Overview
What's In This Guide
All 9 tools from the video, ranked from beginner (ChatGPT) to dangerously powerful (Granola)
What each tool is, what you are missing without it, and what it costs
The exact setup for every one, including the commands you paste into Claude
How I actually use each tool, every single day
How the whole stack works as one connected machine, not 9 separate apps
Start Here
9 Tools, One Machine
I'm not a developer. Zero coding background. The advantage was never one magical AI. It's a small stack of tools that each do one thing well, wired together so they feed each other and get smarter over time.
We start at #9, the floor. By the time you hit #1, you're running tools that put you ahead of almost everyone. Most people stop at #8. Don't be most people.
Part 1 is the full ranking at a glance. Part 2 is the setup for each one, with the exact commands you paste in and how I actually use it. Take it one tool at a time. You don't have to do all 9 today.
Part 1
The Ranking
Least niche to most powerful. Each tool, what it does, what you're missing without it, and what it costs. Skim this, then set them up below.
ChatGPT
What it is: Where everyone starts. The on-ramp to AI.
What you're missing: Nothing, if it is all you use, and that is the problem. It is built for beginners and it is the weakest tool here on purpose. If it is your only AI, you are at the starting line.
Cost: Free. Plus is $20/mo.
Claude (+ Cowork + Code)
What it is: The best AI on earth, in three forms. Your daily driver.
What you're missing: An expert in any domain building 50x faster than you could. This is the brain and the hands. Everything else on this list exists to make Claude stronger.
Cost: Free to start. Pro is $20/mo.
Obsidian + Web Clipper
What it is: A second brain in plain files you actually own.
What you're missing: Your knowledge is scattered across 12 apps you do not control. Put it in one place Claude can read, and clip anything good off the web straight into it. Not even AI, still overpowered.
Cost: Free. Both Obsidian and the Web Clipper.
Higgsfield
What it is: Every top image and video model, connected to Claude.
What you're missing: If you make content, this is the one to learn. One connection gives Claude every visual model, so you generate images and video at scale without leaving a conversation.
Cost: Free credits to start, paid plans after.
Supabase
What it is: Your own databases that Claude can read and write.
What you're missing: Sounds complex, is not. Store data about anything (leads, content performance, a hook database) and Claude can pull from it and add to it on command. A quiet superpower.
Cost: Generous free tier, paid after.
Composio
What it is: One connection that links Claude to all your apps.
What you're missing: Instead of wiring up 50 apps to Claude one by one, you connect one MCP and Claude can reach all of them. The tool almost nobody has heard of, and the one that makes the stack click.
Cost: Free to start. Thousands of free credits.
Wispr Flow
What it is: AI voice-to-text inside any app. Talk, do not type.
What you're missing: Talking is 4x faster than typing, so you finally give AI the full context it needs and your outputs jump. If you are still typing your prompts, what are you doing?
Cost: Free Basic (2,000 words/week). Pro $12/mo annual.
Hermes
What it is: A 24/7 AI agent you text from your phone.
What you're missing: Claude Code waits for you to drive it. Hermes runs on its own, remembers everything, and writes itself a new skill after every task. Running one puts you in the top 1%.
Cost: Free and open source. You only pay for model tokens.
Granola
What it is: Records your meetings, calls, and thoughts, and feeds them to Claude.
What you're missing: The most powerful tool here because it captures what everything else needs: context. Record anything in your life, get a clean transcript, and auto-upload it to Claude the second it ends.
Cost: Free tier, paid for heavy use.
Part 2
The Setup
One tool at a time. Install it, connect it, then run the day-one prompt to feel what it does.
9. ChatGPT
The On-RampThe AI almost everyone started with. There are still real use cases here: quick throwaway questions, casual back and forth, fast image stuff. But ChatGPT is built for beginners and it's the least powerful tool on this list on purpose.
If it's your only AI tool, you're standing at the starting line wondering why everyone else is so far ahead. Everything below this is where the real leverage lives.
Set it up
- 1
Go to chatgpt.com and make a free account. It works in your browser or as an app on your phone and desktop.
