AI guide
Update an existing asset.
Change one thing. Name exactly what it is. Say explicitly what stays the same. That's the whole discipline.
Updating is not regenerating. When you update, something already exists and most of it should stay exactly as it is. The more precisely you scope the change, the less the AI touches things you didn't ask about.
Brandforge stays connected throughout — you don't re-explain the brand or paste anything in. What you bring is the one thing Brandforge can't know: why this change is happening and what the new direction is.
Open Claude Code with the Metanoia repo connected. You'll use the Read command to load the asset file — the AI sees the current file and Brandforge's rules at the same time, automatically. Don't copy-paste code into the conversation. That creates a disconnected copy. Always load through the repo.
Using the Read command
The Read command loads any file from the repo into your session. You type it directly in the Claude Code conversation, just like a message.
Find the file path in your repo — for example, a landing page lives at site/landing/aic-product.html
Type the Read command in your Claude Code conversation:
Read site/landing/aic-product.htmlClaude will confirm the file loaded and summarise what it sees. You'll know it worked when it describes the current content back to you.
Follow your Read command with your update instruction in the same message or the next one:
Read site/landing/aic-product.html
Change the headline to "Clarity through structure." Keep the same size, weight, and color — only the words change.How to prompt an update
- 1
Load the asset with Read
Type
Read [file path]to pull the file into context. The AI sees the current asset and Brandforge's rules simultaneously. No setup needed on your end. - 2
Name exactly what changes
Be specific. Vague instructions give the AI room to interpret — and it will use that room. Precise instructions leave no space for guessing.
"Change the headline to 'Clarity through structure.' Keep the same size, weight, and color as the current headline — only the words change." - 3
Name what stays the same
This is the most important habit in updating. Telling the AI what not to touch is as important as telling it what to change.
"Update the background color only — don't touch the typography, spacing, or layout." "Change the copy only. No visual changes at all." - 4
Verify what moved
Ask the AI to confirm what changed before accepting anything. One thing should have moved. Everything else should be identical.
"Show me only what changed. Confirm everything else is identical to the original file." - 5
Push your work
When the update is right, use the push command for this surface type to send the change to its destination. Until you push, the update only exists in your session.
# For a landing page: /push-to-lab
What not to do
- Paste existing code or CSS into the chat. Use
Readinstead — pasting creates a disconnected copy that's no longer wired to the real brand. - Say "make it look better." Name the specific property you want to change. Subjective prompts produce unpredictable output.
- Ask for a redesign when you want a tweak. "Redesign this section" gives the AI permission to rebuild from scratch. Name the one thing.
- Close the session before pushing. Use the push command first — unpushed work disappears when the session ends.