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New to AI agents? Grab a cookie. Six tiny steps, plain English, about 10 minutes. Steps 1–3 need zero coding. Here to make images or videos? Jump to I make stuff 🎨.

1. What's an AI agent?

A chatbot talks. An agent talks and then gets up and does stuff: it opens files, uses tools and keeps going, step by step, until the job's done. Anthropic's engineers put it like this: agents "dynamically direct their own processes and tool usage" (Anthropic: Building effective agents).

A chatbot is a recipe book that talks back. An agent is the cook who also raids the fridge.

📺 Watch: Getting started with Claude.ai (5:19, Anthropic) · snack notes

📺 Watch: Let Claude handle work in your browser (1:35, Anthropic) · snack notes

2. Chatbot or agent: which do you need?

  • Asking, drafting, explaining? A chat app has you covered: ChatGPT or Claude.
  • Work across files, code or other apps? That's agent territory. Agents need permission to act, so they also need a bit more care (see step 5).

📺 Watch: Getting started with Claude.ai (5:19, Anthropic) · snack notes

📺 Watch: Getting started with research in Claude.ai (2:50, Anthropic) · snack notes

3. Pick your first tool by goal

Your goal Start with Coding needed?
Write, summarize, brainstorm ChatGPT or Claude Nope
Build or fix code in an editor Cursor or GitHub Copilot No, but you can
Let an agent work in your terminal Claude Code No, but you can

Claude Code runs in a terminal. You chat, it codes.

Pick one and stick with it for a week. Tasting every flavor on day one just gives you a stomach ache. 🍪

📺 Watch: Introducing Cowork: Claude Code for the rest of your work (1:09, Anthropic) · snack notes

4. Your first 15-minute task

  1. Pick something small you can check, like "turn these meeting notes into 5 bullets" or, in a code tool, "explain what this file does."
  2. Set the table: say who it's for, how long, and what "good" looks like.
  3. Read the answer, then ask: "What did you assume?" (It's a great question to ask anyone.)
  4. Taste before you serve: check the result yourself before you use it anywhere.

📺 Watch: Getting started with Claude.ai (5:19, Anthropic) · snack notes

📺 Watch: Getting started with projects in Claude.ai (7:08, Anthropic) · snack notes

5. Safety basics

  • Keep secrets off the plate. No passwords, API keys or private customer data in prompts.
  • Double-check the answer. AI can sound very sure and still be wrong. Check facts, numbers and code.
  • Say yes on purpose. Tools like Cursor ask before they run outside tools, by default (Cursor docs). Read what it wants to do before you click.
  • Only add extras from people you trust. Anthropic and Cursor both say this about skills and MCP servers, because add-ons can run code (Anthropic: Agent Skills, Cursor docs).

📺 Watch: Getting started with connectors in Claude.ai (3:43, Anthropic) · snack notes

6. Glossary (the jargon jar)

  • MCP (Model Context Protocol): a shared plug that lets AI apps connect to other stuff like files, databases and tools. The official docs call it "a USB-C port for AI applications" (modelcontextprotocol.io). One plug, many gadgets.
  • Skill: a recipe card for your agent: a folder of instructions (a SKILL.md file, plus optional scripts) for a job it does often. It only comes out of the drawer when it's needed (Anthropic: Agent Skills).
  • Plugin / connector: a ready-made snack pack for one app. In ChatGPT, plugins bundle skills, MCP servers and optional screens (OpenAI plugins).
  • Context window: everything the AI can "see" at once while it answers, its short-term memory. A bigger plate isn't always a better meal (Anthropic docs).

📺 Watch: Getting started with connectors in Claude.ai (3:43, Anthropic) · snack notes

📺 Watch: Your tools are now interactive in Claude (0:54, Anthropic) · snack notes

🎨 I make stuff: the creator track

Want pictures and videos, not code? Same agents, different snacks. Four bites:

  1. Pick one maker tool.
    Runway's plugin makes images, video and audio.
    MiniMax MCP does images and video too.
    More on the Creators shelf.
  2. Plug it into your agent.
    In Cursor, type /add-plugin and search for Runway.
    You sign in with your Runway account, no API key, and it spends your plan's credits (Runway plugin).
  3. Order a small snack first.
    One image. Then one short clip.
    Like it? Ask for tweaks in plain words.
  4. Make it yours.
    Anthropic's canvas-design skill tells Claude to make original designs and never copy existing artists. Good manners for humans too.

📺 Watch: Introducing Runway MCP (0:45, Runway)

Next: take this week's First Bite in Snack Pack #1, or subscribe for one short email a week.