- 2
That is the whole setup. Start typing. The free plan is plenty to get a feel for it.
How I actually use it
Honestly, barely anymore. When I want a fast answer and don't feel like opening Claude Code, I'll fire a quick question into it. That's it. The lesson of putting it at #9 is the whole point of this guide: the most popular AI tool in the world is the weakest one I touch.
Run this on day one
"Explain [something you have always wanted to understand] to me like I am smart but new to it. Use simple words."
8. Claude
The Brain & HandsThe best AI on the planet, in three forms. Regular Claude for chat. Cowork for an agent that works inside a window on your files. Claude Code for the most powerful version that lives in your terminal. These are mainstream now, which is exactly why they're only at #8. Mainstream doesn't mean weak.
This is the brain and the hands of the entire stack. Everything else on this list exists to make Claude more powerful. If you think something can't be done inside Claude Code or Cowork, think again.
Set it up
Get a Claude plan at claude.ai. The $20/mo Pro plan covers Cowork and Claude Code. For non-technical folks, start with Cowork: download the Claude desktop app, switch the mode from Chat to Cowork, drag in a folder, and click Allow.
In Cowork, open Settings, Cowork, Global instructions and write a short brief: who you are, how you work, where your files live, the rules it can't break. This box is the move 99% of people skip. Claude reads it at the start of every task, forever.
Want the terminal version? Install Claude Code with one command, then run it from any folder.
$ npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code Bonus move
If you use Claude Code, pair it with VS Code or Cursor so you can see the files Claude is touching while it works, instead of staring at a terminal. Both are free.
How I actually use it
This is where I do everything. I built my entire website with it. I run my whole content engine out of it. Zero coding background, and I use this every day to build automations and tools I could never have made otherwise. Treat it like a new hire: give it context about you up front, and it gets better at your specific job every time.
Run this on day one
"What are the tasks I do every day that you could automate for me? Pick the easiest one and build it."
"Look at this folder and organize it for me. Ask before you move anything."
7. Obsidian + Web Clipper
Your Second BrainObsidian is where all your notes, ideas, and knowledge live, in plain files you actually own. The Web Clipper is a free Chrome extension that saves any article, post, or video straight into it. This one isn't even AI, and it's still overpowered.
Most people's knowledge is scattered across 12 apps they don't control. Obsidian puts everything in plain files on your own computer. Point Claude at that folder and it becomes a real second brain: it can read every note you've ever taken and write new ones back.
Set it up
- 1
Download Obsidian at obsidian.md (free, Mac/Windows/Linux). Create a new vault, which is just a folder on your computer.
- 2
Install the Obsidian Web Clipper Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store (search "Obsidian Web Clipper"). In its settings, point it at your vault so clips save straight in.
- 3
Point Claude Code or Cowork at your vault folder. Now Claude can read and write your entire knowledge base.
How I actually use it
My entire business runs out of an Obsidian vault. Every content script, brand doc, idea, and client note lives here as plain files. Claude Code reads and writes to it all day. When I find a competitor's post or a great article, I hit the Web Clipper and it lands in my vault, then I ask Claude to pull the lessons and link it to everything related. That loop is the closest thing to a real second brain I've found.
Run this on day one
"Read every note in this vault, then tell me the 5 ideas I keep coming back to without realizing it."
6. Higgsfield
The Visual EngineOne tool that, once connected to Claude, gives it access to all the best image and video generation models in one place. If you make content, this is the one to learn. No beginner stepping-stone here, go straight to this.
Instead of juggling five different image and video apps, you connect Higgsfield once and Claude can generate images and video at scale, straight from a conversation.
Set it up (Claude Code)
Make an account at higgsfield.ai, then add the Higgsfield MCP to Claude Code with one command in your terminal.
$ claude mcp add --transport http -s user higgsfield "https://mcp.higgsfield.ai/mcp" Fully quit and reopen Claude Code so it registers, then run /mcp to confirm higgsfield is connected. On Claude Desktop, use Add a Custom Connector and paste the same URL.
