── SKILL
runbook-builder✓ APPROVED

Turn a workflow in your head into a runbook anyone can run.

A step-by-step SOP for a repeated process, who does what, when, and how, with named failure points and a check on every step.

Inside: The full who-what-when-how capture, stranger-followable steps, and a check per step.

01 / HOW TO USE

Install it in one line, or paste it in.

1
In Claude Code (one command)
Copy the install line, paste it into your terminal, and restart Claude Code. The skill installs itself to ~/.claude/skills/ and runs automatically when it is relevant.
2
In Claude, ChatGPT, or a Project (no terminal)
Open the file, then upload it to your chat or paste its contents in. A skill is just a markdown file of instructions, so any capable AI can follow it.
New to skills? A skill is a plain-text file that teaches your AI a workflow. Point any capable assistant at it and it follows the steps, on your data.
02 / MAKE IT YOURS

Connect your context. Set it to your motion.

CONNECT YOUR CONTEXT · AND WHY IT HELPS
a repo or notes tool

the runbook is stored where the team already looks, versioned and linkable.

a task tool

recurring runs become a checklist that can be assigned and tracked.

a knowledge base

the runbook cross-links to the facts and stakeholders it depends on.

SET IT TO YOUR MOTION

This was built for an operator ready to hand a repeated task off. Set these to your setup:

The 5W2H frame is fixed. What each W points at is yours.

Set thisWhat it isDefault / Example
RB_HOMEwhere runbooks livea git repo/runbooks; a notes tool
ROLEwho runs ita rolenot a person's name
TRIGGERwhat starts the runa schedulean eventa request
TOOLSthe systems a step touchesyour CRMa sheeta task tool
CHECK_STYLEhow a step is verifieda visible outputa counta confirmation
COST_UNIThow "how much" is measuredminutesAPI callsdollars
03 / THE FULL SKILL

Everything the skill does, in full.

── WHAT THIS DOES

Takes a process you run from memory and turns it into a runbook someone else can execute without you. It captures the full 5W2H, who does it, what they do, when it runs, where it happens, why it matters, how each step is performed, and how much it costs in time or money, then it marks where it usually breaks and the check that confirms each step actually worked. The test of a runbook is simple: could a capable person you have never met run this correctly? This builds to that bar.

── THE METHOD
  1. 1
    5W2H capture

    Every runbook answers seven questions. Who runs it (a role, never a single person, so it survives turnover). What the outcome is. When it triggers. Where it happens (which systems). Why it matters (so a runner knows when to stop if the reason is gone). How, the numbered steps. How much, the time or cost per run. Skip one and the runbook has a hole a stranger will fall into.

  2. 2
    Steps a stranger can follow

    Each step is an action with an object: "export the signup list from the sheet," not "get the data." No step assumes context only you have. Where a step needs a fact, it links to it rather than assuming the reader knows.

  3. 3
    Failure points, named

    For each step that tends to break, say so, and say what breaking looks like. "The sheet read times out on runs over 5k rows" is a failure point. Naming it turns a mystery outage into an expected, handled case.

  4. 4
    Checks that prove it worked

    Every step that matters ends with a check: the visible output, the row count, the confirmation message that says it succeeded. A runbook without checks is a wish list. A runner should never have to guess whether a step landed.

  5. 5
    Roles, not names

    The runbook names a role, not a person. When the person changes, the runbook still runs. Personal contact details live in the knowledge base and are linked, not hard-coded into the steps.

── QUALITY GATES
  • Nothing is saved or published without your explicit approval. The skill drafts the runbook and shows it; you decide where it lands.
  • No step without a check. If a step cannot be verified, that is called out as a risk, not left silent.
  • Failure points are named, not hidden. A known break that is undocumented is a trap for the next runner.
  • Roles, not names. A runbook that depends on one person by name is flagged to be generalized.
── OUTPUT (EXAMPLE)
EXAMPLE OUTPUT
RUNBOOK · Nightly signup enrichment + routing · v1 (draft)

WHO      the RevOps on-call role (not a named person)
WHAT     enrich each new signup and route it to an owner
WHEN     nightly, 2am, after the raw signups sync lands
WHERE    the signups sheet -> the enrichment tool -> the CRM
WHY      the AE team works this list first thing; stale = missed speed-to-lead
HOW MUCH ~8 min unattended; ~1,200 API calls/run

HOW (steps)
  1. Confirm the raw sync landed.   CHECK: row count > 0 in "signups-raw"
  2. Run enrichment on new rows.    CHECK: email fill rate reported
  3. Route by company-size band.    CHECK: every row has an owner
  4. Post the run summary.          CHECK: summary message in the channel

FAILURE POINTS
  - Step 2 times out over ~5k rows. If so, batch in chunks of 2k.
  - Step 3 leaves EU signups unrouted (no owner rule yet). Flag, do not drop.

(draft, not saved. approve to store in the runbooks home)
── EXAMPLE CHAT
EXAMPLE CHAT
You
I do the nightly signup enrichment and routing by hand every night. Turn it into a runbook someone else could run.
CLAUDE
Walked through it and built the full 5W2H. One gap needs your input before this is handoff-ready. RUNBOOK · Nightly signup enrichment + routing · v1 (draft) WHO the RevOps on-call role (not a named person) WHEN nightly, 2am, after the raw signups sync lands HOW (steps) 1. Confirm the raw sync landed. CHECK: row count > 0 in "signups-raw" 2. Run enrichment on new rows. CHECK: email fill rate reported FAILURE POINTS - Step 2 times out over ~5k rows. If so, batch in chunks of 2k. - Step 3 leaves EU signups unrouted (no owner rule yet). Flag, do not drop. (draft, not saved. approve to store in the runbooks home) Worth flagging: I wrote WHO as "the RevOps on-call role," not your name, on purpose. A runbook that depends on one person by name breaks the first time that person is out.
You
What happens with the EU signups that don't have an owner rule yet?
CLAUDE
Right now that's a named failure point, not a hidden one. Step 3 flags them instead of silently dropping them, so whoever runs it knows to route those manually until you set the rule. Sharpener: connect your task tool and this becomes a checklist someone can actually claim and get credit for running, not just a doc they read.
04 / GO FURTHER

Where an operator takes this next.

The draft proves the process can leave your head. Here is the version that survives without you.

The next person who runs this doesn't need to call you to find out what step 3 means.

01
Store it where the on-call role already looks

Push the approved runbook into your team's git repo or notes tool so it's linked, versioned, and findable at 2am.

02
Turn recurring runs into assigned checklists

Connect a task tool so each nightly run creates a trackable checklist instead of a static doc nobody checks off.

03
Alert on the named failure points automatically

Wire step 2's row-count check to Slack so a timeout gets flagged the moment it happens, not the next morning.

05 / PART OF A BIGGER PLAY

One skill is the on-ramp.

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