. Review. Do rounds of code review and fix every critical or important finding. Repeat15 until a round finds nothing critical or important, however many rounds that takes.165. QA. Test as many permutations of the change as you can. Use the Claude in Chrome17 extension for anything with a UI, and automated tests or scripts for everything else.18 Keep going until everything that can be tested has been.196. QA report. Publish an artifact with screenshots of what you tested, and link it in the20 pull request.217. Risk report. Assess the real-world risk of merging and deploying: the blast area, the22 blast radius, and anything real users might notice. If the work is behind a feature23 flag, verify nothing leaks outside the flag.24 25Then build a mod that shows a band above the prompt whenever a session is running /factory,26with:27- the current step, and which steps are done28- a link to the ticket29- a link to the pull request30- the CI status (I use CircleCI; swap in GitHub Actions, Buildkite or yours)31 32Animate the move from one step to the next, and celebrate when everything is done. Give it33a Matrix theme. Finally, add a demo command that plays through the whole lifecycle, so I can34see every step without running real work.The skill does the work; the mod is how you keep track of it. When I glance at a session I can see the step, the ticket, the PR and whether CI is green, without scrolling back through the transcript.
Pick a theme
I went with the Matrix, but the mod is just a drawing, so make it yours. Here are four directions, all running the same session. To use one, replace "Give it a Matrix theme." at the end of the prompt with its line. Or describe your own; anything you can draw in a terminal works.
The Matrix
1Give it a Matrix theme: green code rain behind the band that surges on every step change,2finished steps glowing solid green, and "FACTORY COMPLETE" glitching in at the end.Assembly line
1Give it an assembly-line theme: a crate rides a conveyor belt past a press for each step,2gets stamped as each step passes, and is stamped SHIPPED with confetti at the end.8-bit level map
1Give it an 8-bit level-map theme: a small original pixel character hops from level to level,2"LEVEL CLEAR!" and a coin between steps, and a "YOU WIN / SHIP IT!" banner at the end.Mission control
1Give it a mission-control theme: a stage light per step that goes STANDBY, GO, NOMINAL,2a T-minus countdown, CI as a GO/NO-GO light, and a rocket lifting off at the end.A few tips
- Run the demo first. It plays the whole lifecycle in a few seconds, which is the fastest way to tune the animations before you trust it with real work.
- Keep the review loop strict. "Repeat until a round finds nothing critical or important" is the line that does the most work. It might take two rounds, or it might take ten.
- Make the risk report about users. The best ones read like a note to whoever is on call: what could break, who would notice, and how to turn it off.