How I actually use it
This is my visual engine. I generate images and video for short-form content, ad creative, and thumbnails without ever leaving Claude. I describe what I want in plain English, Claude picks the right model behind Higgsfield, and the asset shows up. What used to take five tools and a lot of clicking is now one connection.
Run this on day one
"Use Higgsfield to generate one test image of a sunrise over mountains. Then make a 3-second video version."
5. Supabase
Your Own DatabaseA place to build and store your own databases that Claude can read and write whenever it wants. This sounds complex and like it's not worth your time. It's neither.
You can store data about literally anything: your content performance, your leads, a list of every hook that ever went viral, your customers. Then Claude can pull from it and add to it on command. A database you control plus an AI that can use it is a quiet superpower most people never touch. You don't need to know SQL. Claude does the database part.
Set it up (Claude Code)
Make a free account at supabase.com, create a new project, then grab a personal access token from your account settings.
Connect the Supabase MCP to Claude Code. Paste your token where it says YOUR_TOKEN.
$ claude mcp add supabase -- npx -y @supabase/mcp-server-supabase@latest --read-only --access-token=YOUR_TOKEN Restart Claude Code and run /mcp to confirm supabase is connected. Drop the --read-only flag once you want Claude to write to it, not just read.
How I actually use it
I store the data my business actually runs on. My cold-outreach CRM lives in Supabase. My content scoring data lives there. A database of high-performing hooks lives there. Claude queries it before it writes anything, so my content is built on what actually worked, not guesses. You just tell it what to store and what to pull back.
Run this on day one
"Create a Supabase table to track my content ideas, then add these 5 ideas to it: [paste]."
4. Composio
The One Nobody's Heard OfNormally, to connect Claude to your apps, you wire up a separate connection for each one. Gmail here, Notion there, Slack over there. Fifty apps means fifty setups.
Composio flips that. Connect their one MCP and Claude can reach 250+ of your apps through it. In a world where a new AI tool shows up every week, that makes wiring your tools to any model so much easier. The easiest way to use Composio is through their free app called Rube.
Set it up (Claude Code)
Add the Rube MCP to Claude Code with one command in your terminal.
$ claude mcp add --transport http rube -s user "https://rube.app/mcp" Restart Claude Code, run /mcp, select rube, and choose Authenticate. A browser tab opens. Sign in once.
When you ask Claude to use one of your apps (say Gmail), Rube prompts you to authorize it once. After that, it just works. On Claude Desktop, use Add a Custom Connector and paste https://rube.app/mcp.
How I actually use it
It keeps my connections sane. I don't want to re-connect Gmail, Slack, Notion, and Calendar to every new AI tool I try. I connect them to Composio once, and then any AI I'm using can reach all of them. It turns "managing 50 integrations" into "managing one." I tell Claude "check my Gmail for anything urgent and draft replies," and it just does it.
Run this on day one
"Using Rube, check my Gmail for anything important I missed today and summarize it."
"Using Rube, create a task in my Notion (or Linear) from this note: [paste]."
3. Wispr Flow
Talk, Don't TypeAI voice-to-text that works inside any app. You press a hotkey, talk, and it types what you said wherever your cursor is. If you're still typing instead of talking to your computer, what are you doing?
Speed is the secondary benefit. The real one: typing is slow, so you don't give AI enough context. Talk instead, and your prompts get 4x longer and 10x better. I've used it for months and saved hundreds of hours.
Set it up
- 1
Download Wispr Flow at wisprflow.ai. It runs on Mac, Windows, and iPhone.
- 2
Give it microphone and accessibility permission when it asks, then set your hotkey (the default is fine). This is the key you hold to talk.
- 3
Open any app, hold your hotkey, and just talk. Try it first by dictating a full prompt into Claude.
How I actually use it
The biggest use is prompting Claude. Instead of typing a short lazy prompt, I hold the key and talk through the full situation: the background, the details, what I actually want. More context in means a far better answer out, on the first try. I also rip through email replies by speaking them and capture ideas on a walk before they disappear.
Run this on day one
"Use Wispr Flow to talk through a full prompt with all the context: who it is for, the background, and exactly what you want. Then watch how much better the output is."
2. Hermes
The Top 1% MoveA 24/7 AI agent from Nous Research that you text from your phone, whenever you want. It lives on a tiny server, remembers everything, and writes itself a new skill every time it finishes a task. This one isn't for everyone. But if you're running a 24/7 AI agent, you're honestly in the top 1%.
The difference from Claude Code: Claude Code works while you drive it. Hermes works while you are gone. Perfect for anything recurring you want done without keeping your computer open. Monitoring your inbox. Building reports. Running competitor research overnight.
Set it up (the no-hardware path)
- 1
Spin up a cloud computer at orgo.ai. It boots in under a minute and you reach it from your browser. No Mac Mini required.
- 2
Open the terminal inside it, install Claude Code, then tell it: "install the Hermes agent into this VM using the latest docs from nousresearch.com." The agent installs the agent. If anything breaks, tell Claude Code to fix it.
- 3
Connect it to Telegram with a bot token from BotFather. Now you can text your agent from anywhere. Your phone is the interface.
Want to run it locally instead? The official quickstart from Nous Research is one command on Mac, Linux, or Windows. Follow it at hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs. Mac users run xcode-select --install first. Pair it with OpenRouter as your model provider to keep token costs near zero.
How I actually use it
It's the agent for everything I want done while my computer is closed. Monitoring my inbox, pulling competitor research on a schedule, building reports overnight. The unlock is that it remembers everything and writes itself a new skill every time it finishes a task, so it actually gets smarter the more I use it. On day one, don't customize it for three weeks. Just text it.
Text it this on day one
"What is the most important thing for me to work on today?"
"What are the tasks I do every day that you could automate?"
1. Granola
The Most Powerful OneAn AI transcription tool that records your meetings, calls, and thoughts, and hands you clean transcripts and notes after. It's #1 because it captures the thing everything else needs: context.
I use it to record all my meetings, conversations, and my own thoughts. It gives me a transcript for literally anything in my life. And the killer move is the last one: you can set it up so every transcript automatically uploads to Claude the second your meeting ends.
Set it up
- 1
Download Granola at granola.ai (Mac) and give it the permissions it asks for so it can sit in on your calls.
- 2
It joins your meetings quietly, transcribes, and drops clean notes and action items after each one. No bot in the call, it just listens.
- 3
The auto-upload move: connect Granola to your vault or to Claude so every finished transcript exports automatically. The moment a meeting ends, the transcript is in front of Claude, ready to become follow-ups, summaries, or content.
How I actually use it
I record everything. Client calls, internal meetings, even me talking through an idea out loud on a walk. Granola gives me a transcript for all of it, and it flows straight into Claude. I never lose a good thought, every call becomes searchable, and Claude turns any conversation into action items, a newsletter, or a content script without me retyping a word. Capture everything, feed it to the brain, let the brain do the work.
Run this on day one
"Take the transcript from my last meeting and turn it into a clean summary, a list of action items, and 3 short-form content ideas."
The Stack
How the 9 Work Together
ChatGPT
The on-ramp. Gets you in the habit of asking AI for help.
Claude
The brain and the hands. Where you run everything.
Obsidian + Web Clipper
The memory. Everything you know, in files you own.
Higgsfield
The visual engine. Every image and video model on tap.
Supabase
The database. Structured data Claude can store and pull.
Composio
The nervous system. Connects Claude to all your apps.
Wispr Flow
The input. Gets your full context into the brain fast.
Hermes
The worker. Runs jobs when you are not there.
Granola
The ears. Captures every conversation and feeds the brain.
These aren't nine separate tools. They're one machine, and it gets more powerful as you climb. Talk your full context in with Wispr. Capture everything with Granola. Store what matters in Obsidian and Supabase. Let Claude reach your apps through Composio and make visuals through Higgsfield. Hand the overnight work to Hermes. That's the stack the people who are dangerously good with AI are actually running.
You don't need 30 AI tools. You need these, used together, consistently.
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